2 Chronicles 26:16 – “But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God by entering the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.”
This unfortunate commentary is written about a king named Uzziah. He started out well and this chapter tells about the many accomplishments during his reign. Verse 5 says, “He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.” Uzziah was influenced by a godly man who helped him stay the path of relying on the Lord. And God blessed him. However, pride entered his heart and he made a mistake that would be very costly. He entered the temple with the intention of burning incense to the Lord. Azariah the priest confronted him and said in verse 18, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed! You shall have no honor from the Lord God.” The following verse tells us that Uzziah became angry with the priests and when he became angry, leprosy broke out on his forehead. He died a leper.
The problem is Uzziah attempted to move in an anointing that was not his. God called him to be a great king but not a great priest. You and I must stay within the parameters of what we are supposed to do. We may think we can do something else. Do not suppose that you can move in an area that is meant for someone else.
Notice when the leprosy broke out: when Uzziah became angry with spiritual authority. This principle is taught again in today’s New Testament One Year Bible reading in Romans 13:1,2 – “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.” This is exactly what happened to Uzziah.
We must learn a valuable lesson from this. Do not allow pride to enter your heart when God blesses you. Do not take the blessing as an indication that you can do things you’re not supposed to do (this one is huge). Stay within the parameters that God has called you to. Beware of anger: it leads to spiritual leprosy (a disease that eats away at you and marks you for life). Honor all spiritual authority. This is God’s plan. Do this and it will go well with you.