Day 128: 2 Chronicles 25, 26 and 27

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, but because of an act of disobedience he was afflicted with leprosy and ruled from seclusion. During this time, his son Jotham was his co-regent - they shared the throne, reigning together. That's why it is sometimes difficult to pinpoint a date in ancient times. Events were dated according to how many years the reigning king had been on the throne (i.e., Hosheah . . . succeeded [Pekah] as king in the twentieth year of Jotham - 2 Kings 15:30). This seems straightforward until we consider that sometimes a son's reign would overlap with his father's. One source might consider the son's first year the first year of co-regency, while another might consider the son's first year the year after his father's death.

Back to Jotham. What lessons about obedience did Jotham learn at his father's side? Did he learn from his father's words or from the consequences his father suffered? One way or the other Jotham apparently learned the lesson that he must follow God wholeheartedly.

How did you learn obedience? Or are you still learning?