Berean Standard Bible
Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.
To all who dwell in the light of the Almighty, scattered across the cities and fields, to the faithful and the seeking, to those who labor and those who rest—grace to you and peace from God our Father and from His Son, Jesus Christ, the Root and Offspring of David, the fulfillment of every promise spoken through the ages. May His Spirit dwell richly in you, guiding you into all truth and strengthening you for the days ahead.
Beloved, I write to you today with a heart stirred by the remembrance of God’s unwavering faithfulness, a faithfulness woven through the tapestry of time, from generation to generation. Consider the words handed down to us in the holy writings, where it is recorded: Uzziah begat Jotham, Jotham begat Ahaz, and Ahaz begat Hezekiah. These names, though they may seem to some as mere markers of lineage, are a testimony to the eternal purpose of God, who works all things according to the counsel of His will. In these men—kings of Judah, flawed yet chosen—we see the thread of divine mercy, a thread that leads us to the One who is both the Lion of Judah and the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.
Let us ponder this together, dear friends. Uzziah, a king mighty in his youth, walked with God and prospered until pride clouded his heart, and he fell under judgment. Yet even in his faltering, the promise of God did not falter. Jotham, his son, ruled with wisdom and built up the kingdom, a quiet servant of the Lord whose deeds outshone his fame. Then Ahaz, a man led astray by idols, brought darkness upon the land—yet from his line came Hezekiah, a king who sought the face of God, who tore down the altars of falsehood and restored the worship of the Most High. What do we see in this, brothers and sisters? That the purposes of God are not thwarted by human weakness, nor are they diminished by our failures. Through the crooked paths of men, He makes straight the way of salvation.
So I urge you, beloved, to take heart. You who feel the weight of your own shortcomings, you who tremble at the memory of your wanderings—know this: the God who preserved His promise through Uzziah’s pride, Ahaz’s rebellion, and Hezekiah’s restoration is the same God who watches over you. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God who does not abandon His covenant, but fulfills it in ways beyond our imagining. From this lineage of kings, imperfect and broken, came forth the King of kings, Jesus Christ, whose blood has ransomed us from every tribe and tongue.
Therefore, let us live as those who belong to this greater story. Do not despise the smallness of your days, for just as Jotham’s quiet faithfulness served the divine plan, so too your obedience, your prayers, your acts of love are woven into the fabric of eternity. Do not lose hope in the shadow of your struggles, for even Ahaz, in his waywardness, could not sever the cord of grace that stretched toward Hezekiah and beyond. And do not grow weary in seeking the Lord, for Hezekiah’s zeal reminds us that the heart turned toward God finds favor and renewal.
I charge you, then, to walk worthy of this calling. Let your lives be a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, as you await the return of the One whose name is above every name. Encourage one another, bear one another’s burdens, and speak the truth in love. For we are not merely children of our own time, but heirs of a promise that spans the ages, a promise sealed in the birth, death, and resurrection of our Savior.
Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
May you abide in His peace, grow in His grace, and shine as lights in this world until the day of His appearing.