A Great Kings Downfall - The Book of 2 Chronicles

In this Bible Story, we learn about the faithful reign of King Uzziah. Although he does not finish well, the majority of his life was spent under the wisdom and guidance of God. He fortifies Judah, and protects them from harm. Then, his son Jotham follows by restoring Israel back to a loving relationship with God. This story is inspired by 2 Chronicles 26-27 & 2 Kings 15:1-7, 32-38. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is 2 Chronicles 26:18 from the King James Version.

Episode 146: Ahaz son of Jotham did not share his father’s will to follow God, instead, he followed evil. He followed the footsteps of the kings of Israel and the wickedness of their neighbors. He even killed his own children as a sacrifice to foreign gods. God would not tolerate this and so he sent the armies of Aram and Israel to raid them and take captive their men. But even in this punishment, God had a plan to protect those who were innocent and to remove those who led them astray.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray. And they withstood Usiah the king, and said,
unto him, it appeareth not unto thee Eusiah to burn incense,
unto the Lord, but to the priests the son of
Erin that are consecrated to burn incense, go out of
the sanctuary, for thou hast trespassed. Neither shall it be

(00:22):
for thine honor from the Lord God, Second Chronicles, twenty
six eighteen. Lord, through all the stories of these great kings,
one thing remains seen and heard through all of the scriptures,
the pride and the arrogance that can come with influence
and increase. With this before me, I thank you, Lord

(00:46):
for protecting me against the arrogance that can come from
hitting my goals and achieving success. May my heart remain
steadfast and focused on abiding in your presence and seeking
your face. I confess that honor and respect will be

(01:06):
major pillars when it comes to honoring you and those
you've intrusted to carry out your way. Lord, let me
never walk around like King Euziah, believing that I am
better than others than that your word doesn't apply to me.
Let my actions and intentions be in sync with your

(01:28):
principles I declare that my mind is alert and my
eyes are open, so that I will not fall, but
will rise when you open the door to increase and
influence in Jesus name. Amen. Listening to these daily prayers

(01:51):
strengthens your relationship with God. Continue hearing from the Lord
by listening to to day's Bible in a Year, brought
to you by Bible in a Year dot com.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
A great King's downfall. In our last story, we learned
about the rule of Amaziah. He defeated a great threat,
but grew arrogant and pompous. The Lord humbled Amasiah in
the battle against Israel. He was shamed in front of
his people and died in exile. Now we learn about

(02:32):
one of the greatest kings Judah has ever known. This
king mirrored many qualities that made David and Solomon great.
He was inventive, courageous, and noble. However, his name grew
too great for his own fragile heart to handle. Inspired
by the Book of Second Chronicles.

Speaker 3 (02:56):
Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of the
Bible in a Year podcast. In our previous episode, we
heard about King Ameziah's downfall. Though he at first sought
to follow God and trust him. His wavering faith opened
the door to doubt, bitterness, and resentment. He stopped trusting
in God's goodness and turned to idols and self gratification. Ultimately,

(03:19):
he died in defeat and with a heart filled with resentment,
still clinging to the idols that had no real power
and no comfort for him. Today we'll learn of a
truly great king, a man who exhibited many of the
best traits of David and Solomon. But though he was
one of the great kings of Judah, he was also
a man prone to sin and filled with brokenness. Listen

(03:43):
now to God's word.

Speaker 2 (03:46):
The people of God were desperate for a hero, a
symbol of faithfulness and a pillar of strength. They craved
a godly king. They longed for a man who would
lead as David once did, a man with strength and humility,
a man of courage and tact. They prayed desperately for

(04:07):
this king to arise. They believed that king to be
the young boy. Usiah, the son of Amaziah, was sixteen
when the elders came to him and anointed him as king.
His father had met a shameful demise, but there was
hope that Usiah would be different. He was a bright
young man. He was strong and had a good heart.

