2 Chronicles 27:1-9 Jotham was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem… I. JOTHAM, A GOOD MAN. 1. Of honourable parentage. (1) His father Uzziah, though guilty in his lifetime of a great sin (2 Chronicles 26:16), and dying under a cloud (2 Chronicles 26:21), was essentially a sincere worshipper of Jehovah. Good men may commit acts of wickedness, from the temporal consequences of which they cannot, in their lifetime, shake themselves free, (e.g. Moses, Jacob, David); yet are their characters and standing before God not to be judged by these, but by the whole course of their earthly careers. (2) His mother Jerushah, a native of Jerusalem (Josephus, 'Ant.,' 9:11. 2), and the daughter of Zadok - if this was the high priest mentioned in 1 Chronicles 6:53 (Bertheau) - was probably a woman of piety. Incalculable is the influence of mothers in determining the characters of sons (e.g. Jochebed, Eunice, Monica, Susanna Wesley). 2. Of excellent character. (1) He followed in his father's steps in so far as these were good (ver. 2), which was all he was warranted to do (Acts 4:19). Religion doubly influential upon the young when recommended by the example of devout fathers and mothers. Who would make others good, himself must be good. Irreligious parents not likely to succeed in the godly upbringing of their children. (2) He avoided the mistake his father had committed (ver. 2). Mistakes of ourselves or others not actions to be repeated or patterns to be copied, but beacons to be observed and paths to be shunned. Whether, had Uzziah not been "stricken of the Lord," but permitted to assume the priest's office, Jotham would have discontinued the practice as an unwarrantable intrusion into a province that belonged not to kings, may be doubtful; it was to his credit that he was able to interpret the lesson of God's judgment on his parent, and meekly acquiesce in the same (Psalm 119:75, 120). (3) He persevered in the right way in spite of the sinful practices of his people. These "did corruptly" (ver. 2), i.e. worshipped idols, sacrificed, and burnt incense in the high places (2 Kings 15:32); and if the representations of the prophets may be credited, were sunk in deplorable immorality (Isaiah 2:5, etc.; Isaiah 5:7, etc.; Micah 1:5; Micah 2:1, etc.). Cf. the phrase used of the Babylonian tower-builders on the monuments: "Babylon corruptly to sin went" ('Records,' etc., 7:131). Jotham stood alone, or nearly so, in an extremely degenerate age; like Noah in the antediluvian world (Genesis 7:1), Lot in Sodom (2 Peter 2:8), and Daniel in Babylon (Daniel 6:13); which heightens one's idea of both the nobility of his character and the strength of his piety. It requires a strong man, intellectually and morally, to be singular, and especially to be good, when goodness is unpopular and immorality with irreligion holds the field. "This king was not defective in any virtue, but was religious towards God and righteous towards men" (Josephus). II. JOTHAM SUCCESSFUL KING. 1. The duration of his success. Throughout his entire reign of sixteen years. If his father's reign was longer and more brilliant, his was more symmetrical and complete. If he was a more obscure monarch than his father, he was probably as good a man. 2. The nature of his success. (1) His buildings were important. (a) He restored and beautified the upper gate of the temple (ver. 3), i.e. the northern gate, which led into the inner court (Ezekiel 8:3, 5, 14), and was called "upper" probably because it stood upon higher ground than the gates upon the south (Ezekiel 9:2). His reason for such architectural ornamentation most likely was, either that it formed the principal entrance to the temple (Bertheau), or that there the burnt offerings were washed; cf. Ezekiel 40:38 (Bahr). In beginning with the temple, Jotham observed the right order; first the things of God, and then those of man; first religion, and then business; first the claims of Heaven, and then those of earth. (b) He added to the city fortifications. "On the wall of Ophel," which ran along the southern slope of the temple hill and joined the temple wall at the south-eastern corner, at the turning of the wall (2 Chronicles 26:9), where his father before him had raised erections, "he built much." As Solomon's palace, on the southern slope, was considerably lower than the temple, Jotham may have had a good deal of building. (c) "In the mountains of Judah," on the military roads, he erected fortified cities or garrisons; and in the forests or wooded hills, where such "cities" could not be placed, he constructed" castles and towers" (ver. 4). Thus, while like a good man he honoured God, like a prudent sovereign he looked well to the safety of his kingdom. (2) His wars were victorious. "He fought with the Ammonites, and prevailed against them" (ver. 5), compelling them to resume payment of the tribute which Uzziah had imposed upon them (2 Chronicles 26:8), but which they had discontinued. If, after two payments, the tribute ("a hundred talents of silver," equal to £50,000, with "ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand of barley") ceased, this was probably due to the incursions of Rezin of Syria and Pekah of Israel (2 Kings 15:37) having enabled them to successfully assert their independence. Probably in close connection with this subjection of the Ammonites was his annexation to the kingdom of Judah of the trans-Jordanic tribe of Gad, of whose population he made a registration according to their genealogies, doubtless for the purpose of imposing an assessment (1 Chronicles 5:17). (3) His reputation was high. If barely realizing the ideal of uprightness or perfection contained in his name (Jotham, equivalent to "Jehovah" is, "upright," or" perfect)," he yet maintained an untarnished escutcheon. Though a man's funeral cannot always be accepted as an index to his moral excellence (Luke 16:22), yet the circumstance that when Jotham died he was interred in the royal mausoleum, "in the city of David," was a proof he had done nothing to forfeit the good opinion of his subjects. Contrast the burials of Joash (2 Chronicles 24:25), of Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26:23), and of Ahaz (2 Chronicles 27:27). 3. The explanation of his succces. Neither the wealth of his kingdom, which was "full of silver and gold" (Isaiah 2:7), nor the size of his army, "The land [in his day] was also full of horses, neither was there any end of chariots" (Isaiah 2:7), nor the splendour of his merchant navy, which consisted of ships of Tarshish (Isaiah 2:16), accounted for the remarkable prosperity of this sovereign's reign. If, on the one hand, these were rather signs and results of the flourishing condition of the nation; on the other hand, they were ominous of, and contributory to, the nation's decay. Not only did these in no way diminish, but, on the contrary, fostered and increased the worst characteristics of the people - a love of luxury, which evinced itself amongst the women in a passion for finery and dress (Isaiah 3:16-24), amongst the men in licentiousness and oppression, witchcraft and soothsaying (Isaiah 2:6; Isaiah 3:9), amongst both in haughtiness and self-conceit (Isaiah 2:17), a thirst for war (Isaiah 2:7), and an infatuation for idolatry (Isaiah 2:8). The real secret of the kingdom's prosperity lay in the piety of its king. Judah was blessed because Jotham "prepared [or, 'ordered'] his ways before the Lord" - a clear case of imputation of merit and of vicarious blessing. Jot. ham systematically and studiously guided his personal and official actions by a regard to the Divine Law, and Jehovah caused him to become mighty. Them that honour me I will honour" (1 Samuel 2:30). No piety likely to he either deep or permanent that does not spring from well-considered choice and lead to scrupulous obedience. A good man may pray, "Order my steps in thy Word" (Psalm 119:133), knowing that "it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps" (Jeremiah 10:23), and that a good man's steps are ordered by the Lord (Psalm 37:23); if a truly good man, he will try to answer his own prayer (Psalm 101:2), in doing which he has God's encouragement (Psalm 50:23). Rehoboam prepared neither his heart nor his way, and consequently went astray (2 Chronicles 12:14). LESSONS. 1. The best men are often the least known. 2. A life short in years may be long in influence. 3. The danger of inferring inward stability from outward prosperity. - W. Parallel Verses KJV: Jotham was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok. |
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