16<\/strong>. to<\/em> his destruction<\/em> ] R.V. so that he did corruptly<\/strong>; cp. 2Ch 27:2<\/span> (the same Heb. word).<\/p>\n he transgressed<\/em> ] R.V. trespassed<\/strong>; cp. 2Ch 12:2<\/span>; Jos 7:1<\/span>; Jos 22:16<\/span>. The Heb. word implies presumptuous dealing with holy things.<\/p>\n the altar of incense<\/em> ] Cp. Exo 30:1-10<\/span>. Not only the altar, but the incense Itself was “most holy”; ib.<\/em> Exo 30:34-38<\/span>.<\/p>\n 16 20 (not in Kings). Uzziah’s Presumption<\/p>\n For a discussion of the historical probabilities of this account see the Introduction 8.<\/p>\n To his destruction – <\/B>Rather, to do wickedly. Uzziah appears to have deliberately determined to invade the priests office (marginal reference m), thus repeating the sin of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram Num. 16:1-35<\/span>.<\/P><\/p>\n Verse 16<\/span>. He transgressed against the Lord<\/B><\/I>] “He sinned against the WORD of the Lord his God.” – T<\/I>.<\/P> <\/P> Went into the temple to burn incense<\/B><\/I>] Thus assuming to himself the priest’s office. See this whole transaction explained in the notes on 2Kg 15:5<\/span>.<\/P> <\/p>\n But when he was strong; <\/B>when he was strengthened in his kingdom, and free from the fear of any enemy. <\/P> Into the temple of the Lord; <\/B>into the holy place, where the altar of incense stood, and into which none but the priests might enter, much less offer incense. <\/P> <\/p>\n 16-21. he transgressed against theLord,<\/B> &c.(See on 2Ki 15:5<\/span>).This daring and wicked act is in both records traced to theintoxicating influence of overweening pride and vanity. But here theadditional circumstances are stated, that his entrance was opposed,and strong remonstrances made (1Ch6:10<\/span>) by the high priest, who was accompanied by eighty inferiorpriests. Rage and threats were the only answers he deigned to return,but God took care to vindicate the sacredness of the priestly office.At the moment the king lifted the censer, He struck him with leprosy.The earthquake mentioned (Am 1:1<\/span>)is said to have been felt at the moment [JOSEPHUS].<\/P><\/p>\n When he was strong<\/strong>,…. Became great and powerful, through his victories, the enlargement of his dominions, and having a numerous army, and these well accoutred, and many fortified cities and towers:<\/p>\n his heart was lifted up to his destruction<\/strong>; he grew vain and proud, elated with his flourishing circumstances, which issued in his ruin:<\/p>\n for he transgressed against the Lord his God<\/strong>; who had helped him, and made him so great, and had bestowed so many favours upon him; the Targum is,<\/p>\n “the Word of the Lord his God;”<\/p>\n what his transgression was, follows:<\/p>\n and went into the temple of the Lord<\/strong>; the holy place, into which none but the priests might enter:<\/p>\n to burn incense upon the altar of incense<\/strong>; which stood there.<\/p>\n Uzziah’s pride, and chastisement by leprosy. His death and burial<\/em>. – The fact that the Lord smote Uzziah with leprosy, which continued until his death, so that he was compelled to dwell in a hospital, and to allow his son Jotham to conduct the government, is narrated also in 2Ki 15:5<\/span>; but the cause of this punishment inflicted on him by God is stated only in our verses. <\/p>\n 2Ch 26:16<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> “When Uzziah had become mighty ( as in 2Ch 12:1<\/span>), his heart was lifted up (in pride) unto destructive deeds.” He transgressed against Jahve his God, and came into the sanctuary of Jahve to offer incense upon the altar of incense. With a lofty feeling of his power, Uzziah wished to make himself high priest of his kingdom, like the kings of Egypt and of other nations, whose kings were also summi pontifices <\/em>, and to unite all power in his person, like Moses, who consecrated Aaron and his sons to be priests. Then. and Ewald, indeed, think that the powerful Uzziah wished merely to restore the high-priesthood exercised by David and Solomon; but though both these kings did indeed arrange and conduct religious festal solemnities, yet they never interfered in any way with the official duties reserved for the priests by the law. The arrangement of a religious solemnity, the dedicatory prayer at the dedication of the temple, and the offering of sacrifices, are not specifically priestly functions, as the service by the altars, and the entering into the holy place of the temple, and other sacrificial acts were. <\/p>\n 2Ch 26:17-20<\/span> <\/p>\n <\/strong> The king’s purpose was consequently opposed by the high priest Azariah and eighty priests, valiant men, who had the courage to represent to him that to burn incense to the Lord did not appertain to the king, but only to the sanctified Aaronite priests; but the king, with the censer in his hand, was angry, and the leprosy suddenly broke out upon his forehead. When the priests saw the leprosy, they removed the king immediately from the holy place; and Uzziah himself also hurried to go forth, because Jahve had smitten him; for he recognised in the sudden breaking out of the leprosy a punishment from God. Azariah is called , i.e., a high priest, and is in all probability the same person as the high priest mentioned in 1Ch 6:10<\/span> (see on the passage). , “It (the offering of incense) is not for thine honour before Jahve.” , to foam up in anger. , and while he foamed against the priests, i.e., was hot against them, the leprosy had broken out. , from by = near, the altar. Thus was Uzziah visited with the same punishment, for his haughty disregard of the divinely appointed privileges of the priesthood, as was once inflicted upon Miriam for her rebellion against the prerogatives assigned to Moses by God (Num 12:10<\/span>).