Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Jerushah, daughter of Zadok.
Jotham's reign opens with three plain facts: his age, the length of his rule, and his mother's name. From those few words come lessons about responsibility, a mother's influence, and what God chooses to record about a life.
Jotham had already been running the country before this. His father Uzziah was living under God's judgment for forcing his way into the holy place to burn incense. Yet God's estimate of Jotham's reign begins only here, and the shift matters.
Judgment fell on his father for his wicked intrusion into the holy place to burn incense. After that, and before he came to the throne himself, Jotham governed the land (chap. 26:21). But God's estimate of his character and reign refers to him after his father's death. As the anointed king, Jotham stood more directly responsible to God, both for his own state and for that of his people and kingdom. Scripture teaches this principle everywhere: the higher the position, the greater the responsibility. In the Lord's own words, much is required of the one to whom much is given.
The age is not filler. Jotham was already over the royal household while his father was ill. That pairing dates Uzziah's downfall late in a long reign.
Jotham was regent over the kingdom after the judgment of God had fallen on his father. "And Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land" (2 Chron. 26:21). This suggests that Uzziah committed his irreverent trespass in the very last part of his long reign. Jotham was only a young man of twenty-five when his father died. He could not have been judging the people of the land for many years before that.
Jerushah, daughter of Zadok, appears in one line and is never named again. Yet commentators see a pattern here that runs through the kings of Judah.
His mother, Jerusha, daughter of Zadok, was probably of the priestly family. With her we continue to observe the blessed role of the mothers of the kings of Judah. There is nothing of the kind for the kings of Israel. Nothing forbids us to think that the daughter of Zadok taught her son from his youth to respect the temple of the Lord, so that the house of God became the center of his activity as king.
Both names in that line carry a meaning of their own.
His mother's name, Jerushah, means "possessed," and Zadok means "just." The names seem to imply that she truly belonged to the Lord and was just before Him. Like every true mother, she would have had great influence in shaping her son's character.
Sixteen years of reign fill only a few verses. Commentators differ on how to read that brevity. Some see brightness in it:
The record of his reign is brief, but full of brightness. His memory, like that of all the just, is blessed. He was the tenth of Judah's kings, and God always claims His tithe. In Jotham, the "Jehovah-perfect," He found it.
Others read the same brevity as a sign that there was little energy to record:
The notice of Jotham is very brief. The Spirit of God dwells on no single event. In a general way he did right in the sight of the Lord. But it appears he showed no energy: while he did right, the people still acted corruptly.
Jotham's name means "Jehovah-perfect," and his public record matches it. But blameless is not the same as sinless.
Jotham is the only one of all the Hebrew kings, from Saul down, against whom God has nothing to record. In this, his character beautifully matches his name, Jehovah-perfect. We know that the whole world is guilty before God. "All have sinned," God says. But in his public life Jotham, like Daniel, was perfect, or blameless. Daniel's enemies could find nothing against him except in connection with the law of his God, yet Daniel himself said that he was confessing his sin (Dan. 6:5; 9:20). Man saw nothing to condemn. Daniel knew God's eye saw much.
- Given — Jotham took the throne at twenty-five, after his father's downfall. The higher the position, the more God requires.
- Grown — Scripture names his mother Jerushah, likely from a priestly family. Judah's kings keep having godly mothers on record; Israel's kings have none.
- Guarded — He ran the kingdom as regent while his father stood judged. His age dates that trespass to the end of Uzziah's long reign.
- Brief — Sixteen years fill only a few verses. Commentators differ: some see a bright life, others a reign short on zeal.
- Blameless, not sinless — Jotham is the only king with nothing recorded against him. Yet all have sinned, and God's eye sees what people cannot.
And he did what was right in the sight of Jehovah, according to all that his father Uzziah had done; only he entered not into the temple of Jehovah. And the people still acted corruptly.
Jotham's record is short, and its verdict is odd: he did what was right, yet the verse marks out something he did not do. Commentators read it as the study of a good man whose goodness never reached beyond himself — his people stayed corrupt.
The verse measures Jotham by his father Uzziah, not by David. One writer asks what that standard leaves out.
