2 Chron 27 – Study

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: 2 Chron 27:1-9

1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for sixteen years. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. 2 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. The people, however, continued their corrupt practices. 3 Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the temple of the Lord and did extensive work on the wall at the hill of Ophel. 4 He built towns in the hill country of Judah and forts and towers in the wooded areas.

5 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 amount also in the second and third years.

6 Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the Lord his God.

7 The other events in Jotham’s reign, including all his wars and the other things he did, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. 8 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for sixteen years. 9 Jotham rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. And Ahaz his son succeeded him as king.

A. Find Out:

1. How is Jotham summarised? v.1,2
2. What are the people doing? v.2c? (See also 2 Kings 15:35)
3. What building work did he do? v.3,4
4. What also did he do? v.5
5. With what result and why? v.6

B. Think:

1. What did Jotham focus on in his reign?
2. How and why did he have success?
3. Yet what was still the state of the people?

C. Comment:

      If you read 2 Kings 15:37 you find that in this time the Lord started sending Aram against Judah . Now we have noted that when a king and the nation sought the Lord they were always blessed with peace with their neighbours. When they fell away, that peace went. The fact that the Lord started sending Aram against Judah , at this time, is an indication of the true state of affairs and what He felt about it.

      The king is summarised as doing what was right in God’s eyes without making the mistake of his father, so that sounds good. The king is able to press on with building work – which is always a sign of peace, with the king having not to concentrate on defence – and he is also able to sort out the Ammonites and bring them into a place of subservience. He grows powerful because God blesses him, yet the record shows that God starting sending Aram against Judah , an act of discipline.

     Why? Because, although the king is behaving himself, the people are not! They are still continuing to have ‘high places’ where they worship idols and this is in direct opposition to God’s commands through Moses (see Exo 20:3-6 in the Ten Commandments). This king does what is right in respect of himself, but he doesn’t do anything about drawing the people back to God. We thus see two aspects of the roles of the kings of Judah : to reign over the daily affairs of the land and also, when their hearts rise to it, to ensure a good spiritual state in the land. Jotham misses the latter.

D. Application:

1. We can be righteous but ungodly. Not good.
2. Righteousness must go with relationship. That’s what it’s all about.