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| This is the New King James text of the passages. |
II Chronicles 27; Isaiah 9-12 Listen 
Jotham (Judah) was a little temple shy (II Chronicles 27)
1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok.
2 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah had done (although he did not enter the temple of the LORD). But still the people acted corruptly.
3 ¶ He built the Upper Gate of the house of the LORD, and he built extensively on the wall of Ophel.
4 Moreover he built cities in the mountains of Judah, and in the forests he built fortresses and towers.
5 He also fought with the king of the Ammonites and defeated them. And the people of Ammon gave him in that year one hundred talents of silver, ten thousand kors of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. The people of Ammon paid this to him in the second and third years also.
6 So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God.
7 ¶ Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars and his ways, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.
8 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.
9 So Jotham rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. Then Ahaz his son reigned in his place.
Jotham filled in for his Dad (Uzziah) quite a bit before beginning his own rule (II Kings 15:1-7, see notes). You'll recall that Uzziah didn't get out in public after he was diagnosed with leprosy. Jotham followed the One True God, but did not rid Judah of its corrupt religious practices, polytheism and idol worship.
It's interesting that he never entered the temple. Why? It doesn't say, but here's a guess. You will recall that his father, Uzziah, defied God when he went into the temple to burn incense; he was confronted by the high priest and a platoon of associate priests. When he defied them, he was struck with leprosy on his head while there in the temple in front of everybody present. After an incident like that happened to Jotham's father, do you suppose that was the reason he was just a little tentative about even going into the temple himself?
Jotham was mighty in battle - whipped the Ammonites and brought them into subjection, but he only reigned 16 years before he died. In addition, however, he did rule a number of years in place of his leprous father. Here's Jotham's eulogy in verse 6, "So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God."
We are also told that Jotham had considerable successes against the Ammonites. They paid an annual tribute to Judah. Jotham gets an honorable burial at his death and is succeeded by his son Ahaz.
A Summary of King #11 from 750 to 731 B.C. over Judah: Jotham |
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| References | The Good | The Bad |
II Kings 15:32-38 |
II Kings 15:34 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD: he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done. II Chronicles 27:6 So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God. |
II Kings 15:35 Howbeit the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burned incense still in the high places. |
Israel will be needing a Messiah! (Isaiah 9:1-7)
1 Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed,
As when at first He lightly esteemed
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
And afterward more heavily oppressed her,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
In Galilee of the Gentiles.
2 The people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined.
3 You have multiplied the nation
And increased its joy;
They rejoice before You
According to the joy of harvest,
As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden
And the staff of his shoulder,
The rod of his oppressor,
As in the day of Midian.
5 For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle,
And garments rolled in blood,
Will be used for burning and fuel of fire.
6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Isaiah lived and prophesied through the demise and fall of the Northern Kingdom (referred to as Ephraim) to the Assyrians in 721 B.C. This prophecy in chapter 9 likely was given between 734 and 722 B.C. You will recall, the Northern Kingdom was always under wicked leadership, and the people responded accordingly.
The reference in verse 1 to the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali refers to the invasion and annexation of the northern parts of Israel by Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser III in 733/732 B.C., which took place in II Kings 15:27-31 (see notes) during Pekah's reign over Israel. Incidentally, Pekah was the second to the last King of Israel before their fall in 721 B.C. Then down through verse 7 we see a prophecy regarding the coming Messiah.
Matthew included this prophecy (verses 1-2) in his gospel with reference to the ministry of Jesus in Matthew 4:15-16 (see notes):
15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles:
16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death
Light has dawned.”
Matthew explains from Isaiah's prophecy that the same territory of Israel that first fell to Assyrian captivity would be the first to see the Messiah. After all, Jesus came from Galilee (that same northern territory) about which Isaiah gives his Messianic prophecy here.
The Messiah is clearly prophesied in Isaiah 9:6-7. It was important for them to understand that the Kingdom was not gone forever. Although they had rejected the throne of David when Israel split into two kingdoms after the death of Solomon, one day they will be reunited under the throne of David by the Messiah of verses 6-7. Bible prophecy tells us that this will not take place until the (yet future) millennium. In this passage we see the essence of what is described in Hebrew as a "prophetic perfect." Hebrew doesn't have a clear differentiation of tenses equivalent to English. Sometimes future fulfillments are translated in past tense intending that the reader understands the future fulfillment to be so certain that it is stated as though it has already taken place. Such is the case with verse 6, "For unto us a child is born..." The birth of the child is a yet-future event as seen in the grammar of the remainder of verse 6 and verse 7. This Hebrew language "prophetic perfect" translated as past tense is used frequently by the Old Testament prophets. Sometimes it is referred to as the "prophetic past."