What does it mean that Jotham walked in his father's steps? We judge his walk was good as far as it went, but it was not piety, or obedience, of the highest kind. Of both Hezekiah and Josiah it is said that David their father was their model. David was the man after God's own heart; Uzziah was not, and to remember this is to see the difference. Even believers now fall into the same mistake. They make their parents' walk their standard, or the walk of other Christians they admire, instead of the walk of the only perfect Example.
Commentators differ on the temple clause. Many read it as praise: Uzziah had pushed his way into work that belonged to the priests, and his son would not repeat it.
The words "except he did not enter the temple of the LORD" mean that he did not act as his father Uzziah did. Uzziah intruded into the functions of the priesthood. However, despite the good example of the king, the people continued in their departure from the LORD. All the evils of a false worship continued, and nothing stopped them.
A second writer reads humility here, not neglect.
Jotham did not become puffed up by his strength. It is also said of him, in comparison with his father: "except he did not enter the temple of the LORD." On the contrary, being humble, he was occupied with the house of God.
Others hear "except" as marking a lack. They read it as a man who stayed away from God's house.
Whatever the reason, Jotham was not a worshipper, and so he did not meet the mind of the Lord. Worship, as God had revealed it then, was the special mark of David. His Psalms testify to it again and again. Nothing less than this satisfies the heart of God. The Lord taught the same to the woman of Samaria: "the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him."
Another writer sees two kinds of fear in Jotham after what happened to his father.
King Jotham was deeply affected by God's judgment on his father, for "he did not enter the temple of the LORD." Reverential fear made him do what was right in the sight of the Lord. But slavish fear kept him from God's presence.
The verse then turns from the king to the people. One writer traces their corruption to something missing in Jotham himself.
The notice of Jotham is very brief; the Spirit of God dwells on no event. In a general way he did right in the sight of the Lord, but it seems he showed no energy. While he did right, the people still followed corrupt practices. If the people acting corruptly shows a lack of energy in the king, how much greater was the corruption in his son Ahaz? He soon went further and led the people in their corruption.
Another writer names the specific evil he never touched — the shrines on the hills where Judah sacrificed outside God's appointed place.
The people still acted corruptly because these godly kings lacked decision and did not dare attack idolatry at its root.
One commentator looks at the order of Jotham's life. He built and he fought, but he did those things first.
Jotham, king of Judah, was not an idolater, and yet the house of the Lord did not hold the place in his thoughts that it deserved. We may say of him that he began his work outside the sanctuary. He went out to the mountains to build before he had gone in to worship. He stood on the battlefield before he had stood at the altar. So everything was defective. True, he did much. We should watch our hearts closely, in case our very services — our right and reasonable services — get between our souls and the Person of Christ.
Another writer weighs what a king's position means for everyone under him.
The higher the position, the greater the influence. So Jotham's neglect of the temple was bound to open the door to the corruptions which the Spirit of God has pointed out. As we read in Proverbs, "A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes." So Jotham's failure became a fruitful source of evil in his kingdom.
- Standard. Jotham copied Uzziah, not David. A good example is not the perfect one, and a borrowed standard sets a ceiling on a life.
- Distance. Commentators differ on the temple clause. Some read restraint, or humility, after his father's sin. Others read the absence of a worshipper, or fear of God's presence.
- Order. He built before he worshipped and fought before he stood at the altar. Good service in the wrong order can itself come between the soul and Christ.
- Reach. Uprightness without energy left false worship in place. A king may be righteous and still lack the zeal to stop the evil around him.
- Result. What Jotham allowed, his son Ahaz led. Corruption left alone in one reign grows bolder in the next.
It was he who built the upper gate of the house of Jehovah, and on the wall of Ophel he built much.
The record of Jotham's short reign is mostly a list of what he built: a gate at the temple, a long stretch of city wall, and fortified towns in the hills. Yet the same chapter says the people still acted corruptly. Can a king's building work stand in for his heart?
The gate Jotham built joined the palace to the temple. Older translations call it the "high gate." One writer reads that link as the key to his whole reign:
The "high gate" led from the king's house to the temple (see 2 Chronicles 23:20), and Jotham's building it — rebuilding it, or repairing it — is very significant. He wanted free access from his own house to the house of the Lord. He would strengthen the link between the two houses. He would keep his line of communication open, to use a military image, with the source of his supplies of strength and wisdom. This is one of the secrets of his prosperity and power.
