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2
Chronicles Chapter Twenty-seven
2 Chronicles 27
Chapter Contents
Jotham's reign in Judah.
The people did corruptly. Perhaps Jotham was wanting towards
the reformation of the land. Men may be very good
and yet not have courage and
zeal to do what they might. It certainly casts blame upon the people. Jotham
prospered
and became mighty. The more stedfast we are in religion
the more
mighty we are
both to resist evil
and to do good. The Lord often removes wise
and pious rulers
and sends others
whose follies and vices punish a people
that valued not their mercies.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on 2 Chronicles》
2 Chronicles 27
Verse 2
[2] And he
did that which was right in the sight of the LORD
according to all that his
father Uzziah did: howbeit he entered not into the temple of the LORD. And the
people did yet corruptly.
He did — He
did according to all that his father Uzziah did; except in his miscarriages. We
must not imitate those we have the greatest esteem for
any farther than we do
well; but their failings must be warnings to us
to walk more circumspectly.
Verse 3
[3] He built the high gate of the house of the LORD
and on the wall of Ophel
he built much.
Built —
Repaired it: for it was built before
chap. 11:5.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on 2 Chronicles》
27 Chapter 27
Verses 1-9
Verse 3
And on the wall of Ophel he built much.
Building on Ophel
Ophel means “the mount.” Where was the mount? On the southern
slope. Why did the king build so much on Ophel? Because it was most accessible
to the enemy. Like a wise commander he remembered that no man is stronger than
his weakest point
and that no fortification is stronger than its frailest
part; so the king built much where the wall was weakest
or where the access of
the enemy was most open; and in doing so he gathered up and represented the
wisdom and experience of the ages
and anticipated what we and all the sons of
time ought to do. What is your weakest point in life? Build much there. (J.
Parker
D.D.)
Verse 6
So Jotham became mighty
because he prepared his ways before the
Lord his God.
Jotham’s epitaph
I. Every man is
under God’s inspection. How truly did the ancients realise this (Psalms 139:1-24.; Jeremiah 23:23-24; 2 Chronicles 16:9; Job 34:22). We little consider this in
the present day.
II. Every man
should live as under God’s inspection. A man’s conduct will be very different
if he realises that God’s eye is on him. He will avoid sin. He will bear in
mind the love of his Father who is in heaven. He will try to please Him in
thought as well as in deed.
III. The recognition
of God’s presence is the foundation-stone of all prosperity. It renders a man
great
for--
1. It makes him careful not to do that which will disgrace him.
2. It entitles him to Divine protection and help.
3. It fills him with a consciousness of rectitude
which in itself is
a panoply of defence. (Homilist.)
Jotham
king and saint
This is the key-note of Jotham’s biography: “He prepared his ways
before the Lord his God.” This may be applied like a key put into the lock of
each of these verses of the record of his life.
I. He went right
where his father went wrong (2 Chronicles 27:2). Even on the
pinnacle of success and popularity
his head was cool
and his heart was clear
and his nerves were steady
for he prepared his ways before the Lord his God.
II. He covered the
country with fortifications (2 Chronicles 27:3-4). The man who is
spiritual to the core will not be a weakling in the city
and he will not be
easily turned aside. This disposes of the idea that to be a praying man and to
be a business man do not go together.
III. He prevailed
against his enemies (2 Chronicles 27:5). Because
before
he fought he prayed.
IV. His wealth
increased (2 Chronicles 27:5). Prayer to God
brought him his fortune.
V. His humility
exalted him (2 Chronicles 27:6). Conclusion: What
was Jotham after all but a dim
distant
foreshadowing of Jesus Christ? If ever
the text was true of any one
it was true of Him. (John McNeill.)
Godwardness; or the might of an ancient
The Bible is the good man’s chart: to warn away from danger it
points out the places where some good men have gone down; while to encourage
it holds up to view the principles as illustrated by the life of others who
have been successful. Jotham’s life teaches--
I. Godwardness:
the true might and majesty of kings. Godwardness is the continuous shaping of
our thoughts and deeds as under the immediate inspection of God. Let God be
first in every consideration
consulted in every transaction
recognised and
deferred to on all occasions and under all circumstances.
II. Godwardness:
the true strength of empires. An empire’s strength does not depend upon--
1. Riches. Ancient Tyre was rich.
2. Political ability and astute statesmanship. Sparta.
3. Learning. Greece.
4. Legions. Rome. Napoleon Bonaparte. The strength of an empire is in
God. Also
the true strength of the soul’s empire--the Empire of Self--is
Godwardness.
III. Godwardness:
the secret of success. The true cause of failure and weakness is often moral
delinquency. “Jotham became mighty because he prepared his ways before
the Lord.” (Enoch Hall.)
Stimulating effect of God’s presence
It is said that the air of a famous Kentucky cave has a peculiar
power of stimulating the senses. After the visitor has been in its strange and
silent labyrinths for an hour or two
and comes back into the open air
he can
discern the very
scents of the flowers
trees
and grasses. New perceptions of spiritual things
will come to us if we get away into the quiet of God’s presence
and suffer
ourselves to be absorbed by His Word. (T. G. Selby.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》