2 Chronicles 26:18
“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.”
Uzziah had experienced tremendous success in his reign as king. God
had helped him to defeat armies, build towers, dig wells and build a
great army. These accomplishments are great by any standard. However,
these accomplishments led to pride in Uzziah’s heart. He became so
filled with pride that he overstepped his boundaries by burning incense
on the altar of incense. Offering incense was the duty of the priests.
He had no business doing something that God had specifically ordained
for the priests to perform. It didn't matter what his position was, he
clearly overstepped his boundaries which led to God striking him with
leprosy.
Boundaries are a part of life. When you drive down the road, there
are boundaries to keep you from getting into an accident. When you go to
factories, you will often see yellow lines drawn around certain
machinery as boundaries to keep people from being hurt. Boundaries are a
part of life that keeps everything running smoothly, and they help to
keep order. Let me give you some thoughts about boundaries that you need
to consider.
First, everyone needs boundaries. Boundaries are not restrictions
that keep you from enjoying life; rather, they are established to help
you better enjoy life. Everyone has boundaries; the difference is that
some have more boundaries than others. Just because you don't agree with
the boundaries doesn't give you permission to overstep them.
Second, leadership has no right to overstep their boundaries. One
of the mistakes Uzziah made was in thinking that his position gave him a
right to do what he wanted; however, leadership position is not a
license to do what you desire. You have no right as a leader to expect
your followers to follow the boundaries if you are not going to follow
them. Whatever boundaries have been established must be followed by all.
Third, when boundaries are overstepped, the authorities who
trespassed must be addressed by the authorities whose boundaries were
crossed. The priest did exactly what they were supposed to do when they
approached Uzziah about overstepping his boundaries. One of the greatest
cautions I can give is that someone must be strong enough to approach
leadership when they have overstepped their boundaries. If they don’t,
the authorities will continue to abuse their powers, but they will abuse
them in a greater fashion if not addressed. I know it won't be easy to
approach authorities who overstep their boundaries, but it must be done
for the sake of God’s blessings.
Finally, how you respond to correction when you overstep your
boundaries will determine God’s blessings on your life. Uzziah responded
in the wrong way and lost the blessing of the LORD. Rebuke is never
easy to take, but you must take it with a good attitude and spirit if
you want the LORD’s blessings on your life. Don't get angry when you are
corrected, but humbly repent and the LORD will continue His blessings
on your life.