Ophel is named here for the first time in Scripture. A reference work places it:
Ophel is a part of Jerusalem. It is first mentioned in 2 Chronicles 27:3, where Jotham builds much on the wall of Ophel. Manasseh later built around Ophel and raised it to a very great height (2 Chronicles 33:14). After the return from exile the temple servants lived there (Nehemiah 3:26-27; 11:21). It seems to have stood at the south-east corner of Jerusalem, outside the present walls.
The next verse carries his building further out:
He built where most men would have thought it unnecessary, or too much trouble — in the mountains and in the forests. He neglected no part of his kingdom. He sought to strengthen and fortify it everywhere. And as a result, he prospered… That high gate between the palace and the temple was better than a great wall around his kingdom. All real prosperity and power comes from communion with God.
Why does the record bother to mention a gate at all? One writer argues that a king's dealings with the temple reveal what he is:
The temple in Jerusalem was the great centre, the gathering point, for the people of Israel long ago. Every righteous Jew wrapped his affections around that holy building. And with the kings of Judah, notice this: the way a king treated the temple is a safe test of his real character, as a man and as a ruler.
Not every writer is so positive. Mackintosh looks at the order in which Jotham worked:
You can say of him that he began his work outside the sanctuary. He went out to the mountains to build before he had gone into the sanctuary to worship. He stood on the battlefield before he had stood at the altar… True, he did much. He built castles and towers. He even went so far as to build the upper gate of the house of the Lord. Yes, he prepared his ways before the Lord his God. Yet despite all this, there was a "however" — the high places were not removed, and the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
A third writer reads the building as a mark of humility, and as the deed Jotham is remembered by:
Jotham does not become puffed up by his strength. Scripture also says of him, comparing him with his father: "Only he did not enter the temple of the Lord" (2 Chronicles 27:2). On the contrary, being humble, he gave himself to the house of God. He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord, and that is the deed which marks his reign in the book of Kings. What a privilege when a believer leaves behind him, as something to be remembered, what he has done for the house of God!
His building work never touched the nation's worship:
With so much to commend his reign, it is sad to read that the people still acted corruptly (2 Chronicles 27:2)… How good it would have been if Jotham had shown the same zeal for removing what offended his God that he showed in his fighting and in building his cities, castles and towers.
The pattern has a modern parallel — energetic work for God by people who have not entered His presence:
There are servants today who work hard, and with real zeal, caring, or seeming to care, for the Lord's interests… They try to guard the people of God from the attacks of the enemy. They are the first to draw the sword in defence of the truth they have received. Yet they have never entered into the enjoyment of their highest privileges themselves. They serve outside, but they have never learned what it is to worship in the holiest place.
- Gate — Jotham built the upper gate between the palace and the temple. One writer calls it his open line to the source of his strength and wisdom.
- Wall — He built much on the wall of Ophel, at the south-east corner of Jerusalem. Later kings built there too.
- Reach — He fortified even the mountains and the forests. He left no part of his kingdom weak, and he prospered.
- Gap — What he never pulled down was the high places. So writers differ over what all his building was worth.
- Warning — You can build for God, and fight for God, and never worship inside.
And he built cities in the hill-country of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers.
Jotham's reign fills only a few verses, and this one is about what he built. Commentators read it two ways: as a model of thorough work, and as a warning about where service should start.
Older translations call these forts "castles," and the wooded hills "forests." One writer notices where Jotham chose to put them:
He built where most men would have thought it unnecessary, or too much trouble — in the "mountains" and "forests." He neglected no part of his kingdom, but sought to strengthen and fortify it everywhere. And as a result, he prospered.
The same writer traces Jotham's strength back past the stonework to the gate he had opened between his palace and God's house:
That high gate between the palace and the temple was better than a Chinese wall around his kingdom. It is in communion with God that all real prosperity and power is found.
Commentators differ on how much weight to give this building. Some take it straightforwardly as good work worth copying. One writer sees the wall Jotham built as a picture of keeping oneself distinct from what is around, and turns the whole record into a direct challenge:
He built a great deal on the wall of Ophel — the wall speaking of godly separation — and he built cities, fortresses and towers. Such building for the Lord is something we too should care about.
