King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house—leprous, and banned from the temple of the Lord. Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.
The other events of Uzziah’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. Uzziah rested with his ancestors and was buried near them in a cemetery that belonged to the kings, for people said, “He had leprosy.” And Jotham his son succeeded him as king.
- 2 Chronicles 26:21-23
Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Uzziah had done, but unlike him he did not enter the temple of the Lord. The people, however, continued their corrupt practices. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the temple of the Lord and did extensive work on the wall at the hill of Ophel. He built towns in the hill country of Judah and forts and towers in the wooded areas.
Jotham waged war against the king of the Ammonites and conquered them. That year the Ammonites paid him a hundred talents of silver, ten thousand cors of wheat and ten thousand cors of barley. The Ammonites brought him the same amount also in the second and third years.
Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the Lord his God.
The other events in Jotham’s reign, including all his wars and the other things he did, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Jotham rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. And Ahaz his son succeeded him as king.
- 2 Chronicles 27:1-9
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
- Isaiah 6:1-8
The Boilerplate
My wife took a Bible Study in 2011. (There was a note in the study guide that identified September 2 and that the study was being held on Friday mornings, or I might not have ever figured out what year.) My wife had become a Christian in 2000. She greatly respected the pastor’s wife who was also a pastor. The pastor’s wife spent time as the interim associate pastor, and this Bible study might have been during that time.
My wife passed away in March 2023, and I found this study guide as I was cleaning up. It is a Beth Moore study guide. Most of the questions are close-ended, mostly fill-in-the-blank. But my wife was eager to learn. She wrote her thoughts in the margins, sometimes encouraged to do so by Beth Moore. I will use her comments as I did once before, calling this a “with a little help” series in that my wife contributes. There is more to follow in that she wrote Scriptures and prayers in a notebook. Probably what she found in her personal Bible study, giving her encouragement through the long illness that took her life.
So, instead of writing about a topic at random, I am going to write on my wife’s comments in the Study Guide. It may follow the study guide topics, but it may not.
Discussion on this topic
When Beth Moore asked what was similar and different between King Uzziah and King Jotham, his son, my wife responded:
“[King Jotham was similar in that he] conquered the Ammonites, rebuilt the Upper Gate, and walked with the Lord. [King Jotham was different in that he] didn’t break the temple law.”
- My wife’s inner thoughts
And what my wife got from Isaiah’s description of his vision, God was …
“Pure – unblemished.”
- My wife’s inner thoughts
And how did Isaiah respond to the call from God?
“He had an overwhelming love for God and felt God’s pure and infinite love. Isaiah responded because he was humbled by the experience.”
- My wife’s inner thoughts
Later in the study, Beth Moore asks if there has ever a time that you allowed God to change your focus from someone else to Him.
My wife gave a one-word answer.
“Death.”
- My wife’s inner thoughts
My wife had seen a vision of her own death. An angel, identifying himself as her guardian angel, came and told her that he would walk with her to see Jesus. She awoke, or returned, from the vision at 3:16 according to the hotel alarm clock.
When she passed away a little over a year ago, I took stock of the surroundings of her hospital room. They were exactly as she had described them in the vision.
But the change in her after that vision was that she was on fire for Jesus. She even wrote in the margin that she gave up ever reading her horoscope. How can you even do that for “fun” if you totally trust in God?
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory
Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley 
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