Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the Lord his God. (2 Chronicles 27:6)Uzziah (Jotham's father) was a great king of Judah. Because of an act of disobedience he was afflicted with leprosy and ruled from seclusion, with his son Jotham co-reigning with him. What do you think Uzziah (called Azariah in 2 Kings) taught his son about obedience? One way or the other Jotham apparently learned the lesson that he must follow God wholeheartedly.
NOTE: Just a quick piece of information that might clear up some confusion regarding the kings of Israel and Judah. 2 Kings 15:30 says Hoshea became king of Israel in the 20th year of Jotham king of Judah. 2 Chronicles 27:1 says Jotham reigned 16 years (as it does in another 2 Kings reference).
If he only reigned 16 years, how could a king of Israel's reign be dated as beginning in Jotham's 20th year?
First off, that's the way Ancient Near East dates were recorded. This happened in the 3rd year of Ben-Hadad king of Aram. Next point: One of the challenges in accurately dating the rule of kings is that a king often brought his son to the throne to co-reign, sometimes years before the father's death. So we have to do some serious comparisons to determine if the years of a king's reign overlapped with his father or his son. This obviously makes it very difficult to be precise.
Okay... that was just a little biblical trivia. No extra charge!
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