Others read the same verse as a symptom. On this view Jotham's problem was not what he built but the sequence: the construction sites came before the altar.
It may be said of him that he began his work outside the Sanctuary. He went out to the mountains to build before he had gone into the sanctuary to worship. He stood on the battlefield before he had stood at the altar. He spoke to the masons and the men of war before he spoke to the priests, the ministers of the Sanctuary. So all was defective.
The same writer sets God's order and man's order side by side:
Man says you must begin outside and work in; Scripture says you must begin within and work out. Man says you must go out into the mountains and build castles and towers, and then come into the sanctuary on the strength of what you have done, and set matters right there. Scripture says you must first enter into the inner part of the house of the Lord, and work out from that, stage by stage, until you find yourself fit to build fortifications if required. In a word, man says you must work for life; Scripture says you must work from it.
Jotham's building was not the whole story.
With so much to commend his reign, it is sad to read that the people still acted corruptly (2 Chr. 27:2), and that the high places were not removed — the people went on sacrificing and burning incense there (2 Kings 15:35). Jotham showed great zeal in his conflicts and in building his cities, castles and towers. How good it would have been had he shown the same zeal for removing what was offensive to his God.
The picture of a builder who defends the land but never enters the temple has an obvious modern counterpart, and one writer names it without excusing or dismissing such people:
There are servants today who work hard and eagerly, caring, or seeming to care, for the Lord's interests... They seek to guard the people of God from the enemy breaking in, and are first to draw the sword in defence of the truth they have received; and yet they have never themselves entered into the enjoyment of their highest privileges. They serve outside, but they have not learned what it is to worship in the holiest. ... It was in this very thing, we judge, that Jotham failed.
The reign that followed Jotham's was his son's, and it ended in open idolatry. One writer treats the two as morally linked:
Suppose we are only busy building on the mountains, while the temple lies more or less neglected. We shall soon turn our backs altogether on the true worship of God, and give ourselves up to idolatry. Surely we may ask, what use are "castles and towers," while the doors of the Lord's house are shut up?
- Build thoroughly. Jotham fortified the mountains and forests — places most would call not worth the trouble. He left no part of his kingdom unguarded.
- Build from the inside out. God's order is to start inside His house and work outward. Man's order is to build the towers first, then bring the results in.
- Build, but also clear. He spent his zeal on cities, fortresses and towers, but never on pulling down the high places.
- Building is not worship. A person can defend God's people and draw the sword for the truth, and still never have entered the holiest.
- Building cannot hold what worship has lost. Towers are no substitute for an open temple door. Neglect the temple, and idolatry follows.
And he fought against the king of the children of Ammon, and overcame them. And the children of Ammon gave him the same year a hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. This the children of Ammon brought again to him also in the second year, and in the third.
Little is recorded about King Jotham, and this verse holds his one recorded war. Two questions follow. Where did such a quiet king get this strength? And why did a man who could subdue a foreign nation leave his own people unchanged?
One writer links the win to the verdict the next verse gives:
Jotham also brought the Ammonites under his control by war, so that they paid him tribute for three years in a row (v. 5). The Ammonites picture the doctrine of demons. This enemy was not destroyed, but it had no freedom while Jotham reigned. So we are told, "Jotham became mighty because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God" (v. 6).
Ammon was not a random neighbour. The same writer traces the picture back to the name of their king in an earlier generation:
The original king of Ammon was Nahash (2 Sam. 10:2), which means "a serpent." So Ammon stands for a religion that harbours "doctrines of demons," and Christians must refuse it completely.
Another writer notices where Israel's fiercest enemies came from:
At that time the Ammonites were the sworn enemies of Israel. The worst enemies of the people of God are always the natural descendants of believers. Midian, whom Gideon fought, came from Ishmael, Abraham's son by natural descent. Moab and Ammon came from Lot. Edom was Isaac's son by natural descent… Our most determined enemies are the outcome of our own failures, or of the flesh in us.
Another writer reads this victory alongside Jotham's building work:
He built where most men would have thought it pointless, or too much trouble — in the mountains and the forests. He left out no part of his kingdom. He worked to strengthen and fortify all of it. And as a result, he prospered… That high gate between the palace and the temple was better than a great wall around his kingdom. All real prosperity and power comes from communion with God.
