In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah. 2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.
Now there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah went out to battle, having an army of valiant men of war, 400,000 chosen men. And Jeroboam drew up his line of battle against him with 800,000 chosen mighty warriors. 4 Then Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim that is in the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel! 5 Ought you not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord, 7 and certain worthless scoundrels[b] gathered about him and defied Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and irresolute[c] and could not withstand them.
8 “And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made you for gods. 9 Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes for ordination[d] with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are not gods. 10 But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. We have priests ministering to the Lord who are sons of Aaron, and Levites for their service. 11 They offer to the Lord every morning and every evening burnt offerings and incense of sweet spices, set out the showbread on the table of pure gold, and care for the golden lampstand that its lamps may burn every evening. For we keep the charge of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken him. 12 Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your fathers, for you cannot succeed.”
13 Jeroboam had sent an ambush around to come upon them from behind. Thus his troops[e] were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. 14 And when Judah looked, behold, the battle was in front of and behind them. And they cried to the Lord, and the priests blew the trumpets. 15 Then the men of Judah raised the battle shout. And when the men of Judah shouted, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 The men of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hand. 17 Abijah and his people struck them with great force, so there fell slain of Israel 500,000 chosen men. 18 Thus the men of Israel were subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers. 19 And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him, Bethel with its villages and Jeshanah with its villages and Ephron[f] with its villages. 20 Jeroboam did not recover his power in the days of Abijah. And the Lord struck him down, and he died. 21 But Abijah grew mighty. And he took fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22 The rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo. 2 Chronicles 13 ESV
1 Kings 15
In 1 Kings we find that Abijah has a very short reign, he walks in the sins of his father before him and does not have a heart like David's. Here the Chronicler gives us a little more, for though the reign was short lived there was also this instance of deliverance, this battle where God answers the cry of a sinner. He comes to the field of contest, carrying with him a rather lopsided view of history. He tells only a part of it, this covenant of salt, between God and His chosen, David. Salt is a very valuable and consistent compound, it also preserves. Looking at the time and it's use in meals, it would also symbolize a relationship where you have eaten together, a friendship. This telling, Abijah's take on history, neglects the breaking of the covenant by his forefathers, Solomon and Rehoboam. He proceeds to call the current state of the Northern kingdom a rebellion against the Davidic rule, rather than acknowledge God's judgment against his family. Remember, God did not allow Rehoboam to go up after Jeroboam, He sent His prophet to tell Rehoboam that this thing is of Me, I am Sovereign and the kingdom is divided. Now though his cause, he is correct in the spirit of which he argues against Jeroboam, for what is the fruit of Jeroboam's reign? He calls him a rebel, which though God has allowed this to Judah's disgrace, is also true of Jeroboam and those who follow him. They were not noble men, looking to God's honor, for they chased away God's true priest and set up idols against His true religion. The kingdom is divided though, and there is divisions that are necessary, those doctrines that divide as well, for we say, "false and true." It is our loving duty to try and persuade, let us leave this battle for the spiritual and look upon those things that truly keep us apart. I beg you to remember that those are not God's priest among you, that you have chosen to have your ears tickled. The price of unity cannot be the truth, and though I would so much prefer to be liked, God has not called out to me to make my own calf, but rather repent of those things which He has called sin. Jeroboam, you have allowed anyone to be a priest that pays your price. You still want to call it the religion of the true God, but you have not accepted His standard. All Jeroboam hears is another sinner talking to him, his priest have probably assured him, look, this son of David no longer has a right, didn't his grandfather sin? You have twice the army, take all of Israel, it is yours. He does not hear the wisdom of what Abijah is saying, he is the pope of his domain and cannot be implored. The assurance is numbers, just like the mega church, he has already laid out a plan to sneak in from behind, to climb in another way. He is not the true shepherd though and 500,000 of his sheep are destroyed. A king may try to tell you how to worship, a king may try to tell you how God can be approached, he may feel that God allowing him the title and the breath has also given breadth, but there is a Higher Power. What did God say? God, please help me in my ignorance, let me see through Your eyes. I ask that there be no unnecessary divisions among us, but in matters of the truth do not let me compromise. Let Your words be above my thoughts and desires, forgive me for the love of my own honor, the gossip and debate. Thank you for speaking into my life through Your word, through others who are coming after You, please give me patience and love for my fellow man. I praise You in all things, to thine be glory forever, Amen.
I hope my life is not marked by a single battle, a one time decision, but rather defined by a cross that I took up daily, and a Savior Who I honored in everything. Abijah seems to start out well and then fall off quickly.
1 Kings 15
In 1 Kings we find that Abijah has a very short reign, he walks in the sins of his father before him and does not have a heart like David's. Here the Chronicler gives us a little more, for though the reign was short lived there was also this instance of deliverance, this battle where God answers the cry of a sinner. He comes to the field of contest, carrying with him a rather lopsided view of history. He tells only a part of it, this covenant of salt, between God and His chosen, David. Salt is a very valuable and consistent compound, it also preserves. Looking at the time and it's use in meals, it would also symbolize a relationship where you have eaten together, a friendship. This telling, Abijah's take on history, neglects the breaking of the covenant by his forefathers, Solomon and Rehoboam. He proceeds to call the current state of the Northern kingdom a rebellion against the Davidic rule, rather than acknowledge God's judgment against his family. Remember, God did not allow Rehoboam to go up after Jeroboam, He sent His prophet to tell Rehoboam that this thing is of Me, I am Sovereign and the kingdom is divided. Now though his cause, he is correct in the spirit of which he argues against Jeroboam, for what is the fruit of Jeroboam's reign? He calls him a rebel, which though God has allowed this to Judah's disgrace, is also true of Jeroboam and those who follow him. They were not noble men, looking to God's honor, for they chased away God's true priest and set up idols against His true religion. The kingdom is divided though, and there is divisions that are necessary, those doctrines that divide as well, for we say, "false and true." It is our loving duty to try and persuade, let us leave this battle for the spiritual and look upon those things that truly keep us apart. I beg you to remember that those are not God's priest among you, that you have chosen to have your ears tickled. The price of unity cannot be the truth, and though I would so much prefer to be liked, God has not called out to me to make my own calf, but rather repent of those things which He has called sin. Jeroboam, you have allowed anyone to be a priest that pays your price. You still want to call it the religion of the true God, but you have not accepted His standard. All Jeroboam hears is another sinner talking to him, his priest have probably assured him, look, this son of David no longer has a right, didn't his grandfather sin? You have twice the army, take all of Israel, it is yours. He does not hear the wisdom of what Abijah is saying, he is the pope of his domain and cannot be implored. The assurance is numbers, just like the mega church, he has already laid out a plan to sneak in from behind, to climb in another way. He is not the true shepherd though and 500,000 of his sheep are destroyed. A king may try to tell you how to worship, a king may try to tell you how God can be approached, he may feel that God allowing him the title and the breath has also given breadth, but there is a Higher Power. What did God say? God, please help me in my ignorance, let me see through Your eyes. I ask that there be no unnecessary divisions among us, but in matters of the truth do not let me compromise. Let Your words be above my thoughts and desires, forgive me for the love of my own honor, the gossip and debate. Thank you for speaking into my life through Your word, through others who are coming after You, please give me patience and love for my fellow man. I praise You in all things, to thine be glory forever, Amen.
I hope my life is not marked by a single battle, a one time decision, but rather defined by a cross that I took up daily, and a Savior Who I honored in everything. Abijah seems to start out well and then fall off quickly.
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