2 Chronicles · chapter 27 of 36
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2 Chronicles 27 is a short chapter about Jotham, son of Uzziah, who reigns sixteen years in Jerusalem. He does right in the sight of the Lord, builds the upper gate of the temple and fortresses in Judah, and defeats the Ammonites, who pay him tribute. The Chronicler explains his strength in one sentence: he ordered his ways before the Lord his God.
Jotham had governed the palace while his father Uzziah lived apart because of leprosy (chapter 26). Now he is king in his own right. His is one of the shortest reigns in the Chronicler's account and also one of the cleanest: there is no great fall in it, but a steady life of obedience and building, even though the people remain corrupt.
Jotham is twenty-five years old when he begins to reign and reigns sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name is Jerushah, daughter of Zadok. He does right in the sight of the Lord, as his father Uzziah had done, with one important difference: he does not enter the temple of the Lord, as his father had. Even so, the people continue to act corruptly.
Jotham builds the upper gate of the house of the Lord and does much building on the wall of Ophel. He also builds cities in the hill country of Judah, and forts and towers in the wooded areas. He fights the king of the Ammonites and prevails. That year the Ammonites give him a hundred talents of silver, ten thousand cors of wheat and ten thousand of barley, and the same in the second and third years.
The Chronicler explains the reason for his power: Jotham grew mighty because he ordered his ways before the Lord his God. The rest of his acts, his wars and his ways are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He dies and is buried in the city of David. His son Ahaz reigns in his place.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Jotham did right in the sight of the Lord like his father, but he did not enter the temple, unlike Uzziah. He learned from his father's fall and respected the limit God had set, though the people kept acting corruptly.
Jotham defeats the Ammonites, who pay him a large tribute for three years. The Chronicler presents the victory as the result of his faithfulness, not only of his military strength.
Jotham grew mighty because he ordered his ways before the Lord his God. The line sums up his reign: ordering one's ways means living deliberately and responsibly before God, not only in spectacular moments.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: He was twenty-five and reigned sixteen years. — 2 Chronicles 27:1
Answer: He did not enter the temple of the Lord, as his father had done. — 2 Chronicles 27:2
Answer: The upper gate. — 2 Chronicles 27:3
Answer: The Ammonites, who gave him a hundred talents of silver and ten thousand cors each of wheat and barley. — 2 Chronicles 27:5
Answer: Because he ordered his ways before the Lord his God. — 2 Chronicles 27:6
Answer: His son Ahaz. — 2 Chronicles 27:9
Jotham has no dramatic episode, but his life is summed up in one powerful sentence: he ordered his ways before the Lord. Daily, steady, quiet faithfulness is a form of spiritual power. A small group can ask which area of our life needs to be ordered before God: time, money, relationships, work, study of the Word.
His willingness to learn is also valuable. He saw what happened to his father and did not repeat the mistake of entering the temple. Learning from the failures of others, without judging them, is a form of wisdom. And the note that the people kept acting corruptly reminds us that a faithful leader does not always transform the people; each person must answer to the Lord.
2 Chronicles 27 lets us see a simple, strong and faithful king whose life is a brief oasis. But his successor, Ahaz, will do the opposite. Chapter 28 describes one of the darkest reigns of Judah, with idolatry, defeats and the sacrifice of children.
It means directing life with intention and with awareness that God sees it, adjusting decisions, priorities and conduct to his will. The text gives no list, but presents it as the secret of Jotham's strength.
Because, although the king was faithful, the reform had not transformed the hearts of the people. The Chronicler recognizes that personal leadership, however good, does not guarantee the change of a whole people.
Ophel was the elevated part of the city of David, south of the temple mount. Jotham did much building on the wall there, that is, he strengthened the defenses of that part of Jerusalem.