Rise Then Ruin
Published April 17, 2026
2 Kings 15
Friday, April 17, 2026 l Kelley Bachtel
Let’s play a game! This is a game of sayings. I’ll start the phrase, and you finish it. First round: “With great power comes great ________.” If you said responsibility, you’re right! Second round: “Will you ever quit?” Answer: “No, we want some more!” Final round: “Pride comes before _____.” You guessed it…fall. Bonus: what verse does that come from? Proverbs 16:18—“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
As I read about King Uzziah, that verse immediately came to mind. He became king at sixteen, and God helped him. He had wise counsel in Zechariah, who taught him to seek the Lord. He won battles, built cities, expanded his resources, loved the land, and led a powerful army. Scripture says, “As long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper” (2 Chronicles 26:5).
But as his success grew, so did his pride.
Uzziah began to see himself as above the law. He ignored counsel and overstepped into the temple—something only priests were allowed to do. His pride led to his downfall, and he spent the rest of his life isolated as a leper.
Around this time, Isaiah began proclaiming a message of both judgment and grace. After Uzziah’s death, the Lord asked, “Whom shall I send?” Isaiah responded, “Here I am. Send me.” But not before humbly confessing, “I am a man of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5).
Proverbs 11:2 says, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.” Uzziah lost sight of his need for God because his focus turned inward. Pride is taking credit for what God has done. It’s keeping glory that belongs to Him. At its core,
pride is self-worship.
Isaiah shows us the opposite. He recognized God’s holiness and his own need for a Savior. His humility led to worship—and his worship led to obedience.
So ask yourself: Have you recognized your need (Romans 3:23; 6:23)? Have you confessed and received forgiveness (Isaiah 6:7)? And are you carrying that message to others (2 Corinthians 5:18)? Don’t stall any longer. Be willing. Be obedient.