Verse 6 traces Jotham's might to the way he ordered his life before God. One writer weighs what that proves, and what it does not:
Far from contradicting anything, it simply gives the principle on which God could bless him… The whole history of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel shows this clearly in God's government: He always prospered the kings who recognised His word, His name and His authority, even if they only did so outwardly. He has said, "Those who honour Me I will honour," and this holds true even where the honour does not come from a renewed soul… But this is not salvation. These are earthly mercies, given according to the principles of God's government… Jotham prepared his ways before the Lord. He planned ahead, he thought things through, and he acted with purpose. He was not ruled by circumstances. He carefully arranged his paths according to the will of God.
The same writer sets Jotham's victories beside his failure, and finds a warning in the pair:
Despite his failure, Jotham showed great activity and victorious power in fighting his enemies… There are servants today who work hard and eagerly, caring, or seeming to care, for the Lord's interests… They try to guard the people of God from the attacks of the enemy. They are the first to draw the sword to defend the truth they have received. And yet they have never entered into the enjoyment of their own highest privileges. They serve outside, but they have not learned what it is to worship inside, in the holiest place.
Commentators differ on how to weigh Jotham. One writer points to his might and his prepared ways. Another reads the same reign as right but without drive:
In a general way he did right in the sight of the Lord. But it appears he showed no energy, because while he did right, the people still acted corruptly. Still, outward prosperity marks a righteous king, and his enemies pay tribute… Two things mark his reign. The king himself was righteous, but he had no zeal. Meanwhile the people acted corruptly and were fitting themselves to follow his son Ahaz in all his detestable practices.
- Gate first. Jotham kept a way open between his palace and God's house. That gate guarded his kingdom better than any wall.
- Then might. He ordered his life before God, with forethought and purpose. That was the principle on which God could bless him.
- Then conquest. Ammon's first king was called "serpent," and Ammon pictures a religion that harbours doctrines of demons. Jotham subdued it and left it no freedom.
- Then tribute. Silver and grain came in for three years. God honours those who honour Him, even outwardly. But that is His government on earth, not salvation.
- Yet unfinished. He served outside and never worshipped inside, and his people still acted corruptly. You can defend the truth with zeal and never enter your own highest privileges.
And Jotham became strong, for he prepared his ways before Jehovah his God.
Jotham's reign is told in only a few verses, and one line explains all of it: ordered ways made him strong. But what does that mean in practice, and why did a king this good still leave his nation corrupt?
The short account of Jotham's life holds no scandal and no crisis. One writer traces everything else in it back to this one line.
This statement is the key of all his success and prosperity. He lived and walked in the presence of the Lord. The Lord guided him, strengthened him and kept him. And this is what all God's people need. It is still the way, the only way to blessing and success, to order our ways before the Lord. Jotham is one of the few people in the Bible whose record holds nothing evil.
The principle is not just for kings. One writer applies it to all of us, and then warns where strength can lead.
Godliness is a source of strength for us also, and of spiritual power. The moment our ways are no longer ordered before God, strength leaves us. This is a serious thought for everyone. It is a thousand times more serious for those who carry a special responsibility for the people of God. Only the sense of this strength presents a danger. We have seen in the case of Uzziah that this feeling pushed him to lift himself up before the high priest.
Compared with his father Uzziah, Jotham can look unimpressive. One writer weighs the two men by a different measure.
In 2 Chronicles 27:6 there is no mention of Jotham's great army. This is the way for the saint to grow in practical strength. Jotham set the Lord always before him, and went on in a steady, even course of conduct. In the eyes of man he might not be as mighty as Uzziah, but the Holy Spirit records his name as one who was "mighty" in the eyes of God.
Ordered ways showed up in what Jotham built. One writer points to the gate between the palace and the temple.
He wished free access from his own house to that of the Lord. He would strengthen the link between the two houses. To use a military picture, he kept his supply line open to the source of his strength and wisdom. This is one of the secrets of his prosperity and power. … That high gate between the palace and the temple was better than a great wall around his kingdom. All real prosperity and power come from communion with God.
This verse can sound like a formula for getting what you want from God. One writer draws the line, then describes what Jotham actually did.
