Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

For a link to 2 Chronicles 25, click HERE.

Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. He was the one who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah after Amaziah rested with his ancestors.
Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done. He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.
He went to war against the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh and Ashdod. He then rebuilt towns near Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines. God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabs who lived in Gur Baal and against the Meunites. The Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, because he had become very powerful.
Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate and at the angle of the wall, and he fortified them. He also built towers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, because he had much livestock in the foothills and in the plain. He had people working his fields and vineyards in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil.
Uzziah had a well-trained army, ready to go out by divisions according to their numbers as mustered by Jeiel the secretary and Maaseiah the officer under the direction of Hananiah, one of the royal officials. The total number of family leaders over the fighting men was 2,600. Under their command was an army of 307,500 men trained for war, a powerful force to support the king against his enemies. Uzziah provided shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows and slingstones for the entire army. In Jerusalem he made devices invented for use on the towers and on the corner defenses so that soldiers could shoot arrows and hurl large stones from the walls. His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.
But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the Lord followed him in. They confronted King Uzziah and said, “It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the Lord God.”
Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the Lord’s temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead. When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the Lord had afflicted him.
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 26:1-23

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

For a link to 2 Chronicles 28, click HERE.

 Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

2 Chronicles 25:6 ‘one hundred talents’: “If a talent weighs seventy-five pounds, this represents almost four tons of silver. This wealth was paid to the king of Israel, Jehoahaz, who ordered the mercenaries of Israel to aid Amaziah against Edom.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Chronicles 25:7 ‘man of God’: “This is a technical term used about seventy times in the OT, always referring to a person who spoke for God. He warned Amaziah not to make idolatrous Israel his ally because the Lord was not with Ephraim, i.e., Israel, the capital of idolatry. See note on Deuteronomy 33:1.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Chronicles 25:11 ‘Valley of Salt’: “Most likely, this is located at the southern end of the Dead Sea, where David had been victorious several centuries before (cf. 1 Chr. 18:12, 13). Seir. Another name for Edom.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Chronicles 25:12 ‘rock’: “This mode of execution was common among pagan nations (cf. Ps. 137:9)”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Chronicles 25:15-16, 27 ‘An Unnamed Prophet Denounces King Amaziah’: “Joash is succeeded by his son, Amaziah. An unnamed prophet is sent to denounce him for the grave sin of idolatry. Instead of repenting of his sin, Amaziah offers the prophet a haughty, unremorseful attitude coupled with a threat. In parting, the prophet promises Amaziah that ‘God has planned to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel’ (25:16). Eleven verses later, Amaziah is exiled and soon after, assassinated (25:27).”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

2 Chronicles 26:5 ‘Zechariah’: “He was an otherwise unknown prophet during Uzziah’s reign, not the priestly spokesman of 24:20, or the prophet Zechariah who wrote the prophetic book to Judah c. 520 B.C. sought … prosper. This summarizes a major theme in 2 Chronicles.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Chronicles 26:7 ‘Arabians … Gur Baal’: “This was most likely a nomadic group who lived in an area whose location is unknown. Meunites. A nomadic people living in Edom (cf. 20:1).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Chronicles 26:10 ‘Caramel’: “Though there was a mountain range called Carmel, it was not in the territory under Uzziah; so most likely this should not be taken as a proper name, but rather translated as ‘fertile field.’ This fits the rest of the general references in the verse.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Chronicles 27:5 ‘Ammonites’: “See note on 26:8. Jotham repelled the invasion, pursuing the enemy into their own land and imposing a yearly tribute, which they paid for two years until Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, king of Israel revolted and attacked. Jotham was too distracted to bother with the Ammonites (cf. 2 Kin. 15:37). one hundred talents. If a talent is about 75 pounds, this represents almost four tons of silver. ten thousand kors. If a kor is 7.5 bushels, this represents 75,000 bushels.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Chronicles 27:6 ‘King Jotham’: “Jotham was the son of a good father (Uzziah), and he did not commit the great fault of his father, who conceived the idea that he would be a priest as well as a king, and the Lord struck him with leprosy. Jotham regarded his father’s sin rather as a beacon to warn him away from that rock on which Uzziah’s life had been wrecked (v. 2,’He didn’t enter the Lord’s sanctuary’). Here was an instance of a young man and a king—and yet, for all that, a saint of the right kind—one who ‘did not waver in obeying the Lord his God.’ It must be a hard matter to be a king and to be a saint at the same time. The combination has seldom occurred, and when it has, it has been a prodigious triumph of divine grace. Do not ask for an eminent position. Let our prayer rather be, ‘Do not bring me into temptation’ (see Mt 6:13). An eminent position always has a measure of temptation connected with it, so we are justified in praying to be preserved from it. Still, if the position is one that is our duty to take, we should take it and trust God’s grace to keep us there in safety. Jotham dwelt in the midst of people who were corrupt and yet was himself not corrupt because he resolved to do what God commanded him. He did not trouble about being thought to be right by neighboring kings, nor was his chief care to be thought to be right by the people over whom he ruled. He was not ambitious to be regarded as right by the heathen nations that were near him, but he did want to be right in the sight of God.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

