2Chronicles 13:1 ¶ Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah.
2Chronicles 13:2 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.
It was during the 18th year of king Jeroboam in the Northern Kingdom of Israel that Abijah became king in Judah, the Southern Kingdom. Abijah reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother was Michaiah, daughter of Uriel of Gibeah; her father’s name means “flame of God.” Maybe that provides a clue as to why Abijah will prove to stand so bold before Jeroboam claiming God as His captain (v12).
The record in Kings identifies his mother as the daughter of Absalom. JFB explains: “It has been thought probable that Tamar, the daughter of Absalom, had been married to Uriel, and that Maachah [Michaiah] was their daughter.”
There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
2Chronicles 13:3 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.
2Chronicles 13:4 And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel;
2Chronicles 13:5 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?
2Chronicles 13:6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord.
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.
Abijah went out to face Jeroboam in battle with an army of 400,000 chosen warriors. Jeroboam’s forces numbered twice as many with 800,000 chosen warriors.
Abijah stood on top of mount Zemaraim in the mountains of Ephraim and spoke to Jeroboam and his army. He declared the truth that the LORD God of Israel had given the kingdom to David and his sons forever with an unbreakable covenant promise.
2 Samuel 7:8 “Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David….thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.”
The IVP Old Testament Commentary adds this insight: “In the hot climate of the ancient Near East, salt was necessary for the health of humans and animals, and was the principal food preservative (texts from ancient Mari describe its trade value). When treaties or alliances were made, salt was employed to symbolize that the terms would be preserved for a long time.”
Abijah stated the obvious by saying that Jeroboam, who had served Solomon, had rebelled against his king. He had successfully gathered a following of wicked men who strengthened themselves against Rehoboam and refused to accept him as their king.
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.
2Chronicles 13:9 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 went on to basically question their thinking that they could continue to withstand the LORD just because they were great in number and had with them the golden calves that Jeroboam had made them for their gods. He pointed out that they had cast out the true priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, and made priests of their own choosing like the other heathen nations. All one had to do to become a priest of their false gods was to come and be consecrated with a young bull and seven rams.
We know that it was God’s will that Jeroboam caused a split in the kingdom. It may be, however, that Abijah did not know this.
1 Kings 12:22–24 “But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying, Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from me.”
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:
2Chronicles 13:11 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.
2Chronicles 13:12 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 went on to boldly declare YHWH as “our” God and that they still served Him. Their priests were in accordance with God’s law; they were sons of Aaron that were assisted in ministry by the rest of the Levites. They continued to burn sacrifices before the LORD every morning and evening. They offered the sweet incense and maintained the showbread on the “pure” table as commanded. They also kept the golden candlestick burning. They continued to serve the LORD in His temple in accordance with His will; whereas the Northern Kingdom had forsaken serving God according to His will.
Abijah then proudly declared that God was with them as their captain and His priests ready to sound the trumpets in alarm against them. He confidently declared that if the people of Israel chose to fight against the LORD God of their fathers, they would not be successful.
2Chronicles 13:13 ¶ But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them.
2Chronicles 13:14 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.
2Chronicles 13:15 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.
2Chronicles 13:16 And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God delivered them into their hand.
2Chronicles 13:17 And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.
2Chronicles 13:18 Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the LORD God of their fathers.
Jeroboam paid no heed to the words of Abijah. In fact, as he was speaking, he prepared an ambush to the rear of the forces of Judah. When Judah realized they were surrounded, they called out to the LORD; and the priests sounded their trumpets. The warriors of Judah shouted, and God gave them the victory over Jeroboam and his forces as they turned to flee. The forces of Judah killed 500,000 fighting men of Israel. Because Abijah and his men relied upon the LORD God of their fathers, the kingdom of Israel was humbled before Judah at that time.
I really liked this application from Meyer quoted by Guzik: “The point to remember is that our enemies may shut us in on all sides, preventing reinforcements from north, south, east, and west; but no earthly power can ever shut off God from above us. . . . The way upwards is always kept clear; the ladder which links the beleaguered soul with God and heaven can never be blocked, except by transgression and sin.”
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.
2Chronicles 13:20 Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and the LORD struck him, and he died.
As Abijah and his forces pursued Jeroboam and his forces, they took over the cities of Bethel, Jeshanah and Ephrain (aka Ephron) along with their suburbs. Jeroboam never recovered his strength in the days of Abijah, and the LORD struck him in some way that brought about his death. We know from the record of Kings that his death occurred after Abijah’s.
