2 Chronicles 27

2 Chronicles 27:1

JOTHAM’S REIGNJotham is another king whom we would classify as a good king. Judah has had three good kings in a rowthat was unusual. Something very strange and interesting is said about this man: “he entered not into the temple of the LORD.” There is a background for this. When his father went into the temple, he was a made a leper. But, of course, he went the wrong wayhe intruded into the holy place. This boy Jotham did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but he stayed away from the temple. You can’t help but feel sympathetic toward him, but he set a very bad example for the nation. As a result “the people did yet corruptly.” They did not turn to God. Here is a man with a tremendous opportunity to lead his people back to God, but he had this hang-upperhaps a root of bitterness. His father was made a leper in the temple, and he didn’t want to go into that temple. There are a great many people today who do just that sort of thing. They are kept away from God’s house by prejudice. I have seen a number of folk who had dropped out of God’s service because of prejudice, or an unfortunate incident which had happened years before or had involved a loved one. When I was a young man, I got acquainted with the son of a great Baptist preacher from Texas. He was really living it up in Pasadena when I met him. We used to play handball and volleyball together back in those days.

When I tried to talk with him, he said, “Now listen, don’t talk to me about religion. I know as much about it as you do.” Then he told me how a group of deacons of the church had mistreated his father. He said, “I will never again darken the door of a church.” I think he was wrong and I told him that. But very candidly, there was a background for it. That is the way it was with Jotham. There was an understandable background for his action.

2 Chronicles 27:3

In that day the land was wooded. Today the hills are bare, for the most part. However trees are being planted now so that more of the land is becoming wooded again. Back in those days it was a land flowing with milk and honey. Jotham built castles among the hills. He was a great builder. I guess he is the man who started building subdivisions.

2 Chronicles 27:5

He kept his nation strong militarily as his father had done.

2 Chronicles 27:8

Only one brief chapter is devoted to the reign of Jotham. Here is a young man who could have been a great king, but a prejudice prevented him from being a great king and doing great things for God.