<\/p>\n 2Ch 26:21<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> But Uzziah had to bear his punishment until his death, and dwelt the rest of his life in a separate house, while his son conducted the government for him. This is also recorded in 2Ki 15:5<\/span> (cf. for the commentary on that passage). The reason of the separation of the king from intercourse with others, by his dwelling in the hospital, is given in the Chronicle in the words: “for he was cut off (shut out) from the house of Jahve.” This reason can only mean, that because he, as a leper, was shut out from the house of the Lord, he could not live in fellowship with the people of God, but must dwell in a separate house. For the rest, we cannot exactly say how long Uzziah continued to live under the leprosy; but from the fact that his son Jotham, who at Uzziah’s death was twenty-five years old, conducted the government for him, so much is clear, viz., that it can only have lasted a year or two.<\/p>\n 2Ch 26:22<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> The history of his reign was written by the prophet Isaiah (see the Introduction).<\/p>\n Uzziah’s Sin and Punishment.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/I><\/span><\/P> <\/TD> B. C.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN> 763.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P> <\/TD> <\/TR> <\/TABLE> 16 But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his<\/I> destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD<\/B> his God, and went into the temple of the LORD<\/B> to burn incense upon the altar of incense. 17 And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the LORD<\/B>, that were<\/I> valiant men: 18 And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth<\/I> not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD<\/B>, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be<\/I> for thine honour from the LORD<\/B> God. 19 Then Uzziah was wroth, and had<\/I> a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD<\/B>, from beside the incense altar. 20 And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was<\/I> leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the LORD<\/B> had smitten him. 21 And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being<\/I> a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD<\/B>: and Jotham his son was<\/I> over the king’s house, judging the people of the land. 22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write. 23 So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of the burial which belonged<\/I> to the kings; for they said, He is<\/I> a leper: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.<\/P> Here is the only blot we find on the name of king Uzziah, and it is such a one as lies not on any other of the kings. Whoredom, murder, oppression, persecution, and especially idolatry, gave characters to the bad kings and some of them blemishes to the good ones, David himself not excepted, witness the matter of Uriah. But we find not Uzziah charged with any of these; and yet he transgressed against the Lord his God,<\/I> and fell under the marks of his displeasure in consequence, not, as other kings, in vexatious wars or rebellions, but an incurable disease.<\/P> I. His sin was invading the priest’s office. The good way is one; by-paths are many. The transgression of his predecessors was forsaking the temple of the Lord, flying off from it (ch.<\/I><\/span> xxiv. 18<\/span>), and burning incense upon idolatrous altars, ch.<\/I><\/span> xxv. 14<\/span>. His<\/I> was intruding into the temple of the Lord<\/I> further than was allowed him, and attempting him to burn incense upon the altar<\/I> of God, for which, it is likely, he pretended an extraordinary zeal and affection. See how hard it is to avoid one extreme and not run into another.<\/P> 1. That which was at the bottom of his sin was pride of heart, a lust that ruins more than any other whatsoever (v.<\/I><\/span> 16<\/span>): When he was strong<\/I> (and he was marvellously helped by the good providence of God till he was so,<\/I> v.<\/span> 15<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>), when he had grown very great and considerable in wealth, interest, and power, instead of lifting up the name of God in gratitude to him who had done so much for him, his heart was lifted up to his destruction.<\/I> Thus the prosperity of fools, by puffing them up with pride, destroys them. Now that he had done so much business, and won so much honour, he began to think no business, no honour, too great or too good for him, no, not that of the priesthood Men’s pretending to forbidden knowledge, and exercising themselves in things too high for them, are owing to the pride of their heart, and the fleshly mind they are vainly puffed up with.<\/I><\/P> 2. His sin was going into the temple of the Lord to burn incense,<\/I> probably on some solemn feast day, or when he himself had some special occasion for supplicating the divine favour. What could move him to this piece of presumption, or put it into his head, I cannot conjecture. None of all his predecessors, not the best, not the worst, attempted it. The law, he knew, was express against him, and there was no usage or precedent for him. He could not pretend any necessity, as there was for David’s eating the show-bread. (1.) Perhaps he fancied the priests did not do their office so dexterously, decently, and devoutly, as they ought, and he could do it better. Or, (2.) He observed that the idolatrous kings did themselves burn incense at the altars of their gods; his father did so, and Jeroboam (1 Kings xiii. 1<\/span>), an ambition of which honour was perhaps one thing that tempted them from the house of God, where it was not permitted them; and he, being resolved to cleave to God’s altar, would try to break through this restraint and come as near it as the idolatrous kings did to their altars. But it is called a transgression against the Lord his God.<\/I> He was not content with the honours God had put upon him, but would usurp those that were forbidden him, like our first parents.<\/P> 3. He was opposed in this attempt by the chief priest and other priests that attended and assisted him, 2Ch 26:17<\/span>; 2Ch 26:18<\/span>. They were ready to burn incense for the king, according to the duty of their place; but, when he offered to do it himself, they plainly let him know that he meddled with that which did not belong to him, and that it was at his peril. They did not resist him by laying violent hands on him, though they were valiant men, but by reasoning with him and showing him, (1.) That it was not lawful for him to burn incense: “It appertaineth not to thee, O Uzziah!