“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely.” How can we guard against the temptations of power?
Scripture:
2 Chronicles, chapters 26-27; Isaiah, chapters 6-7; Philemon
Uzziah was 16 years old when he became king, and he ruled for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem. He did what was right in the Lord’s eyes, just as his father Amaziah had done. He sought God as long as Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, was alive. And as long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.
Observations: The Temptations of Power
In the histories of the kings of Israel and Judah, the few good ones really stand out. Uzziah was one of the good kings: He did what was right in the Lord’s eyes. Many of the other kings prove the truth that power corrupts. Even kings that started out well – like Solomon – were susceptible to drifting away from God as their power and fame grew.
Unfortunately, Uzziah proves that adage to be true. Later in 2 Chronicles 26, we read: “But as soon as he became powerful, he grew so arrogant that he acted corruptly” (26:16a). After all of the success that God had given him, he came to think that he could do whatever he wanted. It had happened to Solomon; it had happened to Saul. Even David fell into disobedience when his power grew great.
The Inner Battle Against the Temptations of Power
The question is not whether powerful people succumb to the temptations of power. They don’t have to, but they often do. The question is how they respond when they fail. Saul doubled down, and tried to excuse his failure. He justified his failure to obey God’s command by claiming that he was really serving God. But God rejected that explanation, and rejected Saul as king (see 1 Samuel 15). On the other hand, when David was confronted with his sin, he repented (see 2 Samuel 12 and Psalm 51).
Uzziah’s sin resembled Saul’s; he went into the temple to burn incense. The priests were solely responsible for that task; even the king was forbidden to do it. Like Saul, who offered a sacrifice rather than waiting for Samuel to do it, Uzziah took upon himself the role of the priests. And when the priests confronted Uzziah, he reacted in anger.
“Then Uzziah, who already had a censer in his hand ready to burn the incense, became angry. While he was fuming at the priests, skin disease erupted on his forehead in the presence of the priests before the incense altar in the Lord’s temple” (2 Chronicles 26:19). God’s judgment was immediate; God afflicted Uzziah with leprosy. For the rest of his life, he lived outside the palace in a separate house. He was no longer allowed into the temple, because he was ceremonially unclean. While he remained king, his son Jotham governed the land.
Succumbing to the Temptations of Power Doesn’t Have to Be Final
Yet God still considered Uzziah a “good” king. His failure didn’t forever mark him, even though his punishment did. Chapter 27 tells us that Jotham was a good king: “Jotham did what was right in the Lord’s eyes, just as his father Uzziah had done” (27:2). He didn’t make the same mistake Uzziah did. “Jotham was securely established because he maintained a faithful life before the Lord his God” (27:6).
Application: The Temptations of Power
Why does power “go to our heads”? The examples I gave above deal with kings; most of us never experience that kind of power. But the sad reality is that any amount of power can corrupt us. As Lord Acton famously said, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Perhaps we ignore the dangers of power because we don’t think we have any, but I think that it is the desire for power that is really corrupting. When we don’t have power, we want it. When we have some, we want more.
And the more power we have, the less likely it becomes that people will speak truth to us. Powerful people often surround themselves with “yes men” (or women) – those who tell them what they want to hear. There are precious few Nathans (who exposed David’s sin) or Azariahs (the priest who challenged Uzziah). Why? Because the people who are close to power want power themselves.
The Temptations to Power and the Kingdom of God
Even the disciples were prone to this, at least during Jesus’ earthly ministry. They argued over which of them was greatest (Luke 9:46). In fact, it happened more than once! (See Luke 22:24). Jesus told them plainly that earthly power kingdom authority is different: “Whoever is least among you all is the greatest” (Luke 9:48). “But Jesus said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles rule over their subjects, and those in authority over them are called “friends of the people.” But that’s not the way it will be with you. Instead, the greatest among you must become like a person of lower status and the leader like a servant” (Luke 22:25-26).
Whether we have power or seek it, we must be on guard against the temptations of power. We must be willing to speak truth to power – and to hear truth when others speak it to us. I come back to the last sentence of the passage I quoted at the beginning: And as long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.