2 Chronicles 28: 3-5 ‘detestable idolatry’: ”Here is the introduction of vile practices of idolatry that were primarily sexual in nature. Judah was increasingly afflicted by these practices, and the evil kings—including King Ahaz—actually introduced these vile religions into the life of the nation.
“The pattern is always the same. The king leads the nation away from God and into the practice of a false and loathsome religion—and God allows the nation to suffer the consequences of it sin at the hands of an invading nation.
“I believe there is a similar principle that operates within each Christian believer. If we allow the inner temple of our lives to be destroyed, if we allow ourselves to be spiritually and morally weakened by some inner idolatry (the love of money and possessions, the love of power, the worship of fame or the approval of others), we lower our defenses. We open ourselves to attack by the invaders of the spirit—bitterness, anger, depression, frustration, and defeat. In fact, this may be one explanation for why so many people are prone to emotional afflictions.
“If we maintain our obedient love for God within the inner temple of our lives, if we obey His will and seek His wisdom for our lives, we guard and defend ourselves against invasion. We maintain our inner sense of peace and security.”

• Ray C. Stedman, Adventuring Through the Bible

2 Chronicles 28:9 ‘Oded’: “An otherwise unknown prophet, with the same name as an earlier Oded (cf. 15:1, 8). The prophet said that Israel had won the victory because God was judging Judah. But he protested the viciousness of the killing and the effort to enslave them (v. 10) and warned them of God’s wrath for such action (v. 11). Amazingly, the apostate and hostile Israelites complied with the prophet’s warning (vv. 12—15).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Chronicles 28:10 ‘do not find fault in others’: “When the children of Israel had bloodthirsty thoughts toward their brethren of Judah, the prophet earnestly dissuaded them. How remarkably pertinent is such a question to different nations, to different sects, to different classes among people. We are too apt to look on the sins of other nations and forget our own. How applicable, too, is this question to the different sects, especially among Christians. How apt we all are to be plucking the straw from the eye of others. Let each denomination acknowledge its own faults and confess its own iniquities. I would that whenever we are prone to rebuke our fellows too severely, we would pause and ask ourselves this question: ‘Am I not also guilty before the Lord my God?’ My advice is, leave other people alone with regard to finding fault.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

2 Chronicles 28:16 ‘kings of Assyria’: “This is most likely singular, ‘king,’ who was Tiglath-Pileser (C. 745-727 B.C.).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Chronicles 28:20-21 ‘Tiglath-Pileser’: “See note on 28:16. In spite of temporary relief by the conquest of Damascus and slaughter of Rezin (2 Kin. 16:9), little benefit came from this king to Ahaz because he allied with Assyria.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Chronicles 28:22 ‘Tribulations and suffering are a blessing’: “Some tribulations belong especially to the people of God, yet it is also true that ‘many pains come to the wicked’ (Ps 32:1 0). If a person, trying to escape from sorrow, should take the wings of the morning and fly to the uttermost parts of the sea, he would find that sorrow was even there on the sea. Should he go to the frozen regions of the north, he would find sorrow there, for there have some of the fondest human hopes been wrecked. Let him journey to the sultry south, and trouble will pursue him there, for plagues, fevers, and disease haunt that region and the gates of death are near. Until we mount to heaven, we will never be able to escape from sorrow and sighing—only there will we obtain joy and gladness, when our somber companions will have fled away forever. Suffering is one of the things written in the covenant of grace as a blessing. The rod was promised to us when we became the children of God, and we cannot escape it. The distress of believers, when it is sanctified to them, loosens their hold on this world. Trials cut the ropes that fasten our souls to earthly things and so enable us to mount. Trouble, like a sharp spade, digs up the earth that is about our roots, and then we bring forth more fruit. Were it not for the thorns in our nest, we would be so content with its soft lining that we would sit in it till we died. But the sharp thorns prick our breasts, and then we turn our eyes aloft and learn to try our wings, ready for the time when they will have fully grown and we will mount to joys above. Nevertheless, as this text testifies, nothing in trial itself will necessarily soften the heart and make a person repent.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

2 Chronicles 28:23 ‘seeking God’s will’: “Here, then, was one who, as a king, began life by determining to be his own master. Ahaz had been told to worship the invisible God with the simple rites of the law, but he resolved that he would worship what he pleased, where he pleased, and how he pleased. He was not to be dictated to. He would select his own gods and worship as many as he pleased. So he did, ‘but they were the downfall of him.’ A person may begin life with this resolution: ‘I am not going to be bound by anybody. I will do as I like, I will have my own way. I will be independent, I am not going to be obedient to God or listen to what his book prescribes. I will have what indulgences I choose.’ If he does so, those indulgences will be ‘the downfall of him.’ The character that does not have for its cornerstone obedience to God is a character that will tumble down in ruins one day or another. A young person should begin life with this resolve, ‘I will serve God. I will seek to know his mind and his will.’”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

My Thoughts

King Amaziah became king and did what was right, but “not wholeheartedly.”  Those are words that could be placed on the tomb of many people.