(04:29):
His mother, Jakolah, was wise and nurturing. Usiah was made
king at sixteen and immediately pursued God for wisdom and fortitude.
King Usiah did what was right in the sight of God.
He thought through the will and purposes behind God's law.
He studied kings before him and learned from their victories

(04:53):
and failures. He also leaned on a great council of
different men and women. He sought their guidance on all
political and military matters. The man he leaned on most
was Zechariah, the prophet. He instructed the young king on
how to fear and obey God. He guided him in

(05:14):
matters of the heart and soul, and taught him how
to seek wisdom and justice. As long as Usiah sought
the will of God, everything he did prospered. Uzziah was
not interested in the petty rivalry with Israel his father started.
He knew that the true threat was among the Philistines.

(05:34):
They had been secretly amassing a great army to raid Judah.
Usiah waged war against the enemination with the wisdom of
many commanders, behind him. He sent several attacks towards the
walls of Gaith. With each attack, the war grew weaker
and weaker. Usiah sent men in with battering rams to

(05:55):
slam against the walls. He would send archers to cover
the men from any fire. Soon the walls began to crumble.
The earth quaked as the stones fell to the floor.
The Philistines were exposed to Usiah's final attack against the city.
God gave Usiah favor, and he crushed the Philistines before

(06:17):
they could gather themselves. Husiah's victory and battle gained him
the respect and fear of other nations. The Ammonites gave
Usiah tribute and pledged their loyalty to him as king.
His fame spread even to the distant nation of Egypt.
Rumors of Usiah crushing the walls of Gaith single handedly

(06:39):
spread like wildfire. Although they were just rumors, they hinted
at a growing strength in the young king, but Usiah
knew it was the favor of God. After the Philistines
were defeated, Usiah moved on to his next concern, the
defenses of Jerusalem. He erected towers at each gate along

(06:59):
the wall. He also built towers in the wilderness beyond
Jerusalem to protect farm land and villages. King Husiah was
becoming a great warrior, but his real passion was for
farming and tending to the live stock, so he took
great care into making sure they were protected. Husaiah paid
much attention to his commanders and secretaries. He made sure

(07:23):
they were taken care of in not much time. King
Husiah even gained the loyalty of many might men in
the country. Two thousand, six hundred mighty men followed Usiah
into battle, more so than King David himself. Under those
men was an army of three hundred and seven thousand,
five hundred soldiers. They were well equipped and well fed.

(07:47):
The young king knew that in order to keep the
nation safe, he had to keep his army strong. Even
more important, they needed to love him. King Usiah had
an inquisitive mind. He tinkered with would steel, gears and wheels.
He gathered skillful men who knew mathematics and engineering. Together

(08:08):
they invented machines to be placed on every tower. These
machines shot arrows and great stones in opposing forces. The
technology was advanced. Another line of defense was Usiah's reputation.
Word of his weapons, armies, and towers spread. Usiah designed
a name for himself that would cause all of Judah's

(08:29):
enemies to fear. This, he knew, was the greatest weapon
of all. Stories of Usiah's powers spread throughout the land.
His name was greatly feared, and his reputation painted him
almost as a god. These stories began to seep into
Usiah's heart. As he grew stronger, so did his pride. Eventually,

(08:51):
Usiah saw himself above the law. One morning, Usiah entered
into the Temple of God to worship. However, he went
in without the pre prists. He strutted around the temple
halls as if he had built it himself. The king
entered into the temple and began to burn incense, accustom
only meant for priests. Azariah walked in with eighty of

(09:13):
his priests and saw what Usiah was doing. They gasped
at the king's arrogance. He knew that there was a
checks in balance between the priests and king. The king
was not to rule over the temple as well. You
should not be doing this, Azariah exclaimed. You should leave
here now. Doing this will not bring you honor from God.

(09:36):
Husaiah rolled his neck back as he listened to the priest.
He was annoyed at them. He was about to respond
and anger when a strange tingling emerged on his forehead.
He felt light headed and feverish. He leaned against the altar,
trying to regain balance. Usiah grew fearful as he watched
the priests step.

Speaker 1 (09:56):
Back from him.