It simply gives the principle on which God could bless him and give him the prosperity and success he enjoyed. … The whole history of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel shows this clearly. God always prospered the kings who recognised His word, name, and authority — even where they did so outwardly only. He has said, "Those who honour me I will honour," and this holds true even where the honour given may not come from a renewed soul. … But this is not salvation. It is temporal mercies according to the principles of God's government. … Jotham ordered his ways before the Lord: there was forethought, consideration, and purpose. Circumstances did not govern him. He carefully arranged his paths according to the will of God.
The praise in this verse sits beside a hard fact. The people stayed corrupt, and one writer names what was missing in the king.
In a general way he did right in the sight of the Lord. But it appears he showed no energy. He did right, yet the people still acted corruptly. … Jotham could not put down the idolatry of his own family, or restrain the tendencies of the heir to his throne. Much less could he restrain the same tendencies in the nation.
Writers explain the gap differently. One looks at where Jotham began his work:
He began his work outside the sanctuary. He went out to the mountains to build before he had gone in to worship. … This is a profitable lesson for us. We should watch our hearts with great care. Our very services — our right and reasonable services — can get between our souls and the Person of Christ.
- Ordered — Ordered ways explain everything else in Jotham's record. He walked in God's presence, and God guided, strengthened and kept him.
- Strength — Godliness brings real strength. When our ways stop being ordered before God, that strength leaves us.
- Gate — Jotham kept his line open to God's house. All real power comes from communion with Him.
- Government — God honours those who honour Him, even outwardly. But that blessing is temporal mercy, not salvation.
- Limit — Jotham's own record is clean, yet his people stayed corrupt. Writers trace it to a lack of energy, or to work begun before worship.
And the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars, and his ways, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.
Jotham's reign closes with a short note: whatever else he did — his wars and his ways — went into another book, not this one. That raises a question hanging over the whole of Chronicles. Why does the Spirit of God tell us so little about a king who did right? What does He record instead?
One writer notes how little Chronicles says about Jotham, and links the king's lack of energy to the state of his people:
Very brief is the notice of Jotham; the Spirit of God dwells on no event. In a general way he did right in the sight of the Lord, but it seems he showed no energy, for while he did right, the people still acted corruptly. Two things mark his reign: the king himself was righteous but without zeal, while the people, acting corruptly, were fitting themselves to follow his son Ahaz in all his abominations.
The silence is not carelessness. One writer names the purpose that runs through these books and shapes what they leave out:
To sum up, Chronicles does not present the history of responsible kingship. It presents kingship according to God's counsels in grace. Those counsels will reach their full end only when the crown is set on Christ's head. So Chronicles always records God's ways in grace to remedy the faults of the kings who follow one another on the throne. It does so right up to the appearance of the great King. This is also why the divine account passes over committed faults in silence as much as possible.
That other book is one of many records Chronicles points its readers to. One writer weighs how much such sources matter:
Throughout the books we find many historical accounts which the writer could base his writings on (1 Chron. 5:17; 9:1; 23:27; 27:24; 29:29; 2 Chron. 9:29; 12:15; 13:22; 24:27; 26:22; 27:7; 33:19; 35:25). For the reader who accepts the Bible as God's inspired Word, however, these circumstances are not that important. More important is that God Himself had the books written to instruct us (1 Cor. 10:6, 11).
The verse names two things: his wars and his ways. One writer takes up both words:
"All his wars" implies that he fought enemies throughout his sixteen-year reign. He subdued some, like the Ammonites, and drove back the invasions of others (Rezin king of Syria, and Pekah king of Israel). His "ways" too were written. God calls His saints to walk as well as to war. "I have fought the good fight," said one; "I have finished the race," he also adds. That last one was his "ways." Ours, like king Jotham's, "are written in the book." So may we say, like another Hebrew king, "I will guard my ways"!
The same writer notes that God has nothing to record against Jotham, and sets that beside what Scripture says of all people:
Jotham is the only one of all the Hebrew kings, from Saul down, against whom God has nothing to record. In this his character is in beautiful agreement with his name, Jehovah-perfect. "The whole world," we know, "may be held accountable to God." "All have sinned," God says. But in his public life Jotham, like Daniel, was perfect, or blameless. Daniel's enemies said, "We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God." Yet this same Daniel says, "I was confessing my sin" (Dan. 6:5; 9:20). Man saw nothing to condemn. Daniel knew God's eye saw much.
