2 Chronicles 26, 27 and 28 speaks of Uzziah who succeeds his father Amaziah. Uzziah is instructed by Zechariah about obeying God. As long as he seeks God, God prosper him. Uzziah does much to strengthen the protection of Jerusalem, fortifying its walls and bringing in the latest defense systems.

When he grows strong he becomes proud. Uzziah goes into the temple to make an offering. Only priests are allowed to make offerings and they tell him so. This makes Uzziah angry. God strikes Uzziah with a leprous disease on his forehead. He leaves the temple and is forced to live in a separate house until his death. His son Jotham governs the people in his place. At Uzziah’s death Jotham succeeds him.

Jotham does what is right in the sight of the Lord but the people follow corrupt practices. Jotham repairs the temple and builds many cities, forts and towers in Judah. God blesses Jotham because of his faith. When Jotham dies, his son Ahaz succeeds him.

Ahaz does not follow his father’s example of a faithful life. He worships the Baals. Aram comes against Judah and defeats it. Israel also comes against Judah and defeats it. God does not bless Israel and makes them send back the captives they took in battle. The Edomites and Philistines also come against Judah because of Ahaz’s sin.

Ahaz makes an alliance with the king of Assyria. Even though God is punishing him he grows more faithless. Eventually he even closes the house of God in Jerusalem. God is provoked to anger.

The only way we can make sense of what we read is to say that humans have short memories. We forget those times when God has blessed us. We forget that we are to trust in Him. Instead we turn to our own devices. When God punishes us, instead of learning from the punishment, we lash out and do even more things against God. Hopefully, as we read how time and time again people lose sight of God’s plan, we will have better memories and seek the Lord.

In Psalm 74 the people of God are under attack. The psalmist knows it is because God is angry. He reminds God of the times when He saved his people and asks that he remember them now.