Notice these clearly-state characteristics of the Messiah from Isaiah 9:6-7:
Incidentally, isn't it interesting that this Messianic prophecy contains language ascribing deity to the Messiah ("the mighty God, the everlasting father"), yet the Jewish leaders of Jesus' day were insistent that for Jesus to claim such was blasphemy. That either shows how little they understood about Isaiah or how very self-serving and deceptive they were. I'm going for the latter.
A prophecy regarding Israel's fall (Isaiah 9:8-10:4)
9:8 The LORD sent a word against Jacob,
And it has fallen on Israel.
9 All the people will know—
Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria—
Who say in pride and arrogance of heart:
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
But we will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores are cut down,
But we will replace them with cedars.”
11 Therefore the LORD shall set up
The adversaries of Rezin against him,
And spur his enemies on,
12 The Syrians before and the Philistines behind;
And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.
13 For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them,
Nor do they seek the LORD of hosts.
14 Therefore the LORD will cut off head and tail from Israel,
Palm branch and bulrush in one day.
15 The elder and honorable, he is the head;
The prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.
16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err,
And those who are led by them are destroyed.
17 Therefore the Lord will have no joy in their young men,
Nor have mercy on their fatherless and widows;
For everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer,
And every mouth speaks folly.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.
18 For wickedness burns as the fire;
It shall devour the briers and thorns,
And kindle in the thickets of the forest;
They shall mount up like rising smoke.
19 Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts
The land is burned up,
And the people shall be as fuel for the fire;
No man shall spare his brother.
20 And he shall snatch on the right hand
And be hungry;
He shall devour on the left hand
And not be satisfied;
Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm.
21 Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh;
Together they shall be against Judah.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.10:1 “Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees,
Who write misfortune,
Which they have prescribed
2 To rob the needy of justice,
And to take what is right from the poor of My people,
That widows may be their prey,
And that they may rob the fatherless.
3 What will you do in the day of punishment,
And in the desolation which will come from afar?
To whom will you flee for help?
And where will you leave your glory?
4 Without Me they shall bow down among the prisoners,
And they shall fall among the slain.”
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.
From Isaiah 9:8 through 10:4, the fall of Israel (northern kingdom) is prophesied. King Resin of Damascus (Syria) gets mentioned here. His story is found in Isaiah 7:1-9 (see notes) and II Kings 16 (see notes). He, along with the King of Israel (Northern Kingdom), conspired to attack Judah under King Ahaz. Out of fear, Ahaz made an alliance with the King of Assyria who subsequently defeated Syria and Israel; King Rezin was killed in the process. Israel's greed had caused Ahaz of Judah to invite Assyria into the area for assistance. Oh...well...the fall of Israel was imminent anyway. Now...hang on for the big "day of visitation" (verse 10:3); Assyria isn't done.
Assyria...God's instrument for the punishment of Israel (Isaiah 10:5-11)
5 “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hand is My indignation.
6 I will send him against an ungodly nation,
And against the people of My wrath
I will give him charge,
To seize the spoil, to take the prey,
And to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
7 Yet he does not mean so,
Nor does his heart think so;
But it is in his heart to destroy,
And cut off not a few nations.
8 For he says,
“Are not my princes altogether kings?
9 Is not Calno like Carchemish?
Is not Hamath like Arpad?
Is not Samaria like Damascus?
10 As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols,
Whose carved images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 As I have done to Samaria and her idols,
Shall I not do also to Jerusalem and her idols?’ ”
The Assyrians were the conquerors of the Northern Kingdom in 721 B.C. However, they had help - God himself! Verses 5-11 proclaim that Assyria operated as an instrument of God to punish the wickedness of the Northern Kingdom. Wow! The implied lessons for Christians in this scenario are innumerable. Doesn't that support the principle of scripture that God sometimes uses wicked people to teach important lessons to Believers? Both chastisement and trial in the Believer's life may sometimes come at the hand of those who reject God himself. Pharaoh is another example of that principle in operation as explained in Exodus 10:1-2 (see notes).