He got mercenaries from Israel and an unnamed prophet came to him and said anything from Israel will do him no good, for God’s anger is against Israel.  Amaziah released the mercenaries.  He trusted God and conquered the Edomites at Seir.

But part of the plunder were the gods of the Edomites.  He started worshipping the false gods that had done the Edomites no good.  It reminds me of what someone said regarding a “lucky” rabbit’s foot.  It was not lucky for the rabbit.  But a prophet came to him to warn him.

In the meantime, the mercenaries were angry over being dismissed so they attacked Judah.  Amaziah mustered forces to retaliate.  Israel called Amaziah a thistle that could be smashed, and they did so, routing Judah.

Uzziah became king and he did what was right in the eyes of God … until he got powerful.  Zechariah was his wise counsel, as Jehoiada had been for King Joash.  Uzziah loved the soil and had many servants that tended the farms and ranches under his command.  Uzziah’s army was strong, but then, Uzziah became strong.  Once strong, Uzziah did not trust totally in God’s Law.  He went into the temple and burned incense, something that only priests could do.  He became a leper and remained a leper until his death.

Jotham became king, at first filling in for his father who could not act as king in his leprous state.  Jotham did what was right, but the people of Judah worshipped false gods and did other detestable things.

Ahaz became king and he was evil, doing detestable things, even sacrificing his children by fire to false gods.

As punishment, Aram was sent to defeat Judah.

Israel also attacked Judah taking many people of Judah as slaves.  The prophet Oded and their own leaders told them that God was already angry, and He would be furious unless you release your cousins and send them back to Judah.  They did so, clothing those that needed clothing, giving them healing balm and they dropped them off at Jericho.

Ahaz knew that his nation was weak.  Instead of repenting, he turned to Assyria for help.  He turned to anything and everything, except God.

In these four kings, some people refer to three of them as good kings, but some refer to Amaziah as a good king who turned bad, just as his father Joash had done.  With Amaziah, we saw the olive branch extended to Israel, not what God wanted, just as Jehoshaphat had done.  But his not being wholeheartedly for God was his downfall.  God must be our everything, and it is so hard to be a king and maintain that humility where we see ourselves totally in God’s hands, and without God we are nothing.

But to focus on those kings of Judah that wanted their cousins back in one kingdom, I have seen so many families destroyed trying to give second chances, third, fourth, to the nth (engineer term for as many as it takes).  Sometimes, it is hard but you have to inquire upon God and “cut the cord” (as in the phrase cutting the umbilical cord – thus, severing the relationship).  Jesus said that He came to pit father against son.  We each make our decision, and when that line in the sand is drawn, continuing the relationship will drag down the one who stays faithful to God.  You can cut the cord but get on your knees even more often than before that the relationship can be reconciled, and the prodigal son can repent and return.

As for Uzziah, I feel guilty of that.  Have you ever said something in jest that betrayed the pride you held deep inside?  Have you ever immediately wished to grab those words out of the air and retract them?  I might have a few of those in my past, but, one in particular, I still feel the sting.  God does not like pride and arrogance.  As the prophet Oded asked the Israelites who had made the people of Judah their slaves, “Who among you is without sin?”  Jesus basically said the same thing to those who caught the woman in adultery.  Note: They did not “catch” the man she was adulterous with.  And who are we to be arrogant, when we cannot say we are without sin, especially when arrogance is detestable.

But Uzziah had Zechariah, as Joash had Jehoiada.  But the trusted wise counsel could die, or the king might get so proud of himself that he just does not listen anymore.

But then we have the ABC king (Anything But Christ), but the letters don’t work as well for God the Father.  The more Ahaz messed up and was punished, the further he strayed away from God.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

2 Chronicles 25: 1. Why is wholeheartedness so important to God? Isn‘t a little faith better than no faith at all?
“2. How has your pride gotten you into Amaziah-like trouble in the last year?
2 Chronicles 26: 1. ls success often-times a danger to our relationship with God? What does Uzziah’s story say to you about this?
“2. What consequence have you suffered from a foolish action that you later repented of? Where could you see God’s mercy at work in the situation?
2 Chronicles 27: 1. Are you more of the super-achiever type or ‘slow-and-steady-wins-the-race’ type? What advantages do you see in each type? What are the drawbacks?
2 Chronicles 28: 1. In the past, when have times of trouble driven you toward the Lord’? Which have driven you away from the Lord? What made the difference?
“2. In your memory how has twisted logic been used to rationalize cruelty and terror, close to home and far away? How can you tell twisted logic from the right stuff?
“3. You’re a missionary sent to Jerusalem around the time of verses 24-25. What is your message?
“4. What support for the ‘just war’ theory do you find here? Do you believe there are ‘just’ and ‘unjust’ wars? Or are all wars unjust? Explain.”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

There is one set of questions for each chapter, 2 Chronicles 25-28.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

If you like these Thursday morning Bible studies, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Thursday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.