Uzziah’s Pride and Punishment

2 Chron.26:1-5
And all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah. He built Eloth and restored it to Judah, after the king slept with his fathers. Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. 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 was faithful to God and God gave him victory over the Philistines and some of the Arabian clans. He fortified the cities towers, which he built and his fame spread over the land. He had many soldiers, farmers, many large herds and vinedressers.He grew strong under the Lord but he also grew proud and unfaithful. Out of pride, Uzziah  entered the temple to burn incense to the Lord.
2 Chron26:17-21 But Azariah the priest went in after him, with eighty priests of the LORD who were men of valor, and they withstood King Uzziah and said to him, "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. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have done wrong, and it will bring you no honor from the LORD God." Then Uzziah was angry. Now he had a censer in his hand to burn incense, and when he became angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of the LORD, by the altar of incense. And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead! And they rushed him out quickly, and he himself hurried to go out, because the LORD had struck him.  And King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death, and being a leper lived in a separate house, for he was excluded from the house of the LORD.
Lord, We pray for You to keep our hearts from pride. Always we need to know everything we have comes from You. You are our creator, master and king. We are Your servants and know we are not worthy of anything but Your judgement. Have mercy on us and forgive us when we are weak in faith. Amen