Azariah and Urijah, which are we?
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Straight to the Cross
COLUMN: Friend to Friend
Azariah and Urijah, which are we?
by Phil Sanders
Azariah toward Uzziah
But when he [Uzziah] became strong, his heart was
so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was
unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the
temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of
incense.
Then Azariah the priest entered after him and with
him eighty priests of the LORD, valiant men. And
they opposed Uzziah the king 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. Get out of the
sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful, and will
have no honor from the LORD God."
But Uzziah, with a censer in his hand for burning
incense, was enraged; and while he was enraged
with the priests, the leprosy broke out on his
forehead before the priests in the house of the
LORD, beside the altar of incense. And Azariah the
chief priest and all the priests looked at him,
and behold, he was leprous on his forehead; and
they hurried him out of there, and he himself also
hastened to get out because the LORD had smitten
him.
And King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his
death; and he lived in a separate 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 (2 Chron. 26:16-21,
NASB).
Urijah toward Ahaz
Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-
pileser king of Assyria, and saw the altar which
was at Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to Urijah the
priest the pattern of the altar and its model,
according to all its workmanship. So Urijah the
priest built an altar; according to all that King
Ahaz had sent from Damascus, thus Urijah the
priest made it, before the coming of King Ahaz
from Damascus.
And when the king came from Damascus, the king saw
the altar; then the king approached the altar and
went up to it, and burned his burnt offering and
his meal offering, and poured his libation and
sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings on the
altar. And the bronze altar, which was before the
LORD, he brought from the front of the house, from
between his altar and the house of the LORD, and
he put it on the north side of his altar.
Then King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest,
saying, "Upon the great altar burn the morning
burnt offering and the evening meal offering and
the king's burnt offering and his meal offering,
with the burnt offering of all the people of the
land and their meal offering and their libations;
and sprinkle on it all the blood of the burnt
offering and all the blood of the sacrifice. But
the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by."
So Urijah the priest did according to all that
King Ahaz commanded.
Then King Ahaz cut off the borders of the stands,
and removed the laver from them; he also took down
the sea from the bronze oxen which were under it,
and put it on a pavement of stone. And the covered
way for the sabbath which they had built in the
house, and the outer entry of the king, he removed
from the house of the LORD because of the king of
Assyria (2 Kings 16:10-18, NASB).
Both kings acted corruptly in their worship and
presumptuously thought they could change God's
plan for His temple. Azariah opposed Uzziah, but
Urijah gave in to every whim of Ahaz. One priest
was faithful to God's will, while the other
regarded the king more highly than God. One priest
warned the king not to disobey God, while the
other priest never opened his mouth to warn the
king of his grave sin.
We have no right to corrupt God's worship, and
those who sit silently and allow it to happen bear
great guilt. Are you like Azariah or Urijah? When
those who seek change rebelliously force their way
on the church, will you speak or sit silent?
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