This page gives you ready-to-use study questions for 2 Chronicles 26, the account of King Uzziah’s long reign, his success, and the sin that cost him his place in the temple. It is written for a small group leader, a Sunday school class, or someone studying the chapter on their own. Each question comes with a discussion note so you can lead the conversation without preparing a separate summary.
2 Chronicles 26 at a Glance
Uzziah, also called Azariah in some other Old Testament books, begins to reign at sixteen and rules for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. The first half of the chapter shows God helping him in war, building projects, farming, and a well-organized army. Verse 5 gives the key to that season: he sought the LORD, and God made him prosper.
The turn comes in verse 16, when his heart is lifted up and he goes into the temple to burn incense, a task reserved for the priests. Azariah and eighty priests confront him, and leprosy breaks out on his forehead as he stands angry in the sanctuary. The chapter closes with his isolation until his death and his burial, with Jotham taking over the throne.
Observation Questions
Use these first to make sure everyone has read the text carefully before anyone offers an interpretation. Let the group answer from the passage itself, and point back to verses when answers drift into assumption.
2 Chronicles 26:5
He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the vision of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper.
(WEB)
This verse names the heart of Uzziah’s early reign: he sought God, and God made him prosper. Reading it aloud sets the tone for the whole study and gives the group a positive picture before the warning begins.
2 Chronicles 26:16
But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up, so that he did corruptly, and he trespassed against the LORD his God; for he went into the LORD’s temple to burn incense on the altar of incense.
(WEB)
This is the turning point of the chapter, where strength leads to pride and then to a direct trespass. Reading it aloud helps the group feel the shift and prepares them for the discussion of pride.
2 Chronicles 26:18
They resisted Uzziah the king, and said to him, “It isn’t for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the priests the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed. It will not be for your honor from the LORD God.”
(WEB)
The priests’ confrontation shows courage and clarity in standing for God’s established order. Reading it aloud lets the group hear the direct challenge and consider how it applies to speaking truth in their own settings.
2 Chronicles 26:19-20
19 Then Uzziah was angry. He had a censer in his hand to burn incense, and while he was angry with the priests, the leprosy broke out on his forehead before the priests in the LORD’s house, beside the altar of incense. 20 Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked at him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out quickly from there. Yes, he himself also hurried to go out, because the LORD had struck him.
(WEB)
These verses show Uzziah’s anger and the visible sign that follows. Reading them together helps the group see the moment the consequence arrives and why it caught everyone’s attention.
2 Chronicles 26:21
Uzziah the king was a leper to the day of his death, and lived in a separate house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the LORD’s house. Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.
(WEB)
This verse closes the account of Uzziah’s life with isolation and the transfer of royal work to his son. Reading it aloud brings the chapter to a sober end and opens the conversation about lasting consequences.
Memory Verse for 2 Chronicles 26
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come to you aware of how easily strength and success can draw our hearts away from you. Keep us seeking your face in our ordinary days, not only in moments of need. Give us humility to receive correction from those you have placed around us, and help us honor the roles and boundaries you have set. Where pride has taken root in any of us, expose it gently and lead us to repentance. Thank you for your faithfulness that is greater than our failures. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