Assyria has their own dreadful day coming (Isaiah 10:12-19)
12 ¶ Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, “I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks.”
13 ¶ For he says:
“By the strength of my hand I have done it,
And by my wisdom, for I am prudent;
Also I have removed the boundaries of the people,
And have robbed their treasuries;
So I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man.
14 My hand has found like a nest the riches of the people,
And as one gathers eggs that are left,
I have gathered all the earth;
And there was no one who moved his wing,
Nor opened his mouth with even a peep.”
15 Shall the ax boast itself against him who chops with it?
Or shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it?
As if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up,
Or as if a staff could lift up, as if it were not wood!
16 Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts,
Will send leanness among his fat ones;
And under his glory
He will kindle a burning
Like the burning of a fire.
17 So the Light of Israel will be for a fire,
And his Holy One for a flame;
It will burn and devour
His thorns and his briers in one day.
18 And it will consume the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field,
Both soul and body;
And they will be as when a sick man wastes away.
19 Then the rest of the trees of his forest
Will be so few in number
That a child may write them.
So, does Assyria get any commendation from God for their assistance in chastising Israel? NO...NONE AT ALL! They didn't know they were helping God and did not mean to do so. Assyria is mentioned by name in this prophecy. Therefore, verses 12-19 are harsh verses directed at wicked Assyria, prophesying their impending downfall to the Babylonians - an event which happened over 100 years later in 609 B.C. In verse 15, Assyria is portrayed as a mere tool of God (axe, rod, staff). While Assyria may have thought they were in control, it was actually God doing the work of chastisement against Israel.
A remnant of Israel will return (Isaiah 10:20-34)
20 And it shall come to pass in that day
That the remnant of Israel,
And such as have escaped of the house of Jacob,
Will never again depend on him who defeated them,
But will depend on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
21 The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob,
To the Mighty God.
22 For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea,
A remnant of them will return;
The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness.
23 For the Lord GOD of hosts
Will make a determined end
In the midst of all the land.
24 ¶ Therefore thus says the Lord GOD of hosts: “O My people, who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian. He shall strike you with a rod and lift up his staff against you, in the manner of Egypt.
25 For yet a very little while and the indignation will cease, as will My anger in their destruction.”
26 And the LORD of hosts will stir up a scourge for him like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; as His rod was on the sea, so will He lift it up in the manner of Egypt.
27 It shall come to pass in that day
That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder,
And his yoke from your neck,
And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.
28 He has come to Aiath,
He has passed Migron;
At Michmash he has attended to his equipment.
29 They have gone along the ridge,
They have taken up lodging at Geba.
Ramah is afraid,
Gibeah of Saul has fled.
30 Lift up your voice,
O daughter of Gallim!
Cause it to be heard as far as Laish—
O poor Anathoth!
31 Madmenah has fled,
The inhabitants of Gebim seek refuge.
32 As yet he will remain at Nob that day;
He will shake his fist at the mount of the daughter of Zion,
The hill of Jerusalem.
33 Behold, the Lord,
The LORD of hosts,
Will lop off the bough with terror;
Those of high stature will be hewn down,
And the haughty will be humbled.
34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron,
And Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.
Notice the phrase "in that day" in verse 20. That refers to the judgment of Israel by God at the hand of the Assyrians resulting in the 721 B.C. fall during the reign of King Hoshea of Israel (II Kings 17, see notes). Mingled in with the prophecy of the destruction of Assyria in these verses is the promise that a remnant of Israel will return from Assyrian captivity (verse 22). For more information on this return of the remnant, click here to read the notes on Isaiah 44:21-28.
Then there's (Zion) Jerusalem. Would they fall to the Assyrians? No! Isaiah prophesied that the Assyrians would attack Jerusalem and fail. Notice verses 24-25 "Therefore thus says the Lord GOD of hosts: 'O My people, who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian. He shall strike you with a rod and lift up his staff against you, in the manner of Egypt. For yet a very little while and the indignation will cease, as will My anger in their destruction.'" This remarkable prophecy is fulfilled in 701 B.C. during Hezekiah's reign in Judah and is one of the most exciting stories in the Old Testament. Assyria had taken the entire region (including most of Judah) and only lacked little ol' Jerusalem to complete the job. However, just as Isaiah's prophecy here in verses 24-25 says, Assyria failed in taking Jerusalem...by a miracle of God. So, the very powerful Empire of Assyria would cease to exist, just as Isaiah prophesies here in chapter 10. If you want to read the story of Assyria's failure to conquer Jerusalem as conveyed in II Kings 18:13-19:37, II Chronicles 32:9-22 and Isaiah 36-37, click here.
The fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant aka the Millennium (Isaiah 11)
1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
3 His delight is in the fear of the LORD,
And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,
Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor,
And decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins,
And faithfulness the belt of His waist.
6 “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
Their young ones shall lie down together;
And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole,
And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD
As the waters cover the sea.
10 “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse,
Who shall stand as a banner to the people;
For the Gentiles shall seek Him,
And His resting place shall be glorious.”
11 It shall come to pass in that day
That the Lord shall set His hand again the second time
To recover the remnant of His people who are left,
From Assyria and Egypt,
From Pathros and Cush,
From Elam and Shinar,
From Hamath and the islands of the sea.
12 He will set up a banner for the nations,
And will assemble the outcasts of Israel,
And gather together the dispersed of Judah
From the four corners of the earth.
13 Also the envy of Ephraim shall depart,
And the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off;
Ephraim shall not envy Judah,
And Judah shall not harass Ephraim.
14 But they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines toward the west;
Together they shall plunder the people of the East;
They shall lay their hand on Edom and Moab;
And the people of Ammon shall obey them.
15 The LORD will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt;
With His mighty wind He will shake His fist over the River,
And strike it in the seven streams,
And make men cross over dryshod.
16 There will be a highway for the remnant of His people
Who will be left from Assyria,
As it was for Israel
In the day that he came up from the land of Egypt.
There's coming a day when the throne of David (son of Jesse) will rule the world. First of all, we know this prophecy is yet future for the same reason the Jews in the day of Jesus knew it to be yet future; it has not happened yet.
The provisions of this prophecy are very comprehensive:
This Messianic rule by Jesus Christ is yet future to us. It describes the period which begins with the yet-future millennium which will be preceded by the Battle of Armageddon in Revelation 19:11-21 (see notes). That will mark the beginning of the fulfillment of Isaiah 11. For additional information regarding the conditions that will exist beginning with the millennium, read the notes on the following references.
It should be specified that this regathering "From the four corners of the earth" (verse 12) is different from the return of the exiles from Babylonian exile in 535 B.C. Then, the Jews were returned from the other side of the Euphrates; Isaiah prophesies here a world-wide regathering of Jews. Today, Jews are scattered around the world. Isaiah speaks of the time when they will return. We know that this return takes place at the end of the tribulation period.
Actually, there are two distinct periods about which this passage may be referring. Only John's Revelation refers to the one-thousand-year period we know as the millennium in Revelation 20:1-10 (see notes). John tells us that Satan is bound for that one-thousand-year period, but is loosed at the end to make one final attempt to lead a rebellion against Jesus Christ. This short-lived attempt fails. Then, beginning in Revelation 21 (see notes), we see in verse 1, "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea." Revelation 21 goes on to detail conditions on the "new earth" where evil will never again exist. When reading prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the future reign on the throne of David, it is often difficult to distinguish between the two periods divided by Revelation 20 and 21. Both periods are similar in environment, but unregenerate man will no longer exist after Revelation 20...after the millennium.
Israel will sing a song (Isaiah 12)
1 And in that day you will say:
“O LORD, I will praise You;
Though You were angry with me,
Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.
2 Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
“For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and song;
He also has become my salvation.’ ”
3 Therefore with joy you will draw water
From the wells of salvation.
4 ¶ And in that day you will say:
“Praise the LORD, call upon His name;
Declare His deeds among the peoples,
Make mention that His name is exalted.
5 Sing to the LORD,
For He has done excellent things;
This is known in all the earth.
6 Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion,
For great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!”
Everybody's gonna be happy when Jesus establishes himself in the millennium. In this chapter we find in these six verses a song of redemption that will be sung throughout the rule of the Messiah. I guess it will be like their national anthem.
The double rendering of the name of God, "YAH, the LORD" is interesting in verse 2. In Hebrew it says "Jehovah Jehovah." Perhaps that is intended to convey the same emphasis as when God spoke to Moses in Exodus 3:14 (see notes), "And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And He said, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, "I AM has sent me to you."'"
