PAULA WISEMAN

Faith and life meet in a story

Home » Lessons from the Good Kings series

All the Posts from the Lessons from the Good Kings series

Lessons from the Good Kings: Jotham

By

Lessons from the Good Kings Jotham title graphic

So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before the LORD his God. 2 Chronicles 27:6

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been surveying the lives of some of the kings of Judah. Today is our last one. Maybe you’re not into history. But all of these guys– Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah— should encourage us and bring us hope. That’s why we have their stories. We’ll finish up with Jotham.

Jotham was a young man, only twenty-five when he ascended to the throne. However, he was well-prepared for his reign. We saw last week that his father, Uzziah, had been struck with leprosy and forced to live out his last years in seclusion. This left Jotham to fulfill all the official duties of a king for a full decade before ruling on his own.

Scripture doesn’t tell us very much about Jotham, fewer than two dozen verses in fact, so it’s tempting to skip him as unimportant. But a close, thoughtful reading shows some admirable things about this king.

Jotham learned from his father’s failures.

2 Chronicles 27:2 makes a point of telling us that Jotham did not enter the Temple presumptuously. Furthermore, the chronicler uses the very same word to describe Jotham — mighty — as he did for Uzziah in 26:16. However, that was the moment Uzziah became filled with pride. Jotham was tremendously blessed with civil, financial and military success, but he remained humble.

We need to be wise enough to learn from others. It is easy to tell ourselves that the bad outcomes won’t happen to us, that we will somehow be different, but that rarely happens. Jotham knew pride and presumption led to disastrous consequences and he resolved not to give in to it.

Jotham remained committed to God, leading by example, even though his subjects persisted in their corrupt lifestyles.

As king, there is no doubt his every move was scrutinized. There is no comment on whether or not Jotham was a popular king, only that he was a godly one.

We too must remain steadfast even when we are in the minority. This will only be more difficult as our culture becomes more and more stridently anti-God. (Unless of course God intervenes and a great revival breaks out.)

Jotham’s purposefully ordered his life, his routines, his habits so that they lined up with God’s law.

His life was marked not simply be the absence of evil but by the presence of godliness.

We can’t expect a God-honoring life to happen by accident. It takes intentional effort to cultivate as well as time and practice to make it a reality. Let’s renew our commitment to holiness.

Unfortunately, Jotham’s reign was a short one. He died at forty-one and his son Ahaz became king. Ahaz was the opposite of his father. He worshiped the idols of Israel and even sacrificed his children to the false gods. (2 Chronicles 28:3) Not even a stunning defeat at the hands of Israel and Syria, including the death of his own son in the battle, could bring Ahaz back to his senses. However, Jotham’s grandson, Hezekiah, built on the foundation of devotion to God. You can read about Hezekiah in 2 Kings 18-20, 2 Chronicles 29-32 and in the book of Isaiah.

The thing that stands out to me in this survey of the kings is that godliness is not necessarily passed on. Some good kings had evil sons. Sometimes, we as teachers, leaders, or parents can instruct and model faith, but each individual must decide to embrace it. That decision is out of our hands.

On the flip side, some good godly kings came from wicked, idolatrous parents. This shows that legacy is not destiny. We shouldn’t write anyone off because of their family or background.

We’ll start a new series next week!

Lessons from the Good Kings: Azariah (Uzziah)

By

Lessons from the good kings Azariah title graphic

Azariah set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper. 2 Chronicles 26:5

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been surveying the lives of some of the kings of Judah. Maybe you’re not into history. But Paul assures us that all of the Old Testament is good to study. He even encouraged the Roman Christians to dig into the Scriptures.

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4

So all of these guys– Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash, Amaziah should encourage us and bring us hope. That’s why we have their stories. Today let’s consider Azariah.

Azariah was the son of Amaziah. He reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. In Isaiah 6 and in 2 Chronicles 26, he is called Uzziah. Since we get most of our information about him in 2 Chronicles, I’ll call him Uzziah, too.

(Side Note: Don’t let the change in spelling throw you off. We do that even today. What used to be Bombay is Mumbai, for example. Our Declaration of Independence uses “compleat” and “Brittish” which were the correct spellings in that day. The Hebrew language went through some changes as a result of the Babylonian captivity. Sometimes the different spellings reflect the before and after.)

Early in his reign, Uzziah found a mentor and followed his guidance. Perhaps he understood that his father’s downfall came when he rejected the God of Israel for the gods of the Edomites. The new king wanted to know what it meant to fear the Lord, and he worked to live that out. God honored and blessed him because of it.

The lesson for us, of course, is to seek out godly mentors to guide us, especially at points of new beginnings. New moms, find someone who’s raised good godly kids and seek their advice. New teachers, new nurses, new insurance salesmen, new cashiers, new retirees … Find someone who is a little further up that road who can offer some encouragement to keep going. If you have trouble, make it a matter of prayer that God would bring someone to you.

