2 Chronicles
Chapter 13
Abijah of Judah (914-911)
In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king of Judah
and reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother was Micaiah, the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah. Abijah and Jeroboam were at war.
Abijah went into battle with an army of brave fighters, four hundred thousand picked men, while Jeroboam drew up his battle line against him with eight hundred thousand picked men, brave soldiers.
Abijah went up Mount Zemaraim, in the hill country of Ephraim, and cried: “Jeroboam and all Israel, listen to me!
Do you know that the Lord the God of Israel has given the kingship of Israel to David forever? It is an unbreakable Covenant for him and his sons.
Yet Jeroboam, son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon, son of David, has rebelled against his king;
worthless men, scoundrels, have rallied to him and opposed Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. Rehoboam, a timid young man, could not resist them.
Now you propose to subdue the kingdom of the Lord that he gave to David’s descendants. You stand here with a huge army, but bring the golden calves Jeroboam made you for gods!
Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, to make priests of your own like the people of foreign countries? Anyone with a bull and seven rams can ask to be consecrated and become a priest of what is no god at all!
As for us, our God is the Lord, and we have not abandoned him: the sons of Aaron minister to the Lord, and the Levites as well.
Every morning, every evening, we burn burnt offerings to the Lord our God, we have the incense of sweet spices, the loaves set out in rows on the pure table, the golden lampstand with its lamps that burn each evening; for we observe the ritual of the Lord our God, that you have abandoned.
See how God is with us, at our head; see his priests with the trumpets, which they will sound against you. People of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of our ancestors, for you will not succeed.”
Jeroboam had sent some men to ambush the Judahite army from behind. The main army was before the Judahite army; the ambushers were behind it.
The men of Judah, turning about, found themselves attacked from the front and the rear. They called on the Lord, and while the priests sounded the trumpets,
the men of Judah raised the war cry. And as they raised the war cry, God scattered Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and the people of Judah.
The Israelites fled before the Judahite army, and God delivered them over to the men of Judah.
Abijah and his army inflicted a crushing defeat on them: five hundred thousand of Israel’s chosen men were killed.
And so the people of Israel were humbled, and the people of Judah were victorious because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
Abijah pursued Jeroboam’s army and captured towns from him: Bethel with outlying villages, Jeshanah with outlying villages, and Ephron with outlying villages.
So, in the lifetime of Abijah, Jeroboam could no longer maintain his power. The Lord struck him down, and he died.
But Abijah grew in strength. He took fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
The rest of the acts of Abijah, his behavior, and his deeds, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.
Then Abijah rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. His son Asa succeeded him. At that time, the country enjoyed ten years of peace.
Commentaries
The Kings of Judah Until the Exile.
The final section of the Chronicler’s work focuses on the history of the kingdom of Judah, covering from Solomon to the exile, with little mention of the Northern Kingdom. For the Chronicler, the kingdom of Judah represents the entire nation of Israel. The primary standard for judging each king is their loyalty to God. Four notable figures stand out as models of this loyalty: Asa, Jehoshaphat, Josiah, and especially Hezekiah. The prophets are also depicted alongside the kings, delivering messages that include warnings and sincere calls to stay loyal to the Lord. Ultimately, the Chronicler encourages the post-exilic community to seek God and remain faithful to the One who has remained true to his people despite their difficulties.
Rehoboam of Judah – Abijah of Judah.
The reign of Rehoboam is partially covered in 1 Kings 12-14. This section can be divided into three main parts: the positive phase of Rehoboam’s reign (11), the negative phase of his reign (12), and the contrast with the faithfulness of Abijah’s reign (13).
Positive Phase.
The reign begins by presenting Rehoboam as obedient to the Word of the Lord, who instructs him not to fight against Jeroboam. The list of cities (5-12) is likely authentic, although it is probable that they were only fortified after the invasion of Shishak, Pharaoh of Egypt (12:1-12). Through the removal of priests and Levites (13-17), the author emphasizes that the center of worship is in Jerusalem and that the Levites have been loyal to the Temple from the start.
Negative Phase.
Through a pattern of sin, humiliation, and forgiveness, the Chronicler applies the doctrine of retribution to Rehoboam’s case. In response to the abandonment of his Law, the Lord demands humiliation from both the king and the people through the prophet Shemaiah (6:7, 12). As the people humble themselves, the Lord spares Judah from destruction (12). The chapter concludes by characterizing Rehoboam as one who “did evil because he did not set his heart to serve the Lord” (14).
The Faithfulness of Abijah.
Building on the account in 1 Kings 15:1-8, the Chronicler revises the story from a new perspective. Although he only reigned for three years, the Chronicler presents the king as faithful to God, a worthy successor to David and Solomon. The war against Jeroboam (3) is probably real and offers a chance to include a speech by Abijah to the northern tribes (4-12): those in the north (8.11) are not part of the Lord’s kingdom; they do not have a legitimate dynasty, only a usurper king; they worship idols instead of the true God, and they lack priests or proper worship. To fight against Judah (10) is to fight against the Lord (12). The logical result is Jeroboam’s defeat (13-18).