Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began to reign in Judah instead of his father Amaziah. He reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. “He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.”
He made war against the Philistines, and God helped him defeat his enemies. Uzziah’s fame spread throughout the land, for he became very strong. He built many towers, had large herds and fertile land, and a strong army of 307,500 soldiers.
However, he became unfaithful to the Lord and entered into the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. But Azariah the priest went in after him with eight other priests, and told him he was not allowed to burn incense; only the sons of Aaron who were consecrated were allowed to burn incense.
After Uzziah was told to leave the temple he became angry with the priests. Then he was struck with leprosy on his forehead and the priests rushed him out quickly.
King Uzziah was a leper until the day he died, therefore he lived in a separate house, for he was excluded from the house of the Lord. Jotham his son was over the king’s household, governing the people of the land.
When Uzziah died Jotham reigned in his place, and after him was Ahaz. Both of these kings were previously studied and discussed on
Day 120, 2 Kings 15-16.
Since Ahaz did not walk in the ways of the Lord and do what was right in the eyes of God, the Lord gave him into the hands of the king of Syria who defeated him and took a lot of people captive. There were 120,000 from Judah killed in one day.
He was also given into the hands of the king of Israel and they took 200,000 of their relatives captive. But the prophet Oded was there and told them that they had killed so many in a rage that it had reached up to heaven. They were to release their relatives or the wrath of God would be on them.
In that time of distress, Ahaz became even more faithless to the Lord. He sacrificed to false gods, and made high places in all the cities to make offerings to other gods. This provoked the Lord to anger. More of this idolatry can be referred back to Day 121, 2 Kings 17-18.
When Ahaz died, he was buried in the city, in Jerusalem, for they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.