2 Chronicles 26:6-15 detail his military successes against the Philistines, the Arabians, and the Menuites. The Ammonites paid tribute money to stay on his good side.

People noticed the hand of God in Uzziah’s life. 2 Chronicles 26:15 says “his fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong.” When we allow God to work in us and through us, it cannot be ignored by others, even if they don’t acknowledge God themselves. However, we must be mindful of the source of our help and success. That’s where Uzziah failed.

But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the LORD his God and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. 2 Chronicles 26:16

Uzziah had had tremendous success. He was famous. His military was strong. And he believed he could do anything. The King James says he “transgressed” which carries the idea of crossing a line. He went too far.

What did he do? On the surface, it doesn’t sound like much. He burned some incense in the Temple. The Hebrew carries the idea that he violated God’s holiness. Only the Levitical priests were allowed into the presence of God to burn incense. Perhaps Uzziah thought as long as he had political and military authority over the people, he should have spiritual authority as well.

We need to be careful that our successes and God’s blessings on our lives don’t prompt us to feel entitled to more blessing, more favor, or more success. That is a presumption on God’s grace. For Uzziah, it led to judgment.

The priest (also named Azariah for extra confusion) boldly stood up to the king and ordered him out of the sanctuary. This was Uzziah’s chance to back down, to leave, to ask for forgiveness. Instead, the king became enraged that the man of God dared question him. As the king defiantly stood in the Temple, the censer still in his hand, leprosy broke out on his forehead. He was thrust out of the Temple and spent the rest of his life in seclusion, barred from public worship and even regular human interaction. His son, Jotham, handled the affairs of government.

When we transgress, we must humbly take the opportunity to repent and make things right that God graciously gives us. Let’s be honest– it is painful and humiliating to be called out for sin. We like to think we are beyond that. We aren’t. And when Scripture, or the sermon, or a trusted mentor shines a light on those dark places, we need to respond with the humility of David rather than the arrogance of Uzziah.

Next week, we’ll see how Jotham does on his own.

Lessons from the Good Kings: Amaziah

By

Lessons from the Good Kings Amaziah title graphic

And [Amaziah] did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not with a whole heart. 2 Chronicles 25:2

We know King David. And Solomon. Maybe even Hezekiah and Josiah. But there were many other kings in Judah, and admittedly, many were terrible. However, there were some good kings, not perfect kings, but good kings. These good kings can serve as examples of things we can do even in our culture, in our lives to honor God. So far we’ve studied Asa and his son, Jehoshaphat. Last week, we looked at Joash. Today, we’ll look at the reign of his son, Amaziah.

Amaziah followed the Law of Moses rather than customs of the day. One of his first official acts as king was to deal with his father’s assassins. 2 Chronicles 25:4 explains that he executed the servants who murdered his father, but he didn’t execute the children of the assassins. That practice was common in that day, and in all the nations around. (You may remember in Esther when Haman’s ten sons were also hanged as punishment for his plot.)

We live in a time when there is tremendous social and cultural pressure to conform. However, we need to choose daily and in every situation to follow God’s clear instructions and standards revealed in His word.

Amaziah listened to the advice of the man of God. The king assembled an army to face Edom. The Edomites were descended from Esau and were a perpetual thorn in the side of God’s people. To give himself a military advantage, he had hired a hundred thousand troops from the northern kingdom of Israel. An unnamed prophet came to him and said he could either go into battle with help from the troops from Ephraim or with help from Yahweh, but not both… Get rid of the northern kingdom soldiers. Amaziah wisely listened and sent the hired troops home. He won a stunning victory over Edom.

We must be wise enough to follow godly counsel. In Amaziah’s case, that counsel seemed counterintuitive. More soldiers had to be better. Depending on the ungodly for a victory, though, was contrary to God’s plan for His people. Of course, it is critical that the counsel we follow is godly. (Check out some tips on finding a godly counselor)

Unfortunately, the great victory over Edom led to some grave sins by Amaziah. He brought Edomites gods home and began to worship them. Then he threatened the prophet who called him out for it.

Great victories can also be times of great vulnerability for us, too. We need to be especially vigilant then and sensitive to God’s correction when we get off-course.

Amaziah then thought he could take on the army of Israel which was three times the size of his own army and stood over a million strong. That proved to be a terrible decision with long-ranging consequences. Judah was soundly defeated. Amaziah himself was captured. The northern section of Jerusalem’s wall was destroyed leaving them unprotected from future attack. The Temple was plundered and hostages were carried off to Samaria.

Amaziah was returned to the throne but he was nothing more than a vassal to Jehoash of Israel. Those hostages were used to ensure that. It wasn’t long before the people got fed up with Amaziah and his rule. From the time when he turned away from the LORD they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But they sent after him to Lachish and put him to death there. 2 Chronicles 25:27 Amaziah was assassinated, just as his father had been.

