Careful Living leads to Great Living

HIGHLIGHT: 2 Chronicles 27:6 King Jotham became powerful because he was careful to live in obedience to the Lord his God.

EXPLAIN: Chapter 27 is the story of King Jotham. At the beginning of the chapter, as it does with every introduction of every king, it speaks of how old they were when they took over, how long they reigned, who their family was and whether or not that particular king served the Lord. For Jotham, it was twenty five years old and serving sixteen years. His mother was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadock, who was a High Priest for Israel specifically during the reigns of David and Solomon.

In the second verse, the author writes that Jotham did what was pleasing the sight of the Lord. This becomes the precursor to the rest of the story that the author will summarize about Jotham. When the author gets to verse six, we find that King Jotham had become powerful and the reasoning given was because he was careful to live in obedience to God.

APPLY: There are several key things to note in this short summary of the life of Jotham. The first is noting that Jotham's grandfather was the High Priest of Israel. This means that the house he grew up in house that had sincere teaching of the ways of God. There is never a guarantee that someone who grows up in a house that seeks after God will live for God. However, there is a higher chance that they will not live for God if God is not mentioned in the home.

The second is that the life that Jotham watched from a distance, of following God, impacted him. Twice in six verse the author mentions that Jotham did what was pleasing to the Lord/he was careful to live in obedience to the Lord his God.

The third thing to note is that there was a benefit to living in obedience to God. King Jotham became powerful, according to the author, because of his lifestyle. I know that this can seem trivial to many, however, there is always a correlation to those that follow God and those that sense peace and confidence.

This in no way guarantees that someone will become powerful for simply living according to God's standards. That is the side benefit over and above the grand benefit. Managing a Kingdom had it's benefits and stressors, just like any other job or life style. However, someone like a king who is power hungry would typically only do what is beneficial to bringing more power. Think land grabs, overpowering other nations for more servants and taxes, etc.

In Jotham's life, he followed God's standards because they brought a whole new purpose to life. When you live with God leading you there is peace in the middle of the storm, joy in the ordinary and courage in the unknown. Those things alone, cultivated by spending time listening and following God's leading, are worth more than the gold or power that any King would have had access to. Even King Solomon, the presumed author of Ecclesiastes, would say the rest of it is vain.

RESPONSE: Lord, may I learn to fix my eyes on you and not on the things people believe to be important. May I understand in seeking after you first that the rest of life will follow in a way that brings peace, joy and courage.