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11 Chronicles Chapter 13
Abijah Reigns in Judah
- 2Chronicles 13:1 Now
in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign
over Judah.
- 2 He reigned three
years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Michaiah the
daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah
and Jeroboam.
- 3 And Abijah set the
battle in array with an army of valiant men of war, even four
hundred thousand chosen men: Jeroboam also set the battle in
array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, being
mighty men of valour.
- 4 And Abijah stood
up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said,
Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel;
- 5 Ought ye not to
know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to
David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of
salt?
- 6 Yet Jeroboam the
son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, is risen
up, and hath rebelled against his lord.
We must remember that Jeroboam removed
the real priests from serving and appointed priests to serve idols
instead. He forsook the real God for idols that cannot see, hear or
do anyone any good. Satan is behind all idolatry. Now he is not
satisfied to rule over the 10 tribes, he wants to rule over all. So
he suffers in the battle badly and loses even more people.
-
2Chronicles 13:7 And there
are gathered unto him vain men, the children of Belial, and have
strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon,
when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted, and could not
withstand them.
Men of Belial are those that ignore the
law of God, are unprofitable, evil and abandons good. I would say
they are children of the devil. They have existed throughout all
history.
- 2Chronicles 13:8 And
now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of
the sons of David; and ye be a great multitude, and there are
with you golden calves, which Jeroboam made you for gods.
- 9 Have ye not cast
out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites,
and have made you priests after the manner of the nations of
other lands? so that whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with
a young bullock and seven rams, the same may be a priest of them
that are no gods.
Abijah reminds him what he did when he
forsook the Lord and served other gods. How he appointed evil
persons to take the place of the priesthood changing the worship of
God into worship of idols. How stupid was that?
- 2Chronicles 13:10
But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken
him; and the priests, which minister unto the LORD, are the sons
of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business:
- 11 And they burn
unto the LORD every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices
and sweet incense: the shewbread also set they in order upon the
pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof,
to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of the LORD our
God; but ye have forsaken him.
- 12 And, behold, God
himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with
sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of
Israel, fight ye not against the LORD God of your fathers; for
ye shall not prosper.
Abijah pleads with Jeroboam not to rise
up against the tribe of southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin
because God is not with them and they will lose.
- 2Chronicles 13:13
But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so
they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them.
- 14 And when Judah
looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind: and they
cried unto the LORD, and the priests sounded with the trumpets.
- 15 Then the men of
Judah gave a shout: and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to
pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and
Judah.
Wow, this is awesome. They cried unto
the Lord and God saved them from this attack and ambush by Jeroboam
and his armies. I like the part where the priests sounded the
trumpets. We need God just as much today as they needed Him then. Oh
that many nations would turn back to God and respect His word today.
- 2Chronicles 13:16
And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God delivered
them into their hand.
- 17 And Abijah and
his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down
slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.
500 thousand died all for nothing.
If not for God's help, they wouldn't
have survived this attack. 10 tribes against 2. No way.
- 2Chronicles 13:19
And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him,
Bethel with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns
thereof, and Ephrain with the towns thereof.
- 20 Neither did
Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and the
LORD struck him, and he died.
- 21 But Abijah waxed
mighty, and married fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two
sons, and sixteen daughters.
Why they couldn't be satisfied with one wife,
puzzles me greatly but that was the way of many kings in the past.
- 2Chronicles 13:22
And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his
sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.
The prophet Iddo's writings are lost. Perhaps
if the Lord wills it to be, they will be found some time in the
future. Sad that they warred against each other but God intervened
and saved Judah from the armies of Jereboam. Jereboam died 4 years
after Abijah, also called Abijam, reigned in Judah. Verse 20 says
the Lord struck him. All the idolatry he instituted when he was king
over Israel was for nothing. All it did was bring destruction and
death to many. It's not worth it to sin against God.
Nothing matters more than where we are going
to spend eternity. All else is temporary. Many steal, kill, sin and
increase in riches all for nothing. In the long run it's over and
gone.
11 Chronicles
Chapter 14
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