<\/I> but to the priests,<\/I> whose birthright it is, as sons of Aaron, and who are consecrated to the service.” Aaron and his sons were appointed by the law to burn incense, Exod. xxx. 7<\/span>. See Deu 33:10<\/span>; 1Ch 23:13<\/span>. David had blessed the people and Solomon and Jehoshaphat had prayed with them and preached to them. Uzziah might have done this, and it would have been to his praise; but as for burning incense, that service was to be performed by the priests only. The kingly and priestly offices were separated by the law of Moses, not to be united again but in the person of the Messiah. If Uzziah did intend to honour God, and gain acceptance with him, in what he did, he was quite out in his aim; for, being a service purely of divine institution, he could not expect it should be accepted unless it were done in the way and by the hands that God had appointed. (2.) That it was not safe. It shall not be for thy honour from the Lord God.<\/I> More is implied: “It will be thy disgrace, and it is at thy peril.” The law runs expressly against all strangers that came nigh (Num 3:10<\/span>; Num 18:7<\/span>), that is, all that were not priests. Korah and his accomplices, though Levites, paid dearly for offering to burn incense, which was the work of the priests only, Num. xvi. 35<\/span>. The incense of our prayers must be by faith put into the hands of our Lord Jesus, the great high priest of our profession, else we cannot expect it should be accepted by God, Rev. viii. 3<\/span>.<\/P> 4. He fell into a passion with the priests that reproved him, and would push forward to do what he intended notwithstanding (v.<\/I><\/span> 19<\/span>): Uzziah was wroth,<\/I> and would not part with the censer out of his hand. He took it ill to be checked, and would not bear interference. Nitimur in vetitum<\/I>—We are prone to do what is forbidden.<\/I><\/P> II. His punishment was an incurable leprosy, which rose up in his forehead while he was contending with the priests. If he had submitted to the priests’ admonition, acknowledged his error, and gone back, all would have been well; but when he was wroth with the priests,<\/I> and fell foul upon them, then God was wroth with him and smote him with a plague of leprosy. Josephus says that he threatened the priests with death if they opposed him, and that then the earth shook, the roof of the temple opened, and through the cleft a beam of the sun darted directly upon the king’s face, wherein immediately the leprosy appeared. And some conjecture that that was the earthquake in the days of Uzziah which we read of Amo 1:1<\/span>; Zec 14:5<\/span>. Now this sudden stroke, 1. Ended the controversy between him and the priests; for, when the leprosy appeared, they were emboldened to thrust him out of the temple; nay, he himself hasted to go out, because the Lord had smitten him<\/I> with a disease which was in a particular manner a token of his displeasure, and which he knew secluded him from common converse with men, much more from the altar of God. He would not be convinced by what the priests said, but God took an effectual course to convince him. If presumptuous men will not be made to see their error by the judgments of God’s mouth, they shall be made to see it by the judgments of his hand. It evinced some religious fear of God in the heart of this king, even in the midst of his transgression, that, as soon as he found God was angry with him, he not only let fall his attempt, but retired with the utmost precipitation. Though he strove with the priests, he would not strive with his Maker. 2. It remained a lasting punishment of his transgression; for he continued a leper to the day of his death,<\/I> shut up in confinement, and shut out from society, and forced to leave it to his son to manage all his business, v.<\/I><\/span> 21<\/span>. Thus God gave an instance of his resisting the proud and of his jealousy for the purity and honour of his own institutions; thus he gave fair warning even to great and good men to know and keep their distance, and not to intrude into those things which they have not seen; and thus he gave Uzziah a loud and constant call to repentance, and a long space to repent, which we have reason to hope he improved. He had been a man of much business in the world; but being taken off from that, and confined to a separate house,<\/I> he had leisure to think of another world and prepare for it. By this judgment upon the king God intended to possess the people with a great veneration for the temple, the priesthood, and other sacred things, which they had been apt to think meanly of. While the king was a leper, he was as good as dead, dead while he lived, and buried alive; and so the law was, in effect, answered, that the stranger who cometh nigh shall be put to death. The disgrace survived him; for, when he was dead, they would not bury him in the sepulchres of the kings<\/I> because he was a leper, which stained all his other glory. 3. It was a punishment that answered the sin as face does face in a glass. (1.) Pride was at the bottom of his transgression, and thus God humbled him and put dishonour upon him. (2.) He invaded the office of the priests in contempt of them, and God struck him with a disease which in a particular manner made him subject to the inspection and sentence of the priests; for to them pertained the judgment of the leprosy,<\/I> Deut. xxiv. 8<\/I><\/span>. (3.) He thrust himself into the temple of God, whither the priests only had admission, and for that was thrust out of the very courts of the temple, into which the meanest of his subjects that was ceremonially clean had free access. (4.) He confronted the priests that faced him and opposed his presumption, and for that the leprosy rose in his forehead,<\/I> which, in Miriam’s case, is compared to her father’s spitting in her face,<\/I> Num. xii. 14<\/I><\/span>. (5.) He invaded the dignity of the priesthood, which he had no right to, and for that he was deprived even of his royal dignity, which he had a right to. Those that covet forbidden honours forfeit allowed ones. Adam, by catching at the tree of knowledge of which he might not eat, debarred himself from the tree of life, of which he might have eaten. Let all that read it say, The Lord is righteous.