1 Kings 15:9 “And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah.”
2Chronicles 13:21 But Abijah waxed mighty, and married fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters.
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.
Abijah became stronger during the rest of his three-year reign. He had 14 wives that gave him 22 sons and 16 daughters.
Though the Chronicler writes about Abijah in a more positive light, the record in Kings provides a bit more insight.
1 Kings 15:1–3 “Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah….And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.”
The historian notes that more could be read about Abijah, his ways and sayings, in the story or record of the prophet Iddo.
2Chronicles 14:1 ¶ So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet ten years.
When Abijah died, he was buried in the city of David and his son Asa became the next king. It is noted that during his reign, the kingdom enjoyed quiet for ten years (presumably the first 10 years).
2Chronicles 14:2 And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God:
2Chronicles 14:3 For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves:
2Chronicles 14:4 And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment.
2Chronicles 14:5 Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him.
Asa is declared to be a king that did good and right in the eyes of the LORD “his” God; he had a personal relationship with the LORD. He proved it by taking away the altars to strange gods and the high places. He also broke down the idols and cut down the groves. He commanded that the people of Judah seek the LORD God and strive to obey His laws and commandments. He took away the high places and idols all throughout the cities of Judah, not only in Jerusalem. The record in Kings tells us a bit more.
1 Kings 15:12–13 “And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron.”
His commitment to the LORD was so strong that he did not even spare acting against his mother and removing her as queen.
As a result, the kingdom was quiet and at rest.
2Chronicles 14:6 And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given him rest.
2Chronicles 14:7 Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the LORD our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.
2Chronicles 14:8 And Asa had an army of men that bare targets and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these weremighty men of valour.
Asa took advantage of the time of rest without war to rebuild the fenced cities in Judah. It is emphasized that the LORD gave Asa the rest he enjoyed.
I think that is still a truth today. The LORD is sovereign over the nations and often determines their status of being at war or at rest in accordance with His will.
Asa was quick to let the people know that it was the LORD’s doing that they enjoyed a time of no war. He encouraged them to take advantage of this rest and join him in building up their cities and protecting them with walls, towers, gates and bars. So they built and prospered.
Asa had an army consisting of 300,000 men of Judah that carried targets (shields) and spears and 280,000 men of Benjamin that carried shields and were also skilled archers. All were strong warriors.
Principle: Don’t sit on your laurels when things are going well. Use that time to prepare your defenses for the attack of the enemy.
2Chronicles 14:9 ¶ And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah.
2Chronicles 14:10 Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.
2Chronicles 14:11 And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.
Eventually the time came that Zerah the Ethiopian led a host of 1,000,000 along with 300 chariots to engage in battle against Judah at Mareshah (in the low country of Judah between Gaza and Jerusalem). Asa went out against him, taking a position in the valley of Zephathah.
JFB adds this insight: “This could not have been from Ethiopia south of the cataracts of the Nile, for in the reign of Osorkon I, successor of Shishak, no foreign army would have been allowed a free passage through Egypt. Zerah must, therefore, have been chief of the Cushites, or Ethiopians of Arabia, as they were evidently a nomad horde who had a settlement of tents and cattle in the neighborhood of Gerar.”
Asa cried out to the LORD “his” God, declaring that he knew numbers made no difference to the LORD. He was confident that God could save them no matter how few or how weak in comparison to the enemy. He believed the truth the angel declared to Mary.
Luke 1:37 “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
He placed his confidence in the LORD as they set out to face the vast army of Ethiopians. Asa prayed that the LORD “our” God deliver them and not let the enemy prevail “against thee.” He knew that the nations recognized that the people of Israel were set apart as God’s people.
In those days, the nations surmised that those with the strongest “god” would emerge victorious. Asa didn’t want the nations thinking the God of Judah was weaker than their false gods.
2Chronicles 14:12 So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.
2Chronicles 14:13 And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the LORD, and before his host; and they carried away very much spoil.
2Chronicles 14:14 And they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of the LORD came upon them: and they spoiled all the cities; for there was exceeding much spoil in them.
2Chronicles 14:15 They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.
So the LORD defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah so that they turned and fled. Since there was such a great discrepancy in their numbers, I would assume there was some type of supernatural intervention. Asa and his forces pursued them as far as Gerar. Their victory was great and they took much spoil from the enemy. They also destroyed the tents of cattle and carried away a great abundance of sheep and camels back to Jerusalem.