The third lesson from Amaziah is that our pride, our self-sufficiency doesn’t just have negative consequences for us. It also negatively impacts those around us, especially those who depend on our leadership.

Amaziah did what was right but not wholeheartedly. Let that be a caution and a challenge. What motivates us to do what it right? Do we phone it in? Do we check the box and then move on to what really captures our imagination? How do we respond when called out? What does that tell us about where our true loyalties lie?

Amaziah was succeeded by his son Azariah, who reigned for fifty-two years. We’ll dig into his life and reign next week.

Lessons from the Good Kings: Joash

By

Lessons from the Good kings Joash title graphic

And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 2 Chronicles 24:2

We know King David. And Solomon. Maybe even Hezekiah and Josiah. But there were many other kings in Judah, and admittedly, many were terrible. However, there were some good kings, not perfect kings, but good kings. These good kings can serve as examples of things we can do even in our culture, in our lives to honor God. So far we’ve studied Asa and his son, Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat’s son, Jehoram, began his reign with the execution of his brothers. 2 Chronicles 21:20, in recording his reign ends with “and, to no one’s sorrow, departed.” His son, Ahaziah, was no better and after his death in an ill-advised battle, Jehoram’s widow seized the throne and “destroyed all the royal heirs of the house of Judah.” (2 Chronicles 22:10)

Except one. Princess Jehoshabeath who was the wife of a priest named Jehoiada hid her toddler half-brother, Joash, in a room in the temple. Six years later, when Joash was seven years old, Jehoida led a group of men to overthrow Athaliah and establish Joash as the rightful king.

Joash leaned heavily on the advice of a godly mentor. You can read more about Jehoiada and his devotion to God in 2 Chronicles 23. He covenanted with the people and with Joash that they would be a people of God. He re-established the proper role of the priests and Levites. Everyone in Judah breathed a sigh of relief. He also chose wives for Joash. We can certainly argue that having two wives was outside God’s design, but it’s a subtle indication that Joash depended on the priest’s counsel.

The relationship between Joash and Jehoiada underscores our need both to be and to enlist a mentor. Of course, we are more likely to call it discipleship and maybe even do it in a small group setting, but that doesn’t erase the need or the importance of building deep relationships with other believers. That is the model Jesus established in His earthly ministry and we see it in the life of Paul later in the New Testament.

Joash had a heart for worship and for the house of God. Afterward, Joash took it to heart to renovate the LORD’s temple. 2 Chronicles 24:4 The Temple was the place God Himself chose to dwell and the respect the people showed to the place was a reflection of their devotion to the One who dwelt between the cherubim. Joash reinstituted the collection Moses had set up to pay for the upkeep of the tabernacle. Verse 13 says the collection was enough to restore the house of God to its original condition and it was reinforced as well. The original condition was what Solomon built. This was no small undertaking and a significant expense.

We tend to shy away from venerating the place we worship. It’s “just a building” and certainly the church of God is the people of God. However, do we have an intense desire to restore, to revive our worship? Do we long to meet with God, to be where He meets with His people? Are we generous with our contributions so that His full glory can be made known?

Joash walked away. Now after the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them. And they abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols. 2 Chronicles 24:17-18a. The unsettling conclusion seems to be that Joash’s faith and devotion to God were shallow at best. When flatterers came, he knowingly, willingly walked away from truth and embraced a lie. That is the very definition of apostasy.

And it got worse. When Jehoiada’s son, Zechariah, called him out, Joash had the priest murdered. This brazen act ultimately resulted in Joash’s assassination at the hands of his own servants. He was buried without honor.

This is a cautionary lesson for us. Are we clinging to truth or are we enamored with lies? Are we following the God of Scripture or a god we created? How do we react when we are called out for our sins? Do we become defensive and lash out at the messenger or do we thank God for sending correction?

Following Christ is a lifetime occupation, not just a fad for a season. Next week, we’ll see how Joash’s failures impacted his son, Amaziah.

Lessons from the Good Kings: Jehoshaphat

By

Lessons from the Good Kings Jehoshaphat title graphic

The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, 2 Chronicles 17:3

We know King David. And Solomon. Maybe even Hezekiah and Josiah. But there were many other kings in Judah, and admittedly, many were terrible. However, there were some good kings, not perfect kings, but good kings. These good kings can serve as examples of things we can do even in our culture, in our lives to honor God. Last week we looked at King Asa, a man who wanted to please God but wavered and failed to follow through. Today we’ll look at the reign and character of his son, Jehoshaphat.