<\/I><\/P><\/p>\n See note on 2Ki 15:5<\/span><\/p>\n (16) But when he was strong.<\/strong>See 2Ch. 26:15<\/span>, till he was strong, and the same phrase, 2Ch. 12:1<\/span>.<\/p>\n His heart was lifted up.<\/strong>With pride.<\/p>\n To his destruction.<\/strong>Rather, even to dealing corruptly<\/em> (<\/em>ad lehash<\/em>c<\/em>hth<\/em>).<\/em><\/p>\n For he transgressed.<\/strong>And he was unfaithful to Jehovah<\/em> (1Ch. 5:25<\/span>).<\/p>\n Went into the temple . . . to burn incense.<\/strong>On the golden altar, in the Holy Place; contrary to the law of Num. 18:1-7<\/span>, Elevated by success, Uzziah appears to have desired to become supreme pontiff as well as king, and to exercise the same dual functions as the Egyptian Pharaohs were wont to do. Some have thought that he merely revived the precedent of David and Solomon; but it can hardly be proved that those monarchs, though represented as organising the priesthood and ritual, and conducting great religious festivals, ever actually performed the distinctive functions of priests. (Comp. the conduct of Saul, 1Sa. 13:9<\/span>, and its consequences.)<\/p>\n UZZIAHS PRESUMPTION PUNISHED BY LEPROSY HIS DEATH <\/strong> This section also is mainly peculiar to the chronicler. 2Ki. 15:5-7<\/span> correspond to 2Ch. 26:21-23<\/span> only.<\/p>\n 16<\/strong>. <\/strong> When he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction <\/strong> His great power, wealth, and fame fostered in him a disposition to feel that nothing was too good for him and nothing was above him. Thus “pride” went “before destruction a haughty spirit before a fall.” <\/p>\n Went into the temple to burn incense <\/strong> “With a lofty feeling of his power, Uzziah wished to make himself high priest of his kingdom, like the kings of Egypt and of other nations.” Keil. <\/em> Here was Uzziah’s great sin. It is not mentioned in Kings, though its punishment is mentioned there. Such sacrilege and invasion of the priest’s office demanded the opposition from the priests and the punishment from God, which it so promptly received.<\/p>\n Uzziah’s Arrogance Punished<\/p>\n v. 16. But when he was strong,<\/strong> when he had gained so much power and occupied such an influential position among the nations, his heart was lifted up,<\/strong> in sinful pride and vanity, to his destruction; for he transgressed against the Lord, his God, and went into the Temple of the Lord,<\/strong> into the Holy Place, to burn incense upon the altar of incense,<\/strong> this being the privilege of the priests alone, Exo 30:7-27<\/span>; Num 18:1-7<\/span>. <\/p>\n v. 17. And Azariah, the priest,<\/strong> that is, the head-priest, the high priest, went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the Lord that were valiant men,<\/strong> men in the vigor of their strength; <\/p>\n v. 18. and they withstood Uzziah the king,<\/strong> strongly remonstrated with him for his blasphemous intention, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests, the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense,<\/strong> the daily burning of incense at the morning and evening sacrifice being an important part of their duty. Go out of the Sanctuary, for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honor from the Lord God,<\/strong> an emphatic way of saying that he had loaded dishonor, shame, and resentment from the Lord upon himself. <\/p>\n v. 19. Then Uzziah was wroth,<\/strong> as a wilful sinner is apt to be if confronted and called to order, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense,<\/strong> all ready to usurp the rights of the priests; and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord from beside the incense altar. <\/strong> It was a sudden punishment of the Lord, such as that which had come upon Miriam, Num 12:10<\/span>, an emphatic way of correcting the presumption of the king. <\/p>\n v. 20. And Azariah, the chief priest, and all the priests looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead,<\/strong> the mark was unmistakable. And they thrust him out from thence,<\/strong> lest his uncleanness defile the Sanctuary; yea, himself,<\/strong> filled with terror at this turn of events, hasted also to go out because the Lord had smitten him<\/strong>, a fact which was obvious to him as it was to the priests. <\/p>\n v. 21. And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death and dwelt in a several house,<\/strong> literally, “a house of separation,” a hospital or infirmary, being a leper,<\/strong> to whom all direct intercourse with other people was prohibited; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord,<\/strong> he was not permitted to enter the Temple again. And Jotham, his son, was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land,<\/strong> as coregent with his father. <\/p>\n v. 22. Now, the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah, the prophet, the son of Amoz, write,<\/strong> for he was prophet in Judah at this time, Isa 1:1<\/span>. <\/p>\n v. 23. <\/strong> So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of the burial which belonged to the kings, in the plot of ground adjoining the tombs, but not inside the royal sepulchers; for they said, He is a leper. And Jotham, his son, reigned in his stead. Azariah and the other priests offer a fine example to the ministers of the New Testament. The latter also should guard the rights of the sanctuary and not permit the State to usurp the rights of the Church. History reports more than one instance in which members of the government and entire governments were punished for interfering with the work of the Church. <\/p>\n We that live in gospel times can better conceive the cause of this awful visitation on Uzziah in invading the priests office. As the offering incense typified the Lord Jesus, because none but Jesus can approach Jehovah to make intercession, and to offer sacrifice, for the sins of the people; so the daring act of any going in themselves, with their own offering, implies a despising the way of salvation the Lord hath appointed. And who, in the present hour, is in this awful state, but the man who presumptuously draws nigh in his own righteousness, and makes light of the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ? Such are under this dreadful leprosy of the soul, and live in a separate house, without God, and without Christ in the world. Lord! preserve men from this dangerous delusion!