Read 2 Chronicles 27
Jotham King of Judah
27 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Uzziah had done, but unlike him he did not enter the temple of the Lord. The people, however, continued their corrupt practices. 3 Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the temple of the Lord and did extensive work on the wall at the hill of Ophel. 4 He built towns in the hill country of Judah and forts and towers in the wooded areas.
5 Jotham waged war against the king of the Ammonites and conquered them. That year the Ammonites paid him a hundred talents[a] of silver, ten thousand cors[b] of wheat and ten thousand cors[c] of barley. The Ammonites brought him the same amount also in the second and third years.
6 Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the Lord his God.
7 The other events in Jotham’s reign, including all his wars and the other things he did, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. 8 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. 9 Jotham rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. And Ahaz his son succeeded him as king.
Go Deeper
At the age of 20, Jotham became a co-regent to his king-father Uzziah. Imagine this responsibility at this young age! Uzziah reigned over the kingdom of Judah for 42 years and was known as a good and righteous king. He must have seen something special in Jotham early on to bestow such honor.
Under their leadership, Judah experienced great abundance and strength as a nation and people during this time in history. Verse 2 spells out one of the clear reasons with Jotham and Uzziah: “He did right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father Uzziah had done.” This legacy is what we should all desire. Provision, strength, and protection are promised to us as committed believers both now and in eternity. Verse 6 speaks on this as well saying, “Jotham became mighty because he ordered his ways before the Lord.” Furthermore, God gave Jotham military victories over the Ammonites who paid peacekeeping silver of 120,000 liters per year, and 2.2 million liters of barley and wheat. God’s favor was with Jotham.
Two lessons we must learn from this short chapter. First, Jotham’s biggest error was not removing the high places of worship. Although Jotham did not participate in such idolatrous acts, he was given leadership of the people by God. As king of Judah, he knew better but did not order them destroyed. This eventually cost him and his nation dearly. God was clear about His command in Exodus 20:3 saying, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” We must examine our own lives to be sure He is first in our lives before anything else.
Second, as we read in this chapter, Jotham had surrendered every area of his life to Yahweh. He was given strength, God’s favor, guidance and humility for his 15 years of leadership. Unlike his father Uzziah, Jotham never entered the temple perhaps out of fear, but also humility after watching his righteous father be stricken with leprosy after bypassing the priests to burn incense himself. This boldness and disregard of the law of God cost Uzziah his life. Although remembered as a good and righteous king, he lost his view of the supremacy of God’s law. We must all remember that we serve an awesome God whose thoughts and ways are better and higher than ours. Even in good works, we can forget that He is Lord.
Let us all long to please the Lord above all else no matter where we are in life’s journey. His best for us is in awe and surrender to Him. Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human master, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Questions
- What legacy is left by Uzziah and Jotham and why is that important for us to consider?
- Why must leaders like Jotham set the tone for those they lead? Why is God such a jealous God for our worship?
- Is there any area of your life that you have not surrendered to the Lordship of Christ? What must you do? Talk about this in your Life Groups (or with Christian friends) who can help you let God order you days and life.
A Quote
Matthew Henry, 18th century Bible commentary writer said, “The more steadfast we are in faith, the more mighty we are, both to resist evil, and to do good.”
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2 thoughts on “2 Chronicles 27”
Ungodly behavior, man oh man is it prevalent today. But it was also with these Kings. We start letting the behaviors seep into our day to day lives and even though we are living with Holy fear, perhaps and doing this correctly, our world around us is falling. So how do we help ourselves? 1 Peter 1:14-15 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy. Psalm 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever! So we need to not do what we did before we had Holy Spirit and get lots of wisdom from the Holy Spirit. Proverbs 4:7-8 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. We want Godly wisdom and we need it for EVERY decision we make. All the world around us may not be doing right things BUT GOD wants us to be His light, to continue to show the way.
God thank You for Your wisdom for this day and all my days following. God may I remember to ask You for direction so that my path honors You. God continue to help me see others through Your love goggles and to speak to them with Your Holy Spirit involved. I embrace Your wisdom and prize it highly to make right choices today. Forgive me when I fail, help me see what is not best for me is this day. God I give You honor and glory for the details of Your sunrise. Thank You for the magnificent of Your gravitation pull that keeps me planted and all the other wonderful details I so take for granted. God I praise You with every breathe I breath today in Jesus name WOOHOO!! Yah-Weh!!
WOOHOO!!!!!
It’s apparent throughout the context of scripture that we are given a free will to chose our path. As we’ve explored kings and their reigns, it’s clear the legacy each one left that made its way into the recorded word of God. As I read of good King Jotham, I noted the disconnect of the people he led who continued in corrupt ways. V6 tells us that “King Jotham became powerful because he was careful to live in obedience to the Lord his God.” These narratives both warn and inspire us in our personal journeys. No matter if we stand alone, we must continue to follow Jesus for “each of us will give an account of ourselves to God” (Romans 14:12).