By Robbins Jesuraj.
II Chron 26: 1-21
Uzziah was a successful king of Judah for 52 years, because he sought after the Lord. He successfully built his nation with highly capable military and flourishing agriculture.
The prosperity and success took Uzziah to a lofty and haughty heart. Instead of being humble before God, he treacherously trespassed against God. No one could teach him or stop him. Uzziah presumed that “He is eligible for extra privilege” as a successful king.
When he went beyond his role as a king and took on himself to do the duty of a priest, God intervened and struck him with leprosy. All of Uzziah’s achievements stood null and void towards the end of his life. He lived like a leper outside the camp and died. His success created self-sufficiency which resulted in pride and arrogance and pivoted to his downfall.
Matthew Henry sums it up well - “Those that covet forbidden honors forfeit allowed ones” All of us taste success. All of us are also tempted like Uzziah and capable of similar response. It’s not about how many success stories we have, but how we handle our successes that is significant in God’s measuring scale.
So, where do we start? Start from carefully and graciously giving credit to God, and others who are part of your success. Can we begin there?