The Faith of Jotham, Who Endured a Dark Age

In the years when the northern kingdom of Israel was falling apart, its royal house overthrown four times in thirty years, Jotham of Judah in the south quietly kept his nation safe, repairing the gate of the temple and strengthening the city wall. Scripture gives him only a few verses, and the people still would not leave the high places.

Jotham himself was upright before God, yet he could not change his people. But because he walked the right path to the end, Judah did not crumble overnight as the northern kingdom had, even under the wicked king who followed him, and the covenant with David and the line of faith passed on to Hezekiah and Josiah. Timothy, too, who stood in Paul’s shadow, was timid and frail in body, with no miracles or revivals to his name, yet through his obedience Paul’s faith has been handed down even to us today.

The world remembers only heroes and winners, but God treasures not only those who open a new age but also those who endure their age and carry it on to the next generation. Even without any achievement that catches the eye, a life that steadily and honestly holds its place is one God never takes lightly.