One writer sums up the reign and finds no loss in its shortness:
The record of his reign is brief, but full of brightness. His "memory," like that of all "the just," "is blessed." He was the tenth of Judah's kings, and God always claims His tenth; and in Jotham, the "Jehovah-perfect," He found it.
Commentators differ in emphasis. One sees a king who did right but lacked zeal. Another sees a reign with no charge recorded against it.
- Written — Jotham's remaining acts stand in a book of the kings of Israel and Judah, one of many records Chronicles points its readers toward.
- Selected — what Chronicles keeps is not everything that happened. It traces kingship as God purposes it in grace, so it keeps silent about most faults.
- Brief — Chronicles dwells on no single event of his reign, yet the shortness costs him nothing. The record is brief but full of brightness.
- Wars and ways — the book holds both his battles and his walk. God calls His people to walk as well as to fight, and both go on record.
- Ours too — God writes our ways as He wrote Jotham's, which is reason enough to guard them.
He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.
Jotham's story closes with two numbers: he took the throne at twenty-five and held it sixteen years. That short line is the whole obituary of one of Judah's better kings, and it raises a question — what does God record about a life, and what does He leave out?
The Bible spends very few words on Jotham. One writer ties that shortness to what was missing in his rule.
The notice of Jotham is very brief; the Spirit of God dwells on no single event. In a general way he did right in the sight of the Lord, but it seems he showed no energy, for while he did right, the people still acted corruptly. Even so, outward prosperity marks a righteous king. His enemies pay tribute, and "Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before the Lord his God."
He was not new to government when his father died. He had already been running the country while Uzziah lived under judgment, and his age at accession tells us when that judgment fell.
Jotham was regent over the kingdom after the judgment of God had fallen on his father. "And Jotham his son was over the king's household, governing the people of the land" (2 Chron. 26:21). This suggests that Uzziah committed his offence against God in the very last part of his long reign. Jotham, after all, was only a young man of twenty-five when his father died. He could not have been governing the people of the land many years before that.
Two kinds of things were written down about him: his wars and his ways.
"All his wars" implies that he fought enemies right through his sixteen-year reign. He subdued some, like the Ammonites, and drove back the invasions of others. His "ways" were written too. God's saints are called to walk as well as to war. "I have fought the good fight," said one; "I have finished the race," he adds. That last part was his "ways." Ours, like King Jotham's, are written in the book. May we then say, with another Hebrew king, "I will guard my ways"!
What is missing from the record counts as much as what is in it.
Jotham is the only one of all the Hebrew kings, from Saul onward, against whom God has nothing to record. His character fits his name, which means "the Lord is perfect." "All have sinned," God says. But in his public life Jotham was perfect, or blameless.
Chronicles has already said why he became mighty: he ordered his ways before the Lord. One writer applies that to us.
Godliness is a source of strength for us too, and of spiritual power. The moment our ways are no longer ordered before God, strength leaves us. This is a serious thought for everyone. It is a thousand times more serious for those who carry a particular responsibility toward the people of God.
The years were full of work. One writer shows the order was wrong: building and fighting came first, and worship came later.
Jotham was not an idolater, and yet the house of the Lord did not hold the place in his thoughts that it deserved. It may be said of him that he began his work outside the sanctuary. He went out to the mountains to build before he had gone into the sanctuary to worship. He stood on the battlefield before he had stood at the altar. So everything was flawed.
Commentators differ here. Another writer points to one piece of Jotham's building that God kept as a memorial.
Being humble, he was occupied with the house of God. He "built the upper gate of the house of the Lord." What a privilege when a believer leaves behind, as something to be remembered, what he has done for the house of God! God records this deed and leaves it with us as a memorial for Jotham.
Sixteen years is a short reign. One writer reads that shortness as mercy.
He did not reign one-third as long as his father did — only sixteen years — nor did his reign end as sadly. No doubt it was just as well that he died when he did, before he had time to spoil his reign by disobedience.
- Counted — His whole reign fits into two numbers, twenty-five and sixteen. God does not need many lines to weigh a life.
