What I Noticed Today (2 Chronicles 25-27)
2 Chronicles 25
In verses 1-4, following Joash’s assassination, Amaziah, his son, became king.
- Amaziah became king when he was 25 years old, and he ruled Judah for 29 years from Jerusalem (796-767 B.C.).
- Amaziah started out as a good king doing right in the eyes of the Lord.
- As soon as the kingdom was his, he executed the servants who had murdered his father, Joash.
Note: Amaziah did not execute the children of the servants who murdered his father because it was forbidden by Moses (see Deuteronomy 24:16).
In verses 5-10, Amaziah assembled his army and prepared for war, and decided to hire 100,000 additional troops from Israel.
- A man of God came to him and told him not to take the Israelites into battle with him, so he paid them and let them return home.
- This angered the Israelites, so they raided cities of Judah, killed 3,000 people, and took much spoil (v. 13).
In verses 11-16, Amaziah went into battle against Seir (Edomites) and won a significant victory.
- Amaziah’s army struck down 10,000 Edomites in the battle. They also captured 10,000 Edomites and killed them by throwing them off a cliff.
- For some unknown reason when Amaziah returned, he abandoned the Lord and turned instead to worship the gods of the Edomites whom the Lord had just help him defeat!
- When a prophet confronted Amaziah, he threatened the prophet and told him to be quiet.
In verses 17-24 full of pride from having defeated the Edomites, Amaziah challenged the Israelites in battle.
- King Jehoash of Israel defeated Amaziah, tore down some of the wall surrounding Jerusalem, seized treasures from the king’s house, and took the plunder and hostages back home to Samaria.
In verses 25-28, Amaziah lived 15 years after the death of King Jehoash of Israel.
- Amaziah was so disliked by the people of Judah after he turned away from the Lord that he fled from Jerusalem and lived in Lachish (30 miles southwest of Jerusalem).
- Amaziah was eventually assassinated like his father, Joash.
2 Chronicles 26
In verses 1-5, Amaziah’s son, Uzziah, reigned in his place.
- Uzziah became king of Judah when he was 16-years old, and he reigned 52 years from Jerusalem.
Note: Uzziah was the tenth king of Judah and was a good king. He was called Azariah in 2 Kings 15.
- Uzziah rebuilt the seaport city of Eloth, which allowed Judah to increase trade.
- He did right in the eyes of the Lord as long as the prophet Zechariah was alive, and the Lord prospered him.
In verses 6-8, when Uzziah went into battle, the Lord helped him against the Philistines, Arabians, and Meunites.
- The Ammonites gave tribute money to Uzziah, and his fame spread all the way to Egypt.
In verses 9-15, Uzziah rebuilt the Jerusalem city wall and the towers and fortified them.
- He built cisterns to help provide water to farmers and built up herds of animals.
- He built up the army and built up military machinery to help defend the city.
In verses 16-23, however, as Uzziah became strong, he wasn’t satisfied with just being king and decided to take on a role of the priests by offering incense in the temple.
- Azariah, the priest, along with the other priests, stopped him, but the Lord struck Uzziah with leprosy.
- Uzziah lived the rest of his life isolated from the Lord’s temple because of his leprosy.
- Uzziah died and was buried in the king’s cemetery, and his son Jotham became king in his place.
2 Chronicles 27
Jotham’s reign in Judah.
In verses 1-8, Uzziah’s son, Jotham became king of Judah when he was 20-years old, and he reigned 16 years from Jerusalem.
Note: Jotham governed the people of the land while his father had leprosy, and became king after his father, Uzziah died.
- Jotham was a good king, doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord, even though the people still followed corrupt practices of idol worship.
- Jotham rebuilt the city gates and fortified cities in Judah.
- Jotham became powerful because he was faithful to God, and God was with him.
- Jotham reigned 16 years, and when he died his son, Ahaz reigned in his place.
Some thoughts for additional consideration:
- Over and over again, we see the kings start out good, become strong and powerful because they are faithful to God, and God prospers them. Then, when they are secure in their power, they become prideful, turn away from God, and lose everything they gained.
- The distance of time allows us to see clearly the reason for their failure is tied to turning away from God. Yet, here we are today, with whole nations turning away from God, yet we wonder why God does not bless us as we would expect.
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.
