Are You Serving God With A Perfect Heart?

From the very beginning, Danny and I have always said we study our Sunday school and youth group lessons for ourselves - the teens just get to listen in on what we've learned. Whatever God is speaking to us, we know it will be useful for them as well, so we're happy to share the lessons He's teaching us as we teach them. 

This week I was studying through the last chapters of 2 Chronicles in my yearly Bible reading plan, and King Uzziah pretty much jumped off the page at me. I've read his story numerous times, but it really resonated this time. Our teens are all making some very difficult choices in their lives right now, and this example of what to do - and what not to do - really hit the spot.

Below is our lesson for you to read along with us, including some thought-provoking questions we asked them. How would you answer them?

Question: If you were elected president tomorrow, what’s the first thing you would do with your new position?

This is where a young Uzziah found himself when he was just 16 years old. Uzziah’s father, Amaziah, was a half-hearted believer in God. 2 Chronicles 25 says he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart. Because of that lack of excitement and dedication to God, he was only allowed to rule for 29 years. At that point, he turned away from God completely and his people killed him. They immediately crowned Uzziah king and put him on the throne. 

Question: Thinking about the age you are now and what it would be like to assume a powerful position, and knowing that Uzziah had just lost his father, how do you think he adjusted to being king as a teenager?

Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah. He built Eloth, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers. Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did. And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper. 2 Chronicles 26:1-5

This 16-year-old boy was crowned king. He started off by building a city on the Red Sea and making it part of the kingdom of Judah. He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, which was a great start, just like his father did. But remember that his father didn’t serve God with a perfect heart, so he didn’t model that for his son. As long as Uzziah was looking to God for direction, he was blessed and grew and prospered.

Question: On a scale of 1 to Perfect Heart, how completely are you serving God right now?

And he went forth and warred against the Philistines, and brake down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and built cities about Ashdod, and among the Philistines. And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gurbaal, and the Mehunims. And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt; for he strengthened himself exceedingly. Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at the valley gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them. Also he built towers in the desert, and digged many wells: for he had much cattle, both in the low country, and in the plains: husbandmen also, and vine dressers in the mountains, and in Carmel: for he loved husbandry. Moreover Uzziah had an host of fighting men, that went out to war by bands, according to the number of their account by the hand of Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the ruler, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king's captains. The whole number of the chief of the fathers of the mighty men of valour were two thousand and six hundred. And under their hand was an army, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy. And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields, and spears, and helmets, and habergeons, and bows, and slings to cast stones. And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong. 2 Chronicles 26:6-15

Questions: How do you think Uzziah is choosing the things he does as king? What blessings is he seeing? What might have been different if he was serving God with a perfect heart?

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. And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the LORD, that were valiant men: And they withstood Uzziah the king, 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: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the LORD God. 2 Chronicles 26:16-18

It was not the king’s responsibility to burn incense in the temple. That was specifically and strategically for the priests. They were holy and sanctified to be there and trained to do it.

Questions: What from verses 6-15 might have led to Uzziah’s choice to disobey?  So what usually happens when a believer disobeys God?

Then Uzziah was wroth, and had 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, from beside the incense altar. 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 from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the LORD had smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD: and Jotham 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 the burial which belonged to the kings; for they said, He is a leper: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead. 2 Chronicles 26:19-23

Leprosy was an incredibly painful and contagious disease. The skin would fall off, and eventually so would body parts. The leper would have to live separately from everyone else because they didn’t want anyone else to contract it.

According to Scripture, no one with leprosy could go to the temple to worship. Anyone who touched a leper, whether they contracted it or not, was considered unclean and couldn’t be around people for a certain number of days. And they definitely couldn’t go to the temple if they were unclean.

Uzziah’s punishment for acting badly in the temple was that he would never get to go into the temple again. His heart wasn’t right with God, he made devastating choices, and God had consequences for that.

Questions: Do you think God’s punishment fit Uzziah’s crime? What might have been different if Uzziah had obeyed with his whole heart? What kind of consequences have you seen from choices you’ve made recently? How are we supposed to know what choices will please God?