Speaker 2 (09:58):
Confused, Husiah grabbed a silver ball and held it up
at his face like a rising tide. Usiah could see
leprosy spreading across his forehead. The priests rushed him out
and took him to his chambers. There, the king began
to rot. His skin peeled back from his face, his
fingers and toes began to separate from his body. A

(10:19):
sharp pain was replaced by a dull ache as his
body decayed. For the rest of his days, Usiah suffered
as a leper. He died humbled by the sovereignty of God.
Usiah died shamefully, as did his father. However, his son
Jotham would not make the same mistakes. Jotham was twenty

(10:41):
five years old when he took the throne after his father.
He pursued God from beginning to end. For sixteen years,
Jotham tore down idols, built defenses, and made allies. He
grew into a mighty warrior and defeated the Ammonites in battle.
They paid trips thank you to him every second and

(11:01):
third year. Jotham set a strong and godly example for
the rest of Judah. The nation loved Usiah, but his
son Jotham was the one to truly finish well.

Speaker 3 (11:17):
As we begin today's reading, Judah is without a king.
Amaziah had fled in disgrace to die in exile. The
elders looked then to his son Usiah, who was merely
a boy at age sixteen. Yet despite his youth, Usiah
possessed a desire for wisdom and a humility to seek

(11:37):
guidance from those who sought God. Usiah set immediately about
doing the Lord's business and leaned often on the prophet
Zechariah for God's guidance. It was a remarkable display of
maturity from one so young. Youth does not necessarily disqualify
someone from service, especially when a young person is mature

(11:59):
in the Lord and earnestly desires to seek God and
to know his ways. And because of Eusiah's dedication to
the Lord God prospered him. He gave the king victories
over the Philistines, the Arabians, and the Melionites. His renown
grew not only in Judah, but as far away as Egypt.
Prosperity was granted to Judah under King Eusiah, and his

(12:22):
military grew stronger and stronger. It seemed like everything the
king did was successful. Judah was functioning in many ways
as God had always intended, bringing glory to God throughout
the region. But today's passage then reminded us that when
success is that the greatest evil is around the corner,

(12:43):
and it often takes the form of pride. Listen to
what we read in Second Chronicles twenty six, verse sixteen.
But when he was strong, he grew proud to his destruction.
Pride it will take us out every time. Pride causes
us to believe that we are responsible for our success
rather than God, that we are self sufficient, and that

(13:06):
we are even above correction, and that we live with entitlement.
The Bible says God will not share his glory with another,
and pride takes away the glory that belongs to God
and God alone in his pride, Usiah made a fateful era.
He entered the temple to the altar of incense. It
was a holy place, reserved for the priest. Even the

(13:28):
king was not allowed to enter, and Usiah knew this.
It wasn't an accident or an innocent mistake. This was
wilful disregard for God's law. To make matters worse. When
as Aiah, the priest went in and rebuked him, telling
him to leave lest he face God's judgment, Usiah did
not repent. Instead, he became indignant, how dare this priest

(13:51):
tell him what to do? God's judgment was swift, and
there in the temple leprosy broke out all over the
king's forehead. He had lost his sensitivity to the Lord's
leading and to God's law, and the numb leprous skin
was a visual reminder of this terrible fact. He lived
as a leper for the rest of his days, unable

(14:13):
to enter the Lord's house because he was now unclean.
Though he had been a great king and brought glory
to God for many years, he did not finish his
race well. He failed at the end and marred a
legacy that could have been truly remarkable. Usiah was succeeded
by his son Jotham, who reigned with righteousness, seeking God

(14:34):
all his days. Unlike his father, Jotham served God faithfully
from start to finish. God, we thank you for so
many who have joined us on our journey through the Bible,
and we thank you for every story. We thank you
for the truth of what you say in your word,
that it is always true. May we learn the lessons
well that you are teaching us as we continue to

(14:56):
pursue You and your will for our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen,
Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
I'm pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Let me encourage
you to download the Prey dot com app and always
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(15:19):
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Jack Graham dot org. God bless you