- Recorded — His wars and his ways were both written, and God had nothing against him to record. We fight and we walk, and both go into the book.
- Ordered — Sixteen years of victories rested on ways ordered before the Lord. When that ordering stops, strength goes with it.
- Incomplete — He began his work outside the sanctuary: building first, worship later. Service before worship leaves even a good reign flawed.
- Ended well — A short reign is not a wasted one. Jotham left the throne before he could spoil the record. Yet the people still acted corruptly: being upright without energy does not reform a nation.
And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.
Jotham's reign closes in a single line: sixteen years, a burial in the city of David, and a son named Ahaz taking the throne. It raises two questions: what does a life with nothing bad on record leave behind, and why did so little of it outlast him?
Of all the kings in this long line, Jotham holds an unusual place. One writer sets his clean record beside the honest self-knowledge of Daniel, who was also blameless in public life:
Jotham is the only one of all the Hebrew kings, from Saul down, against whom God has nothing to record. Here his character fits his name beautifully: Jotham means "Jehovah-perfect." The whole world, we know, is "held accountable to God." "All have sinned," God says. But in his public life, Jotham, like Daniel, was perfect, or blameless… Man saw nothing to condemn: Daniel knew God's eye saw much.
The chapter names the reason he became mighty: he ordered his ways before God. One writer explains how God could bless him on that ground, and how far the blessing went:
It simply gives the principle on which God could bless him, and bestow upon him the prosperity and success which he enjoyed. It is in fact an illustration of the word, "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths." The whole history of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel shows His government plainly. God always prospered the monarchs who recognised His word, name, and authority, even if only outwardly. He has said, "those who honor Me I will honor," and this holds true even where the honour given may not come from a renewed soul… But this is not salvation; it is temporal mercies according to the principles of God's government.
Jotham's wars and building projects filled his reign. But the high places were still standing when he died:
Like his father, Jotham prospered in battle. People knew him as a builder of cities and towers, and he became mighty "because he ordered his ways before the LORD his God." With so much to commend his reign it is sad to read, "But the people still followed corrupt practices," and "Nevertheless, the high places were not removed. The people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places." How good it would have been if Jotham had shown the same zeal for removing what offended his God as he showed in his conflicts and in building his cities, castles and towers. The "high places" were rivals to God's centre of worship in Jerusalem.
Knapp hears an echo of Jotham's death in a line from Micah:
Had Micah Jotham's death in mind when he wrote, "The godly has perished from the earth"? From what follows in the chapter, down to the seventh verse, it would appear so. The violence, fraud, bribery, treachery, and other kinds of wickedness described there are just what took over after Jotham, under the shameful rule of Ahaz. Jotham was indeed a godly man, and well might the righteous say at his death, "Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone."
(Knapp's translation read "out of the land.")
The verse names Ahaz in the same breath as his father's burial. One writer traces what followed back to something missing in Jotham:
In a general way he did right in the sight of the Lord. But it appears he showed no energy, for while he did right, the people still did corruptly… If the people acting corruptly shows a lack of energy in the king, how much greater was the corruption in his son Ahaz, who soon went further and led the people in their corruption? Jotham could not put down the idolatry of his own family, or hold back the leanings of the heir to his throne. Much less could he hold back the same leanings in the nation.
Leslie Grant counts the short reign a good thing for Jotham. Another writer notes how rare a good ending was, and traces where the people's corruption began:
He did not reign one-third as long as his father did (only sixteen years), nor did his reign end as sadly. No doubt it was just as well that he died when he did, before he had time to spoil his reign by disobedience.
How good it is to find a king of Judah ending well, when so many who had begun well finished badly… The corruption that had come in through the unholy alliances with the house of Ahab had left its mark, and Jotham, though walking well before God, did not have the moral power to put the people right.
- Prepared. Jotham grew strong for one stated reason. He ordered his ways before God.
- Prospered. That care brought real blessing under God's government: temporal mercies, not proof of salvation.
- Partial. His godliness never reached past himself. The high places stood, and his zeal went into building instead of removing.
- Preserved. He died before he could spoil his reign. It ended well, with nothing recorded against him.
- Passed on. What he left untouched at home then ruled through Ahaz. The godly man was gone, and the land felt it.