When a nation is strong, it can demand tribute from its neighbors as a form of "protection money." When a nation is weak, it usually serves as the one paying tribute to a stronger regional power. There were times in Judah's history where it played both roles.
In II Chronicles 27, under the righteous king Jotham, we find Judah in a strong position and benefiting even more by receiving tribute from her neighbors: "The Ammonites gave him that year one hundred talents of silver, ten thousand cors of wheat and ten thousand of barley. The Ammonites paid him the same amount in the second and the third years" (vs. 5).
The author of II Chronicles makes no secret that he attributes Judah's prosperity to her leader's faithfulness. "So Jotham became strong because he ordered his ways before the Lord his God" (vs. 6). Unfortunately, Jotham reigned only sixteen years and was followed by a son who did not similarly order his ways before the Lord.
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