<\/p>\n XV<\/p>\n<\/p>\n THE REIGNS OF UZZIAH, JOTHAM, AND THAZ (OF JUDAH) AND ZECHARIAH, SHALLUM, PEKAHIAH, AND PEKA (OF ISRAEL)<\/p>\n 2Ki 15:1-16:20<\/span><\/strong> ; 2Ch 26:16-28:17<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n In this chapter we begin with the brief reign of Zechariah who was the last king of the dynasty of Jehu. He was a weakling preceded by four strong men, but himself very inferior to his predecessors. Zechariah reigned only six months, and during that six months we have the same story of sin and corruption repeated as we have had in all the reigns previous to him. He was murdered by a usurper named Shallum, and thus ends the dynasty of Jehu as had been prophesied: that his children to the fourth generation only should sit upon the throne.<\/p>\n Then follows the brief reign of Shallum. The usurper succeeds in removing Zechariah and seizes the throne. His reign is short lived, but during that time we have an even more terrible picture of the condition of the people as described in the book of Hosea, Hosea 4-14. It is during this period and after, that Hosea gives us the bulk of his prophecy. In Hos 10:3<\/span> , referring to one of these revolutions when the dynasty was changed, we find this statement: “Surely now shall they say, We have no king; for we fear not the Lord; and the king, what can he do for us?” which indicates that the people felt themselves without a king. They cared not for God nor for the king. The kingdom was without a head) without a central government, the result of such condition of affairs is the anarchy which he describes. In Hos 4:1-2<\/span> we have a catalogue of the sins of the people: “Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel; for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land; nought but swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery; they break out, and blood toucheth blood.” So frequent were the murders that the blood of one is not dried up before another one takes place and there is a continuous stream of blood.<\/p>\n Next comes the brief reign of Menahem, who seized the throne through murder, destroyed all the dynasty preceding him, and the brief statement made in regard to his character would indicate that he was a man, barbarous in his ferocity, a murderer and a relentless freebooter.<\/p>\n The record tells us that when Uzziah was exalted, his heart was lifted up with pride, and he assumed to perform the functions of the priesthood. He thrust himself into the Temple to offer the incense which the law placed in other hands. There the priest met him, bravely stood in the way of that offering, and while the spirit of persistence was upon him, God smote him with leprosy, and from the day that leprosy struck him he had to be isolated from the throne and the people and though he lived years afterward a regency was established by his son, Jotham. It is called Uzziah’s reign, but Jotham acted as king until his leprosy killed him.<\/p>\n In 2Ki 15:19-20<\/span> and 1Ch 5:26<\/span> we find that Pul, king of Assyria, or the great Tiglath-Pileser, approaches the Northern Kingdom, and Menahem had to pay a large tribute in order to maintain his kingdom, a thousand talents of silver: “And Menahem exacted the money of Israel, even of all the mighty men of wealth, of each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria, so the king of Assyria turned back, and stayed not there in the land.” Thus he was able to maintain his throne and kingdom by paying Tiglath-Pileser a heavy tribute. Then follows the reign of Pekahiah, the son of Menahem. He was a little improvement upon his father. In a short time he was himself butchered by Pekah who seized the throne and established another dynasty. His character was in line with the other kings of Israel in general: “He departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat.”<\/p>\n About this time Uzziah died. It is notable that he was buried “in the field of burial with his fathers, for they said, He was a leper.” Just at this time, Isaiah, the greatest of Old Testament prophets, had his vision, and also the prophetic work of Amos and Hosea of Israel and Micah of Judah falls in this period. From these prophets we get a fine description of the customs and practices of this time.<\/p>\n Upon the death of Uzziah, his son Jotham, reigned in his stead. His mother’s name was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok. His character was ahead of any other king in the period except Hezekiah. He didn’t put down the high places, but he didn’t commit particular sins to aggravate the condition of the people. He carried forward some important building enterprises. He built the upper gate of the Temple, the wall of Ophel, cities in the hill country of Judah and castles and towers in the forest. He was also successful in war with the Ammonites who paid him large tribute.<\/p>\n During the reign of Pekah several things happened. The kingdom was now nearing its end and we read that Pul, the great Assyrian king approached eastern Palestine, conquered it, deported the entire population “and brought them unto Halah, and Habor and Hara, and to the river of Gozan,” and there they remained. Tiglath-Pileser was the first of the great Assyrians that inaugurated the system of deporting a rebellious people, thus rendering them powerless to oppose him. He picked them up, and transported them to other countries, and brought in others to take their places, simply transferred whole nations. Thus all eastern Palestine had gone into exile.