2 Chronicles 13:1 – 22 Abijah Reigns in Judah (1 Kings 15:1-8)
“In the eighteenth year of Jeroboam’s reign, Abijah became king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Micaiah daughter of Uriel; she was from Gibeah.
And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. Abijah went into battle with an army of 400,000 choice men, while Jeroboam drew up in formation against him with 800,000 choice and mighty men of valor.
Civil War against Jeroboam
Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel! Do you not know that the LORD, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt? Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master. Then worthless and wicked men gathered around him to resist Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young, inexperienced, and unable to resist them.
And now you think you can resist the kingdom of the LORD, which is in the hands of David’s descendants. You are indeed a vast army, and you have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods. But did you not drive out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites? And did you not make priests for yourselves as do the peoples of other lands? Now whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams can become a priest of things that are not gods.
But as for us, the LORD is our God. We have not forsaken Him; the priests who minister to the LORD are sons of Aaron, and the Levites attend to their duties. Every morning and every evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the LORD. They set out the rows of showbread on the ceremonially clean table, and every evening they light the lamps of the gold lampstand. We are carrying out the requirements of the LORD our God, while you have forsaken Him.
Now behold, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with their trumpets sound the battle call against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.”
Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to ambush from the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah, the ambush was behind them. When Judah turned and discovered that the battle was both before and behind them, they cried out to the LORD. Then the priests blew the trumpets, and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. And when they raised the cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
So the Israelites fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hands. Then Abijah and his people struck them with a mighty blow, and 500,000 choice men of Israel fell slain. Thus the Israelites were subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed because they relied on the LORD, the God of their fathers.
Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured some cities from him: Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, along with their villages.
Jeroboam did not again recover his power during the days of Abijah, and the LORD struck him down and he died.
But Abijah grew strong, married fourteen wives, and became the father of twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. Now the rest of the acts of Abijah, along with his ways and his sayings, are written in the Treatise of the Prophet Iddo.”
It only took Rehoboam a few years to stop seeking the Lord and to revert into idolatry. Now Rehoboam is dead, his son Abijah has become king, and Abijah and Jeroboam are at war. Abijah has 400,000 warriors while Jeroboam has twice that number. Not only does Jeroboam have twice the number of warriors Abijah has but Jeroboam has also brought both of the golden calves he has created when establishing his own religion.
But what’s this? Abijah is standing on a mountain making a long speech. “Do you not know that the LORD, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt? Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, servant of Solomon, son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master. Then worthless and wicked men gathered around him to resist Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young, inexperienced, and unable to resist them.”
Completely ignoring Rehoboam’s deplorable behavior that led to the fracturing of the kingdom, Abijah gives a highly edited version of previous events. Abijah claims that Jeroboam gathered worthless rascals to help him resist Rehoboam when he was young, inexperienced, and unable to resist them. Abijah takes the moral high ground, denouncing Jeroboam’s people for being rebels. Abijah conveniently ignores the fact that when Rehoboam wanted to attack Jeroboam, the prophet Shemaiah brought God’s word, ordering Rehoboam to stop because the division of the kingdom was from the Lord.
Next, Abijah denounces Jeroboam and the Israelites as idol worshipers who have driven the Levitical priests away. This part is true; when Jeroboam set up his own religion, the Levites fled to Judah and Jerusalem. Since then, the Levitical priests have continued to carry out their duties faithfully. Abijah claims that his people have been faithful to the Lord, a claim difficult to believe given Rehoboam’s actions during the latter years of his reign. But the priests are with Abijah, and that’s a good thing.
While Abijah is making this long speech, Jeroboam is sending part of his warriors to surround Abijah’s forces to ambush them. When the Judeans discover the ambush, they cry out to the Lord, the priests blow the trumpets, and God delivers Abijah and his men. Abijah’s warriors kill 500,000 of Jeroboam’s 800,000 men, and Jeroboam retreats. This battle ends Jeroboam’s attempts to attack Judah, and he dies soon afterwards. Abijah has a successful reign, marrying 14 wives and fathering 22 sons and 16 daughters.
APPLICATION: Those of us who know the story of Abijah’s father Rehoboam might wonder how Abijah can possibly make those claims in that speech. Obviously re – writing and editing history is something that has gone on as long as the human race has existed. Abijah claim that his father was merely an innocent young man who was the victim of Jeroboam’s perfidy. Despite Rehoboam’s idolatry during the latter years of his reign, Abijah tries to claim that the Judeans are true worshipers of the God of Israel while Jeroboam’s people are merely idol worshipers.
All of this information is highly questionable, and yet when the Judeans cry out to the Lord for help, God delivers them from a force twice their size. Why would God do this? Doesn’t God know how double – minded these people are? The answer should encourage all of us.
God is amazing. Even though it’s likely that many of these Judeans have been combining worship of God with idolatry, God still delivers them when they call out to Him. Despite Abijah’s uncertain spiritual past, God honors Abijah for his strong statement. “O children of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.”
Let’s face it, none of us is totally faithful, and none of us deserve God’s grace. But God is faithful, and He answers our cries for help. The same God who delivered Abijah and the men of Judah from an army twice their size can still deliver us as well. Let us continue to worship God and let us trust Him in our times of need!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You and to depend on You as our source of help. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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