This short chapter (9 verses) describes the reign of Uzziah’s son Jotham.
“And [Jotham] did what was right in the eyes of the Lord according to all that his father Uzziah had done, except he did not enter the temple of the Lord. But the people still followed corrupt practices. He fought with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed against them. [They] gave him that year 100 talents of silver, and 10,000 cors of wheat and 10,000 of barley. [They] paid him the same amount in the second and the third years. So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before the Lord his God.” (v2, 5-6)
Jotham gets many things right, seemingly remaining obedient to God for his entire reign (unlike Uzziah who slipped up in the end). The only caveat against Jotham was that the people of Israel didn’t repent, possibly because the high places (shrines and temples to false gods) were not removed (Uzziah also failed to remove those).
I think a God-honoring king with a rebellious people is a good metaphor for a common struggle – it’s great to have a heart and mind that wish to serve the Lord, though if we don’t live our lives in a way that reflects those intentions, we’re only partway there.
Scripture says a great deal about integrity – having unity in one’s mind, heart, and body, so that all desires, words, and actions unanimously reflect our love for Jesus (see 1 Pt 1:13-25). Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites because they honored God externally but not internally. I continue to struggle with the opposite, honoring God with my heart and mind but not with my body and actions. Judah honored God in some ways but not others. Integrity is difficult.
I encourage us to repent of any disobedience to God. If/when we notice a line of thinking, words we have spoken, or any conduct out of alignment with God’s moral will, we must confess that and ask for forgiveness. I know sinful patterns are hard to break, but I guarantee we’ll never break them if we don’t identify, own, and attempt to correct them (with the Spirit’s help). Just as Judah had a pattern of false gods we too can have patterns of sin that prevent us from having integrity.
Unfortunately, integrity is rare in this day and age. It’s so rare that once the Spirit achieves it within us we will stand out in a crowd, and we will bring glory to God in all that we say and do. Integrity is a powerful influence for the Kingdom of God, and I believe it’s worth the effort.
Father God, our Glorious Lord and Honorable King, holy, holy, holy is Your name. Father You know our hearts and minds better than we do, so please believe us when we say we long to love and serve You. The trouble is, we are prone to fallibility and sin. Spirit please guard our hearts and minds, and guide our hands and mouths so that we may holistically honor our Father. May we continue repenting of any wrongdoing, and continue loving You with all of our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, forever and ever, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training