<\/p>\n We now come to Ahaz and the whole picture is black. He reigned sixteen years and he crowded into that time as much meanness, vileness, as a man can put into sixteen years. Let us glance at the record itself to see some of the things that he did. In the sketch of his character it is said, “He did not that which was right in the sight of the Lord his God, like David his father. But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel. And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.” There was a confederacy formed against him to which the prophets give particular notice. The king of Israel and the king of Syria entered into an alliance to destroy Judah. Here the prophet Oded comes in and the record says, “Behold, because the Lord, the God of your fathers, was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage which hath reached up unto heaven. And now ye purpose to keep the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bondmen and bondwomen unto you: but are there not even with you trespasses of your own against the Lord your God?” You acted as the sword of God against Judah. Ought it not to put you to thinking that God would make some other nation the sword against you? ‘Spurgeon has a great sermon on that text: “Are there not even with you trespasses of your own against the Lord your God?” Spurgeon preached his sermon to those harsh censorious people who with an eye of a buzzard can detect anything fowl, or dead, or decaying in the character of other people, and he made this charge in the sermon: “You that condemn others, you who are so ready to pass a harsh and inexorable judgment upon them, are there not even with you some trespasses against the Lord your God?” Our Lord carried out the thought thus: “What judgment ye mete unto others shall be measured unto you.” Not only was Ahaz smitten by this confederacy from the north, but the Edomites on the south revolted against him; on every side the enemies came in and smote him.<\/p>\n Now we come to his next sin. Instead of turning to God with repentance and asking the Lord to help him he seeks an alliance with Tiglath-pileser, the king of Assyria, and invites him to smite Syria for a consideration: “Now I will foot the bills.” In order to foot the bills he strips the house of God of all of its precious ornaments and with that gold he buys the service of the Assyrian king to smite the Syrians and the Assyrian was ready enough to do the smiting. He had an eye in that direction already and he did smite, but he demanded that Ahaz should come up to Damascus and pay tribute to him.<\/p>\n So we come to the third great sin of Ahaz. When in Damascus he studied the form of the altar of burnt offerings that the idolaters had up there and was very much pleased with it; so before he leaves he sends a plan of it to a certain priest and instructs him to make one just like it, and when he gets home he moves God’s altar off to one side, and puts up this heathen altar that he had copied. He didn’t stop at that; he shut up the holy place, and closed up all the services of the worship of the true God. That gives some idea of his sins.<\/p>\n In 2Ki 15:29<\/span> we have the account of another terrible deportation by Tiglath-Pileser. He came “and took Ijon, and Abel-beth-maacah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all of the land of Naphtali, and he carried them captive to Assyria.” Thus we see that northern Israel was stripped of all of its land east of the Jordan and of all its land north of the plain of Esdraelon, and only the hill country of Ephraim was left, about one-tenth perhaps of the entire dominion. So the kingdom is going, falling, being stripped of its possessions gradually.<\/p>\n In 2Ki 15:30-31<\/span> , we have an account of the death of Pekah, which was the result of a conspiracy of Hoshea, the son of Remaliah. But between Pekah and Hoshea we find, according to good authority,” another interregnum of nine years which is determined by comparing 2Ki 15:27<\/span> ; 2Ki 15:30<\/span> and 2Ki 17:1<\/span> .<\/p>\n<\/p>\n QUESTIONS<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n 1. Who succeeded Jeroboam II, and what was his character?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 2. How long did he reign, what was the manner of his death, and what promise of Jehovah was fulfilled in him?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 3. Who succeeded Zechariah and what was the story of his reign and death?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 4. Who succeeded Shallum and what was his character?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 5. What was Uzziah’s sin, what was its punishment and what is meant by “several house”?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 6. Who became king regent and what was his special work as such?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 7. What invasion of Israel just here and what results?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 8. Who succeeded Menahem, what was his character and what the manner of his death?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 9. Who succeeded Pekahiah and what was his character?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 10. What is notable in the death and burial of Uzziah, what great prophet had his vision in the year of Uzziah’s death, and what other prophets came in this period?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 11. Who succeeded Uzziah, who his mother and what his character?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 12. What was the spiritual condition of his people, what of his building enterprises and what of his conquest and result?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 13. What deportation of Israel here, who took them and where, and what the market condition of Judah at this time?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 14. Who succeeded Jotham, what was his character, and what horrible thing did he practice?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 15. Recite the account of the war between Ahaz and Rezin and Pekah including the account of Isaiah and the work of Oded the prophet.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 16. What invasion here of Judah, what was the result and what reason assigned?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 17. What distressed condition of Ahaz at this time, to what source did he turn for relief and what result?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 18. What second deportation of Israel, who took them and where?