2 Chronicles 27 Commentary
With only 9 verses, Chapter 27 is the shortest in this book. It is about the reign of Jotham. His 16 years on the throne in Jerusalem probably exclude the years he acted as king in place of his stricken father. He is described as a good king.
The Bible has rated his righteousness above that of his father, Uzziah. Unlike his father Uzziah, Jotham’s reign wasn’t dented by pride.
Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the Lord his God. But unlike his father, he did not enter the temple of the Lord. The scripture makes the point that power and wealth didn’t make Jotham big-headed. He didn’t attempt to define worship on his own terms.
Jotham, therefore, stands as a good example of men who know their place in the presence of God. The worship of the Creator God is to be done on rigidly defined terms. We cannot negotiate our way into heaven by deploying self-made plans and standards
The chapter seems to perpetuate the thought that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of prosperity. This is a song on repeat!
Back in the garden of peace and tranquility, the LORD God blessed Adam and Eve to increase in number, to have dominion, and to prosper. This book scratches on the aspects of dominion with its focus on kingship. Not until the times of King Jesus do we get to have the realities of the kingdom, or the dominion, or the rule.
So the successes of Jotham must be looked at with the bigger lens of the original mandate as outlined in Genesis 1 verse 28.
The saint must look at the realities of life under the rule of the Son – the Son born to us with the government on His shoulders. The saint must begin to actualize the concepts represented by the models of the Old Testament. Real life can be received here. Real life begins here. Real peace can be had right here.
In the meantime, let the saint look back at Jotham’s life and encourage themselves. It is actually possible to have a good testimony.
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