Because of his father’s long reign, Jehoshaphat was thirty-five when he began to reign. 2 Chronicles 17:4 tells us he followed God’s commandments and God established the kingdom in his hand. Furthermore, “he had great riches and honor. His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD.” 2 Chronicles 17:5-6 The rest of 2 Chronicles 17 details his military success, to the point that neighboring nations were reluctant to challenge him.

But that’s not the whole story. Jehoshaphat was willing, even eager, to align himself with the ungodly. 1 Chronicles 18 details his cooperation with King Ahab in the battle of Ramoth-Gilead against the king of Syria. Ahab was constantly held up as the worst example of ungodliness. When Jehoshaphat returned home from that battle safely (thanks to God’ deliverance) he was met by the prophet Jehu.

“Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the LORD. Nevertheless, some good is found in you, for you destroyed the Asheroth out of the land, and have set your heart to seek God.” 2 Chronicles 19:2-3

How do we respond to our enemies? Christ instructs us to love our enemies. That’s not negotiable. However, loving them does not mean we should help them advance their anti-God agenda.

This warning seems to have gotten Jehoshaphat back on track. 2 Chronicles 19:4-11 detail his reforms to the judicial system in Judah. He appointed judges and solemnly instructed them to weigh the cases based on merits, with the fear of the Lord as their overarching motivation.

How do we respond to correction? Hebrews 12:5-11 tells us it is part of being a true child of God. We should use it as an opportunity to renew our commitment to Christ and His cause.

It never fails. When things are going along pretty well, that is usually the signal for the enemy to try something. In Jehoshaphat’s case, it was the armies of Moab, Ammon and their allies. They came marching toward Jerusalem with overwhelming forces. The king proclaimed a fast.

O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” 2 Chronicles 20:12

It wasn’t long before God moved another prophet, Jahaziel, with the response.

Thus says the LORD to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s. … You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:15-17

How do we respond when overwhelmed? I’ll be honest. I don’t usually respond like Jehoshaphat. Digging myself into a bigger hole by complaining about the injustice of my situation is more typical. But this advice/reassurance from God is just like what He told His people at the Red Sea back in Exodus 14:13-14. Do not be afraid. Do not be dismayed.

True to His word, God intervened and Judah went home rejoicing after a rout of their enemies.

Unfortunately, Jehoshaphat’s life story doesn’t end with that great victory. God is not afraid to show the shortcomings of his people. Jehoshaphat arranged a marriage between his son and heir, Jehoram, and the daughter of Ahab, and continued to seek alliances with the wicked kings of Israel. Perhaps because of his soft stance on the kings of Israel, his son took a page from their playbook. Once Jehoram was firmly established as king, he had all his brothers executed.

That fomented a period of bloody unrest and uncertainty that lasted until Jehoram’s seven-year-old grandson, Joash, was crowned. Next week, we’ll look at what we can learn from a child king.

Lessons from the Good Kings: Asa

By

Lessons from the Good Kings Asa title graphic

But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true to the LORD all his days. 1 Kings 15:14

We know King David. And Solomon. Maybe even Hezekiah and Josiah. But there were many other kings in Judah, and admittedly, many were terrible. However, there were some good kings, not perfect kings, but good kings. These good kings can serve as examples of things we can do even in our culture, in our lives to honor God. Over the next few weeks, we will look at some of them and glean what we can from their testimony.

Asa was Solomon’s great-grandson. His father, Abijah or Abijam, was an idolater, but Asa determined not to follow that path. He was a religious reformer who worked to rid Judah of its foreign altars and gods. One day a prophet named Azariah, the son of Oded, came to see the king. You can read his message in 2 Chronicles 15. But here is one important verse:

But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded. 2 Chronicles 15:7

Confronting and dealing with sin in our lives is a difficult, messy business, especially when we start uncovering and tearing down the idols we hold on to. Asa’s commitment was so firm that he even removed his mother from her official position because of her idolatry.

Our bold leadership in pursuing holiness can motivate others. In the fifteenth year of his reign, Asa saw the fruit of his commitment as the entire nation reaffirmed their covenant relationship with God alone.

Our dependence on God must not waver. Early in his reign, when Judah was threatened by the mighty Ethiopian army, Asa prayed to God for help with utter confidence in Yahweh. “O LORD, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.” 2 Chronicles 14:11 However, years later, Asa used some of the Temple treasures to buy Syria’s friendship. Asa result, war, conflict, and turmoil marked the rest of Asa’s reign.

Asa’s spent the last two years of his reign with a severe disease in his feet. The Chronicler records that he tried all that the physicians could do, but he never sought the Lord’s help. Perhaps, God was sending the king a message – if you won’t stand firm in your commitment to Me, you won’t stand at all. Notice though, it is a reflection of God’s grace that Asa was remembered as wholly true to God all his days. Thankfully God deals with us in that same gracious way.

Asa’s son Jehoshaphat was watching all this and taking notes. Next week we’ll see what he learned and how we can apply those lessons.