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 19. Recite the story of Ahaz’s sacrilege and its lessons.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 20. What of the interregnum between Pekah and Hoshea and how determined by the author? <\/p>\n 2Ch 26:16 But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to [his] destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.<\/p>\n Ver. 16. But when he was strong.<\/strong> ] See on 2Ch 26:15<\/span> . <\/p>\n <\/p>\n And went into the temple of the Lord.<\/strong> ] Where none might come but priests. Perhaps he affected to be, as the kings of the heathens were, high priests also. His “pride,” as a great swelling, “budded” Eze 7:10 and broke out into so many sores of ambition, presumption, pragmaticalness, pertinacy, &c., till it had undone him; so that on his tomb might well have been written, as was upon Funccius the chronologer’s by his own appointment, <\/p>\n “ Disce meo exemplo propriis intendere rebus:<\/p>\n Et fuge ceu pestem <\/em> <\/em> .<\/em> ”<\/p>\n when he was strong. See note on 2Ch 26:15. <\/p>\n transgressed. Hebrew. ma’al. App-44. <\/p>\n 2Ch 26:16-23<\/p>\n 2Ch 26:16-23<\/p>\n THE PRESUMPTION, SIN, AND PUNISHMENT OF UZZIAH<\/p>\n “But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up, so that he did corruptly; and he trespassed against Jehovah his God; for he went into the temple of Jehovah to burn incense upon the altar of incense. And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of Jehovah, that were valiant men: and they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It pertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto Jehovah, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honor from Jehovah God. Then Uzziah was wroth; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense; and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy brake forth in his forehead before the priests in the house of Jehovah, beside the altar of incense. And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out quickly from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because Jehovah had smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a separate house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of Jehovah: and Jothan his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land. Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write. So Uzziah slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers, in the field of burial which belonged to the kings; for they said, He is a leper; and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.”<\/p>\n This writer has diligently studied the Bible, and the commentaries that men have written concerning it, for the greater part of a long lifetime; and the most unbelievable, the most ridiculous, and the most fraudulent comments we have encountered regarding God’s Word are such as the following from Jacob M. Meyers:<\/p>\n “The misfortune that befell the king, his leprosy, was due directly to his violation of the priestly prerogatives set up by the P Code.”<\/p>\n This explanation offered here in Anchor Bible harmonizes completely with what many modern liberal and radical scholars teach; but there are some Gargantuan reasons why their position regarding that imaginary P Code must be rejected by believers. Throughout our commentaries we have continually stressed the weak and precarious grounds which underlie the speculation that postulates any such code. Throughout the Holy Bible, it is referred to again and again as the Law of God given through Moses; and that is what Uzziah violated. The Bible verse that teaches this is not in Deuteronomy but in Exo 29:29. If it had been only a man-made prerogative, fraudulently invented and imposed upon God’s people by unscrupulous priests, which Uzziah violated, GOD WOULD NOT HAVE PUNISHED HIM BY STRIKING HIM WITH LEPROSY! If the P Code inventors want us to believe their fairy tale, let them explain why God smote Uzziah with leprosy.<\/p>\n Oh yes, their defense is merely to deny what is written here; but this circumstantially reported episode is obviously that of nearly a hundred eye-witnesses! The king himself renounced his authority on account of it; and it was officially attested and proved by his burial, not in the tombs of the kings, but in a field nearby. All the critics on earth cannot get rid of what is written here.<\/p>\n Furthermore, the allegation, made to back up their speculations, that David, Solomon, and Ahaz indeed sometimes offered incense in the temple, while true enough, is not relevant. In a million years their violations of God’s Word could not justify Uzziah’s doing so. Throughout the Samuels, the Kings, and the Chronicles, the sins of David and Solomon read like a complete anthology of human wickedness. We challenge the liberal and radical commentators to name one sin of any description that either Solomon or David, or both of them, did not commit.<\/p>\n What Uzziah actually violated here was the divine instructions of God himself through Moses in the Pentateuch (Exo 29:29). Saul lost his kingship for failing to respect those very restrictions; and that was centuries prior to the alleged date of the imaginary P Code.<\/p>\n And speaking of the P Code, Where is it? Who has ever seen it? And just what was in it? It is our opinion that no genuine scholar has any right to appeal to imaginary documents.