How did Jotham's actions align with God's commands in 2 Kings 15:35? The reign and setting • Jotham ruled Judah sixteen years during a period of moral and political unrest (2 Kings 15:32–33). • He “did what was right in the eyes of the LORD,” continuing much of the godly pattern modeled by his father, Uzziah (v. 34). • Verse 35 spotlights two contrasting realities: faithful work on the temple and lingering idolatry in the land. God’s standard for worship • Centralized worship only at the place God chose: “You are to seek the place the LORD your God will choose…There you are to bring your burnt offerings” (Deuteronomy 12:5–6). • Total destruction of every competing site: “Tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones, burn their Asherah poles” (Deuteronomy 12:3; cf. Exodus 34:13). • Exclusive devotion—no mixture: “You shall not plant any tree as an Asherah beside the altar of the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy 16:21). Jotham’s positive obedience • “Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the house of the LORD” (2 Kings 15:35). – Strengthened access to God’s temple, underscoring reverence for prescribed worship. – Parallel record: “He built the Upper Gate of the house of the LORD and did extensive work on the wall of Ophel” (2 Chronicles 27:3). • Maintained personal integrity: “He ordered his ways before the LORD his God” (2 Chronicles 27:6). • Avoided the sins that ruined his father; unlike Uzziah, he never presumed to offer incense himself (2 Chronicles 26:16–20). Areas where obedience fell short • “Nevertheless, the high places were not removed; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places” (2 Kings 15:35). – High places represented localized worship contrary to Deuteronomy 12. – Tolerating them allowed syncretism; later reformers such as Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:4) and Josiah (2 Kings 23:8) finally tore them down. Overall alignment with God’s commands • Jotham honored God’s temple, reflecting genuine faith and desire to uphold covenant worship. • Yet his partial reform left popular idolatry unchecked, demonstrating incomplete conformity to God’s explicit commands about centralized, exclusive worship. • Scripture therefore presents him as a generally righteous king whose obedience, though sincere, was not exhaustive—illustrating both the value of faithfulness and the danger of tolerating any compromise (James 2:10; Matthew 22:37). |
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