Uzziah Succeeds Amaziah in Judah
26 And all the people of Judah took [a]Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah. 2 He built Eloth and restored it to Judah after the king slept with his fathers. 3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was [b]Jechiliah of Jerusalem. 4 He did right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father Amaziah had done. 5 He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding [c]through the vision of God; and [d]as long as he sought the Lord, God prospered him.
Uzziah Succeeds in War
6 Now he went out and warred against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities in the area of Ashdod and among the Philistines. 7 God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians who lived in Gur-baal, and the Meunites. 8 The Ammonites also gave tribute to Uzziah, and his [e]fame extended to the border of Egypt, for he became very strong. 9 Moreover, Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate and at the Valley Gate and at the corner buttress and fortified them. 10 He built towers in the wilderness and hewed many cisterns, for he had much livestock, both in the [f]lowland and in the plain. He also had plowmen and vinedressers in the hill country and the fertile fields, for he loved the soil. 11 Moreover, Uzziah had an army ready for battle, which [g]entered combat by divisions according to the number of their muster, [h]prepared by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the official, under the direction of Hananiah, one of the king’s officers. 12 The total number of the heads of the [i]households, of valiant warriors, was 2,600. 13 Under their direction was an [j]elite army of 307,500, who could wage war with great power, to help the king against the enemy. 14 Moreover, Uzziah prepared [k]for all the army shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows and sling stones. 15 In Jerusalem he made engines of war invented by skillful men to be on the towers and on the corners for the purpose of shooting arrows and great stones. Hence his [l]fame spread afar, for he was marvelously helped until he was strong.
There’s something similar about the way each of these paragraphs ends. Which is that Uzziah didn’t do all of this on his own. In the first, it is overtly God who prospered Uzziah, and in the latter, “he was marvelously helped”.
There is something that we must remember when success comes our way. That is, it only comes because God allows it and enables us. All of our talents are from Him to begin with, and in everything we do, we need to give God glory.
So long as Uzziah remembered the source of his strength was God, and continued to seek God’s voice via the prophet Zechariah, things went very well for him and the people of Judah. That isn’t to say that God always gives earthly wealth to those who serve him, and never lets evil people prosper.
There are things He has planned that we don’t understand, but when God’s people succeed, it is imperative to remember the source of everything we are. Follow Him always, guard your heart in success, and always give God the glory, knowing He is your strength.