"In the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham son of Uzziah king of Judah began to reign. He 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 Kings 15:32-33, 2 Chronicles 27:27) Pekah reigned twenty years in Israel, so he was on the throne in Israel the entire time (and beyond the time) that Jotham reigned in Judah.
Jotham was a man of faith like his father, but unlike his father he did not grow prideful over time and attempt to perform duties at the temple that were lawful only for the priests. "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." (2 Chronicles 27:2a) Uzziah entered the temple to burn incense to the Lord, which was something only the priests were allowed to do, and when the priests attempted to stop him he shouted abusively at them and would not listen. As a result he was stricken with leprosy right where he stood in the temple and he was afflicted with leprosy for the rest of his life, with his son Jotham having to make all public appearances on his behalf for the final eleven years of his reign.
Jotham set a good example of faith for the people but not everyone followed his example. "The people, however, continued their corrupt practices." (2 Chronicles 27:2b) What were these corrupt practices? "The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there." (2 Kings 15:35a) If Jotham had torn down all the old hilltop altars, perhaps he could have led a revival in the land and the people would only have brought offerings and sacrifices to the temple. It would have behooved him and the people if he had done this, but he did not, and I am not certain why so many of the godly kings of Judah ailed to do this. Did they consider the altars harmless since they were being used in the Lord's name? Did they fear a revolt of the people if they removed them?
We have discussed a number of times the dangers of the Lord's people not assembling together to worship Him and to hear the word of God read by the priests. Having hilltop altars scattered about the countryside allowed the citizens to customize their religious practices to suit themselves instead of worshiping the Lord in the manner prescribed by Him. It kept them from hearing the word of God read aloud by the priests and taught by the rabbis, for in those days they didn't have printing presses so that every household could have their own copy of God's word. It separated them from the main body of believers who could have encouraged them to stand strong in the faith. Many of them probably lacked a close friend in the faith to help hold them accountable if they failed to set aside time to worship the Lord and pray to Him. It is never a good idea to separate oneself from the Lord's house and from the Lord's people.
Jotham did not remove the old altars from the land but he did feel concerned for the temple of the Lord. "Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the temple of the Lord." (2 Kings 15:35b) The author of 2 Chronicles adds additional information: "Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the temple of the Lord and did extensive work on the wall at the hill of Ophel. He built towns in the hill country of Judah and forts and towers in the wooded areas." (2 Chronicles 27:3-4) He began by making repairs at the Lord's house before moving on to projects that fortified the nation against invaders.
Because Jotham is faithful to the Lord, the Lord gives him success. "Jotham waged war against the king of the Ammonites and conquered them. That year the Ammonites paid him a hundred talents of silver, ten thousand cors of wheat and ten thousand cors of barley. The Ammonites brought him the same also in the second and third years. Jotham grew powerful because he steadfastly before the Lord his God." (2 Chronicles 27:5-6)
"As for the other events of Jotham's reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?" (2 Kings 15:36, 2 Chronicles 27:7) This is one of the books mentioned in the Bible that we no longer have; another is the book of the annals of the kings of Israel.
"(In those days the Lord began to send Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.)" (2 Kings 15:37) King Rezin and King Pekah began troubling Judah during the latter part of Jotham's reign but the majority of their efforts to conquer Judah will take place during the reign of Jotham's son. Jotham himself was a godly man, although many citizens of his nation were no longer being faithful to the Lord during his time on the throne, but his son Ahaz will be astonishingly wicked. The Lord will allow the trouble from Judah's enemies to intensify greatly during Ahaz's reign because his wickedness and the wickedness of the people will grow by leaps and bounds after the death of King Jotham. The Bible clearly links the king's sin and the people's sin with the tribulations that befall the nation.
But for now we close today's study with the death of a king who was faithful to the Lord and who did good things for his people. "Jotham rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David, the city of his father. And Ahaz his son succeeded him as king." (2 Kings 15:38, 2 Chronicles 27:9)
No comments:
Post a Comment