Year Two, January 1

He Ordered His Ways Before the LORD His God1

Uzziah, king of Judah, became afflicted with leprosy and was succeeded by his son Jotham.

  

2 Chronicles 27

1Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok. 2And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD according to all that his father Uzziah had done, except he did not enter the temple of the LORD. (We should imitate our parents’ outstanding qualities, but not their faults. It is good that Jotham saw his father’s sin as a warning to him.) But the people still followed corrupt practices. (If King Jotham had worshipped idols, the people would have been behind him. But they would not follow him in adoring the Lord. At one point there was even a plot to overthrow Jotham and replace him with the son of a man named Tabeel, but it fell apart.2)

3He built the upper gate of the house of the LORD and did much building on the wall of Ophel. 4Moreover, he built cities in the hill country of Judah, and forts and towers on the wooded hills. (Jotham helped the people in many ways, but it grieved him that they showed no concern for their spiritual health.) 5He fought with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed against them. And the Ammonites gave him that year 100 talents (about four tons) of silver, and 10,000 cors (about 1,800 tons) of wheat and 10,000 of barley. The Ammonites paid him the same amount in the second and the third years.

For the sake of one good man God blessed the whole nation. It is sad to think that this did not lead them to follow the example of their God-fearing king. Many children of godly parents continue to sin against the Lord and grieve their parents’ hearts! May this never be the case in this family. And if it does happen, may the Lord Jesus have mercy on them and give them repentance that leads to eternal life.

6So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before the LORD his God.

He was careful and thoughtful in the way he lived his life. He also feared sinning unintentionally. This made him strong. There is a great deal of meaning in the words, “He ordered his ways before the Lord his God.” They imply that he was not a follower of people or cared about their praise, but that he lived like he was always in the presence of the Lord and wanted more than anything else to please him.

7Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars and his ways, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. 8He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. 9And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David, and Ahaz his son reigned in his place.

And so, one of the six best kings of Judah passed away. The nation should have been happy to know such a ruler.

It may be helpful to notice that during the long reign of Uzziah over Judah, the unhappy kingdom of Israel was experiencing bitter clashes. For many years there was no king on the throne. Eventually Zechariah, the great-great-grandson of Jehu, became king. Six months later Shallum the son of Jabesh put him to death in the presence of the people. Shallum also killed all the members of the family of Jehu and fulfilled the promise the Lord had made to Jehu. Shallum, the murderer, only enjoyed being king for a month before he was murdered by Menahem the son of Gadi.

Menahem reigned over the people harshly for the next ten years. The people continued to worship idols. During this time Pul the king of Assyria brought his army against Israel. Menahem taxed the people to pay Pul enough money to turn back. When Menahem died, “Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years. And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.”3 Pekahiah was assassinated by Pekah, one of his captains, who declared himself king and reigned over Israel for twenty years. Pekah reigned over Israel during the time when Jotham and Ahaz were kings in Judah. 

These details should not be a bother to you. They are in our Bible and nothing in God’s word is unimportant. Those who love the Lord love every letter of his Book. The prophecy of Hosea will lose much of its interest to us if we are not acquainted with the times during which he lived. The histories of Scripture are as much inspired as the Psalms or the Gospels. It would be a shame for Christians not to be quite familiar with them.

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¹ 2 Chronicles 27:6

² Isaiah 7:1-9

³ 2 Kings 15:23b-24