King Jotham
2 Chronicles 27:1-9

Jotham Rules in Judah

2 Chronicles 27:1-9

• Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king and reigned for sixteen years. (v. 1)
• Jotham did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight, like his father. (v. 2)
• Judah has now had three good kings in a row - this is unusual!
• The note that Jotham did not enter the Temple as Uzziah did can very reasonably be interpreted to mean that he did not enter the Temple with the same intent as Uzziah, especially due to it's proximity in the text to the account of Uzziah's sin. The act of simply entering the Temple is not prohibited. Another interpretation is that Jotham literally did not enter the Temple. This would be a reasonable reaction on his part, since his father was made a leper in the Temple. Even though that's understandable, it's important that we realize that it is not an excuse. Just because our parents or our friends may have had a bad experience with religion is no excuse for us to abandon our religious pursuits.
• This is the first time since Abijah (2 Chronicles 13) that a king is declared good without any qualification.
• It is also important to note that in verse 2, the people continued in their corrupt ways in spite of Jotham's obedience. While we see a general tendency for the people to follow the king, they still follow their own desires. This note also is used by the Chronicler to emphasize that even though the people continued in their corrupt ways, Jotham followed in obedience.
• Jotham performed maintenance on the Temple and throughout the city. He waged successful war against the Ammonites. (v. 3-5)
• Jotham became powerful because he was careful to live in obedience to the Lord his God. Because his strength was a result of his obedience to God, Jotham's strength did not lead to pride as it did for other kings. (v. 6)
• When Jotham died, his son Ahaz succeeded him. (v. 7-9)