Abijah’s Reign. 1-22

13:1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah. 13:2 He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. His mother was Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah.

There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 13:3 Abijah launched the attack with 400,000 well-trained warriors, while Jeroboam deployed against him 800,000 well-trained warriors.

13:4 Abijah ascended Mount Zemaraim, in the Ephraimite hill country, and said: “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel! 13:5 Don’t you realize that the LORD God of Israel has given David and his dynasty lasting dominion over Israel by a formal agreement? 13:6 Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master. 13:7 Lawless good-for-nothing men gathered around him and conspired against Rehoboam son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was an inexperienced young man and could not resist them. 13:8 Now you are declaring that you will resist the LORD’s rule through the Davidic dynasty. You have a huge army, and bring with you the gold calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods. 13:9 But you banished the LORD’s priests, Aaron’s descendants, and the Levites, and appointed your own priests just as the surrounding nations do! Anyone who comes to consecrate himself with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of these fake gods! 13:10 But as for us, the LORD is our God and we have not rejected him. Aaron’s descendants serve as the LORD’s priests and the Levites assist them with the work. 13:11 They offer burnt sacrifices to the LORD every morning and every evening, along with fragrant incense. They arrange the Bread of the Presence on a ritually clean table and light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. Certainly we are observing the LORD our God’s regulations, but you have rejected him. 13:12 Now look, God is with us as our leader. His priests are ready to blow the trumpets to signal the attack against you. You Israelites, don’t fight against the LORD God of your ancestors, for you will not win!”

13:13 Now Jeroboam had sent some men to ambush the Judahite army from behind. The main army was in front of the Judahite army; the ambushers were behind it. 13:14 The men of Judah turned around and realized they were being attacked from the front and the rear. So they cried out for help to the LORD. The priests blew their trumpets, 13:15 and the men of Judah gave the battle cry. As the men of Judah gave the battle cry, the LORD struck down Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 13:16 The Israelites fled from before the Judahite army, and God handed them over to the men of Judah. 13:17 Abijah and his army thoroughly defeated them; 500,000 well-trained Israelite men fell dead. 13:18 That day the Israelites were defeated; the men of Judah prevailed because they relied on the LORD God of their ancestors.
13:19 Abijah chased Jeroboam; he seized from him these cities: Bethel and its surrounding towns, Jeshanah and its surrounding towns, and Ephron and its surrounding towns. 13:20 Jeroboam did not regain power during the reign of Abijah. The LORD struck him down and he died. 13:21 Abijah’s power grew; he had fourteen wives and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

13:22 The rest of the events of Abijah’s reign, including his deeds and sayings, are recorded in the writings of the prophet Iddo.

1 Kings summarises Abijah’s reign negatively:

1 Kings 15:3 — ‘He followed all the sinful practices of his father before him. He was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had been.’

The Chronicler (here as elsewhere) finds something positive to say about his reign.

For Gary Brady, this account is a ‘hidden gem’, teaching us how to conduct ourselves in our own warfare against the world, the flesh and the devil:

1. We may seem to be outnumbered, but are not

Whatever we make of the large numbers in this chapter, it is clear that Abijah faced an army twice the size of his own.

But ‘one plus God’ is a majority.

The odds against Christians may seem overwhelming.  But ‘the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world’ (1 Jn 4:4).

2. In the heat of battle, don’t forget that God is with those who believe

Abijah stood on a mountain and called out the moral bankruptcy of his opponents.  They had replaced true worship of the Lord with thoroughgoing paganism.  Abijah and his people, on the other hand, had continued to be faithful to the Lord’s requirements.  He reminded them of God’s promise to honour David and his descendants.

It is perilous to resist the will of God.  When God is with us, as our leader (v12) victory is assured.

Who and what are the enemies of Christians?  They, too, are rebels and usurpers.  Those who are on God’s side are ‘more than conquerors’ (although we note Bob Dylan’s famous warning not to assume that too glibly).

3. When you seem to be out outmanoeuvred, cry out to the Lord

Things seem to go very wrong for Abijah, when Jeroboam operates a ‘pincer movement’.

In the face of this threatening tactic, Abijah’s people cried out to the Lord.  The priests blew their trumpets, and the army shouted.  God routed the enemy, with over half of Jeroboam’s troops perishing.

We may feel surrounded by our enemies on all sides.  But to the godly person there is always a ladder of access to the throne of God.

4. Victory comes through relying on the Lord

Jeroboam’s fate show the futility of resisting God.  Abijah, on the other hand, relied on the Lord, and flourished.

We need to learn to rely on God sooner, not later:

‘There is a story from the days when the north of England was full of cotton mills. In one mill, there was a sign saying, ‘When your thread becomes tangled, call the foreman.’ A young woman new to the job tangled her thread. She thought to herself, ‘I’ll just straighten this out myself.’ She tried, but failed, and so eventually she called the foreman. ‘I did the best I could,’ she said. ‘You didn’t,’ the foreman said. ‘To do the best, you should have called me.’ We must learn to rely on God.’

Americans have, of course, a Declaration of Independence. But Christians should subscribe to a declaration of dependence.  For without Jesus we can do nothing (Jn 15:5).

2 Corinthians 2:14 — ‘Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and who makes known through us the fragrance that consists of the knowledge of him in every place.’