Uzziah (or Azariah) prospers in military victories, building and agricultural activities, and has one of the longest reigns in Judah history. (At the same time, Israel, under Jeroboam II, experiences 40 years of prosperity.) The Chronicler, who has to have a reason for everything, claims that Uzziah is stricken with leprosy because he burns incense on the altar in the temple in defiance of the priests. Jotham, who picks up the reign, conquers the Ammonites. He, like his father, Uzziah, did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. It is during the reign of Jotham that Isaiah is a prophet in Jerusalem. Ahaz, who asks the Assyrian king to intervene against the invading Edomites and Philistines is disappointed when they show up to oppress rather than to deliver. His reign comes to an end with the introduction of Syrian deities into Judah and the closing of the temple at Jerusalem (according to the Chronicler). In this chapter the Chronicler invents Oded, the prophet of the Lord in Samaria. He urges the victorious soldiers of Israel to allow the captive Judeans to return to their homes. The captors returned well fed and cared for. Consequently, they viewed the Israelites as men who had shown them kindness. A lesson in brotherhood of humanity? Hezehiah, a God-fearing man and great reformer, captures the attention of the Chronicler. He opens the doors of the temple(according to the Chronicler) and the sanctuary is cleansed with the Levites in a prominent position. The people bring more offerings than the priests can handle on the day of rededication. The Levites, who are more upright in heart in sanctifying themselves, help out.
Uzziah (or Azariah) prospers in military victories, building and agricultural activities, and has one of the longest reigns in Judah history. (At the same time, Israel, under Jeroboam II, experiences 40 years of prosperity.) The Chronicler, who has to have a reason for everything, claims that Uzziah is stricken with leprosy because he burns incense on the altar in the temple in defiance of the priests. Jotham, who picks up the reign, conquers the Ammonites. He, like his father, Uzziah, did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. It is during the reign of Jotham that Isaiah is a prophet in Jerusalem. Ahaz, who asks the Assyrian king to intervene against the invading Edomites and Philistines is disappointed when they show up to oppress rather than to deliver. His reign comes to an end with the introduction of Syrian deities into Judah and the closing of the temple at Jerusalem (according to the Chronicler). In this chapter the Chronicler invents Oded, the prophet of the Lord in Samaria. He urges the victorious soldiers of Israel to allow the captive Judeans to return to their homes. The captors returned well fed and cared for. Consequently, they viewed the Israelites as men who had shown them kindness. A lesson in brotherhood of humanity? Hezehiah, a God-fearing man and great reformer, captures the attention of the Chronicler. He opens the doors of the temple(according to the Chronicler) and the sanctuary is cleansed with the Levites in a prominent position. The people bring more offerings than the priests can handle on the day of rededication. The Levites, who are more upright in heart in sanctifying themselves, help out.
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