Three Kings and Three Outcomes
In today’s passage, we read about three kings. It’s a father, his son, and his grandson. They all rule as successive kings over Judah. Yet from this point their similarities diverge. Each one experiences a different outcome.
King Amaziah
First we have King Amaziah. The Bible tells us he does what is right in God’s eyes. This sounds good, but there’s more to his story. The text adds that he doesn’t do what is right wholeheartedly (2 Chronicles 25:2).
This means his devotion to God is split. His commitment is divided.
God doesn’t want us to halfheartedly follow him. He wants us to go all in. He expects it. As for King Amaziah, his story doesn’t end well.
King Uzziah
Amaziah’s son Uzziah replaces his father as king. He does what is right in God’s eyes; he seeks the Lord. God gives him success (2 Chronicles 26:5). He starts out good. But will it last? Will he finish strong?
Later in his reign, Uzziah becomes powerful. With his power comes pride. Pride leads to his downfall. In arrogance, he tries to do something he isn’t supposed to do. This shows his unfaithfulness to God (2 Chronicles 26:16).
Because of his unfaithfulness, God strikes him with leprosy, which he has for the rest of his life. He must live in a separate house and can’t even go into the temple.
Though he is still technically king, his son Jotham takes over for him to oversee the palace and govern the people.
King Uzziah’s power means nothing after he becomes unfaithful to God and lets his pride control him.
King Jotham
Like his father and grandfather, King Jotham does what is right in God’s eyes. Yet he also learns from his father’s error. Unlike his father, he does not become unfaithful and try to do something he isn’t supposed to do.
He doesn’t repeat his father’s mistake.
King Jotham gives us a powerful lesson we can emulate. We can cultivate our parents’ good traits in our lives, while learning from their shortcomings. We don’t need to repeat their mistakes. We can rise above them.
In doing so, we can remain faithful to our Lord. [Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is 2 Chronicles 25-27, and today’s post is on 2 Chronicles 27:6.]
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.
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