“Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the LORD his God.”
~ 2 Chronicles 27:6
Hi James and Ellen,
Are you pulling a Jotham? To pull a Jotham is to be a steadfast Christ-follower guy, gal or kid. The chronicler in his Chronicles Book – in 2 Chronicles 27, scribed in what is now verse 6 what kind of guy Jotham was, “Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the LORD his God.” What does steadfast mean to you? For a guy, gal or kid to be seen as being steadfast means that the guy, gal or kid is unwavering, resolute and dedicated. Are you unwavering, resolute and dedicated Christ-followers in your personal relationships with God? Jotham was 25 years old when he and his dad Uzziah became co-kings over the Israelite people group guys and gals – who are God’s specially chosen guys and gals, who were living in the land area of Judah. Jotham and Uzziah were co-kings for ten years. After his dad died, Jotham was for the next six years king over the guys and gals who were living in the land area of Judah. Jotham was 41 years old when he died. Uzziah probably set a good example for his kid. The chronicler scribed that Uzziah did right with God. Uzziah’s name means ‘the Lord or Yahweh is (my) strength’. Uzziah was for fifty-two years king over the guys and gals who were living in the land area of Judah. While Uzziah was king over the guys and gals who were living in the land area of Judah, Uzziah defeated in battles the Edomite, Philistine, Arabian, and Meunite people groups guys. Uzziah messed up at the end of his life when he decided to go into the temple of God that was located in the city of Jerusalem to burn incense. It was wrong for Uzziah to do this as only Levi tribal clan priests were to burn incense in the temple of God that was located in the city of Jerusalem. Uzziah’s reward/punishment from God for having gone into His temple that was located in the city of Jerusalem to burn incense was to become a leper. Guys and gals who were lepers when Uzziah was living on planet Earth were despised, abhorred and disliked by guys and gals who were not lepers. Jotham’s name means ‘Jehovah is perfect’ or ‘Yahweh completes’. Jotham took on the Ammonite people group guys in battles and he defeated them. Jotham required that the Ammonites people group guys and gals give him a tribute of 100 talents of silver. 100 talents of silver weighed 7500 pounds. The Ammonite people group guys and gals had to also give him 10,000 cors or homers of wheat and of barley. A cor or a homer was equal to a load that a donkey could carry – which is about 6 ¼ bushels. The tribute that the Ammonite people groups guys and gals gave to Jotham came to 62,500 bushels in wheat and 62,500 bushels in barley. Jotham did a number of renovations in the city of Jerusalem that included rebuilding the Upper Gate that was in the wall that surrounded the city of Jerusalem and extensive work on the wall at the hill of Ophel. Jotham saw to it that towns were built in the Judean hills and that forts and towers were built in wooded areas. What Jotham did not do was to stop the guys and gals who were living the land area of Judah from living lives that were super corrupt and totally depraved.
Your grandpaa thinks that Jotham had a really good ma. Jotham’s ma’s name was Jerusha. Jerusha was a daughter of Zadok. Several guys by the name of Zadok are noted in the Old Testament. A guy with the name of Zadok seems to have been always a good guy. Good guys are invariably steadfast guys. Your grandpaa thinks that Uzziah turned out the way that he did because of the combination of a good dad – who spent most of his life doing mostly the right things and a ma who probably really cared about her kid. It takes a steadfast dad and ma to raise a kid in ways that teach the kid how to always do the right thing and respond in the right way. Your grandmaa and grandpaa both had a steadfast dad and a steadfast ma. Your grandmaa and grandpaa are very thankful that God gave them a couple of really good kids to raise. When friends when your dad was your age James invited your grandmaa and grandpaa over for an evening, they would tell your grandmaa and grandpaa to take your dad along – as your dad was really good at entertaining himself. When your dad got tired, your dad would ask your grandmaa or grandpaa if he could lie down on a couch to sleep. Your Aunt Lynn started walking when she was eight months old. Before your Aunt Lynn began to walk, she would scoot around the rooms on her hands and toes while drinking milk from a plastic bottle. Your Aunt Lynn was climbing up and down stairs before she was a year old. Your Aunt Lynn really liked to have her big bro slide her around while she sat in a cardboard box. A blessing that God gives a dad and a ma for being steadfastness by being unwavering, resolute and dedicated to Him may be having good kids.
God’s unfolding life plans have in them real life lessons that are to teach a guy, gal or kid to be unwavering, resolute and dedicated. When a stake snapped as your grandpaa was driving the C-10 Chevrolet pickup that he and your grandmaa owned onto a barge causing the barge with the pickup half on it to slip under the fast moving waters of the Rio Grande (Great River) resulting in their pickup being covered with water halfway up its windows, your grandpaa desperately tried to find help to get the pickup that he and your grandmaa owned out of the water. When it became very apparent that there was no one around to help or who could help, all that your grandpaa could do was tell God that because He had made it possible for your grandmaa and grandpaa to have the pickup that if He wanted the pickup to be swept away by the Rio Grande, that he would be okay with Him doing that. A truck at that moment appeared out of nowhere. The driver of the truck asked your grandpaa if he wanted him to pull the pickup that your grandmaa and grandpaa owned out of the river. A reward for being steadfast in God is to receive God’s divine help.
2 Chronicles 27 (723)