<\/p>\n E.M. Zerr:<\/p>\n 2Ch 26:16. We have here a situation expressed the opposite of what Paul used in 2Co 12:10, where he says, “when I am weak, then am I strong.” Uzziah was strong in worldly accomplishments and possessions. Instead of showing appreciation by making proper use of his advantages, he became vain or weak in mind, and overestimated his rights. He presumed to act in a service that had been specifically assigned to another class of men, the priests of God. The handling of sacrifices was generally done by the priests, yet it could be done lawfully by others and frequently was so done. But the burning of incense was the exclusive work of the priests, and they were from the family of Aaron, who was of the tribe of Levi. See Exo 28:1; Exodus 1; Exo 29:29-30; Num 18:8. <\/p>\n 2Ch 26:17. Azariah the priest should not be confused with the same form that is sometimes used for the king Uzziah. This priest took 80 valiant or brave other priests with him and went into the temple after the king. Surely, the presence of this large group of men ought to impress the king with their dignity. It should induce him to give respectful attention. He knew that his proper place as king was in the palace, and that these other men were in their allotted place, the temple. But when a man presumes to go beyond his bounds, he is not likely to listen to reason. <\/p>\n 2Ch 26:18. All of these men withstood Uzziah, which means that they stood against him in his unlawful actions. They made a kindly but firm speech to the king, and gave him the reason for their opposition to his doings. It was not because he was not a good man morally, nor because he did not know how such work ought to be done, nor because it was not the right time and place for such service. It was because he was not the right official for it. The words burn incense give us the direct key to the work and rights that distinguish the priests from all other servants of God. Uzziah was informed of this, and was told further that he would be dishonored for his trespass. <\/p>\n 2Ch 26:19-21. If a man is shown to have committed a sin, and he is humble enough to acknowledge the sin, God is always gracious and willing to pardon. The sin of Uzziah at first was in presuming to perform an unathorized service. But the sin for which he was punished was his attitude toward it when he was rebuked. An authorized man of God declared to him the error he was committing and admonished him to cease. Not only that, he was told it would result in his dishonor and destruction. If a legitimate physician advises a man of a dangerous disease present in his body and points out the remedy, the victim generally feels grateful for the information, even though it is bad news. But Uzziah was so unreasonable that he resented being shown his own danger, and gave way to anger. The words of Solomon (Pro 15:10) were verified by the conduct of this king: “Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die.” Leprosy was not a disease that was suddenly fatal, but it was a loathsome one, and subjected the victims to great humility. The law of Moses required a leper to be in perpetual quarantine. (Lev 13:45-46.) Realizing his condition, Uzziah was quick to get out of the temple and go into the perpetual isolation required by the law. While he lived he was technically the king, although not permitted to act as such. During the remainder of his days the affairs of the kingdom were administered by his son Jotham. <\/p>\n 2Ch 26:22. Isaiah was one of the writing prophets. He lived at the same time with Uzziah and naturally would have something to say about him. See Isa 1:1; Isa 6:1. <\/p>\n 2Ch 26:23. Slept with his fathers is commented upon at 1Ki 2:10. The kings usually had special sepulchres set aside for their bodies. Uzziah was a king, but because they said, he is a leper, his body was honored only by being buried in the general field of the burying ground, not in the spot of the kings’ sepulchres.<\/p>\n the Penalty of Pride <\/p>\n 2Ch 26:16-23<\/p>\n The offices of priest and king were rigorously kept apart throughout the history of Israel. Melchizedeks dual office is typical of the priestly reign of Christ, and had no counterpart in the Mosaic and Levitical ritual. Zechariahs prediction indicated an absolutely new era, Zec 6:12-13. The rash act of Uzziah was resisted by the priests, and the issue was decided by the terrible brand of leprosy which appeared suddenly upon his forehead. As the result of his attempt to flout the solemn sanctions of divine origin and authority, he lost even the religious privileges which he had enjoyed before.<\/p>\n However great Gods goodness, and whatever be the position of usefulness to which we may attain, there are prescribed limits beyond which we may not go. We must not cast ourselves in willful abandonment from the pinnacle of the Temple. Gods dearest children must not presume on their familiarity, and take liberties with His rules and ways.<\/p>\n when he was: 2Ch 25:19, 2Ch 32:25, Deu 8:14, Deu 8:17, Deu 32:13-15, Pro 16:18, Hab 2:4, Col 2:18 <\/p>\n went into: 2Ki 16:12, 2Ki 16:13 <\/p>\n to burn: Num 16:1, Num 16:7, Num 16:18, Num 16:35, 1Ki 12:33, 1Ki 13:1-4 <\/p>\n Reciprocal: Exo 30:1 – an altar Exo 37:25 – General Lev 10:1 – put incense Num 3:10 – and the stranger Num 8:19 – that there Num 16:40 – come near Deu 17:20 – his heart 1Ki 9:25 – he burnt 2Ki 14:10 – thine heart 2Ki 15:5 – the Lord 1Ch 13:10 – there he died 2Ch 4:19 – the golden 2Ch 27:2 – he entered not Ecc 5:1 – thy foot Eze 8:11 – every Eze 28:2 – Because Dan 8:8 – when Dan 11:12 – his heart Luk 1:9 – his Act 4:19 – to hearken 2Co 12:7 – lest 1Ti 3:6 – lest 1Ti 6:17 – that they Heb 7:13 – of which Heb 9:6 – the priests Rev 8:3 – stood<\/p>\n 2Ch 26:16. When he was strong Strengthened in his kingdom, and free from the fear of any enemy; his heart was lifted up to his destruction Thus the prosperity of fools, by puffing them up with pride, destroys them. He had done so much business, and attained so much honour, that he began to think no business, no honour too great, or too good for him; no, not that of the priesthood. He went unto the temple of the Lord Into the holy place, where the altar of incense stood, and into which none but priests might enter, much less offer incense.<\/p>\n 26:16 But when he was strong, his heart {i} was lifted up to [his] destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.<\/p>\n (i) Thus prosperity causes men to trust in themselves and by forgetting him who is the author of it, procure their own punishment.<\/p>\n But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to [his] destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense. 16. to his destruction ] R.V. so that he did corruptly; cp. 2Ch 27:2 (the same Heb. word). … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Chronicles 26:16”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11760"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11760\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
(2Ch. 26:16-23<\/span>).<\/p>\nFuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"