Summary:
Abijah King of Judah
Verses 1-22
During the 18th year of Jeroboam's reign over Israel, Abijah became the king of Judah. He reigned in Jerusalem for 3 years. His mother was named Maacah. She was a daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.
There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. Abijah had 400,000 troops and Jeroboam had 800,000. Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, in the hill country of Ephraim, and appealed to Jeroboam and Israel. He reminded them that God had given the kingship to David's line by a covenant of salt. Jeroboam son of Nebat was a former official of Solomon, who had rebelled. Worthless scoundrels had sided with Jeroboam and opposed Rehoboam when he was young, indecisive, and too weak to resist them. Now, Israel was resisting the kingdom of the Lord. They had a vast army and the golden calves that Jeroboam had made to be their gods. They had driven out the priests and Levites as foreign countries had done. To them, anyone that "consecrated" themselves with a young bull and 7 rams was considered a priest, but for false gods.
Abijah and Judah had not forsaken God. The priests and Levites offered burnt offerings and fragrant incense to God every morning and evening. They set out the bread on the ceremonially clean table and lighted the lamps on the golden lampstands every morning. Judah observed God's requirements, but Israel forsook them.
Abijah declared, "God is with us; He is our leader." (Verse 12a) The priests would use their trumpets to sound the battle cry, but Abijah asked Israel not to fight against the Lord, because they would not succeed. But, Jeroboam sent troops to the rear of Judah to ambush them. When Judah saw that they were being attacked on both sides, they cried out to God. The priests blew their trumpets and Judah raised the battle cry.
God routed Jeroboam and Israel before Abijah and Judah. The Israelites fled and God delivered them to Judah. Abijah and Judah destroyed 500,000 of Israel's men. "The men of Israel were subdued on that occasion, and the men of Judah were victorious because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers." (Verse 18) Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took the towns of Bethel, Jeshanah, Ephron, and their surrounding villages. Jeroboam did not regain power. God struck him down and he died.
Abijah grew in strength. He married 14 wives, had 22 sons and 16 daughters. His other events are written in the annotations of the prophet Iddo.
Lori's Thoughts:
Your opposition may be twice your size. They may follow worldly trends. You may feel like the odd man out. I know I usually do. But, Abijah was confident that God would deliver them from this seemingly impossible situation.
Now, Abijah did two noteworthy things. First, he pled with Israel to consider their actions and to turn back to God. This was a petition out of love, not an "I'm right, you're wrong" argument. Second, Abijah did not falter when he was surrounded. He cried out to God for help and God gave him the victory.
We can do the same. When trouble comes your way and the devil tries to beat you down, repeat the words of Abijah. "God is with us; He is our leader." Believe them.
The Bible gives us evidence of how God turns situations around, changes people for the better, and rescues His children. Give Him a chance and see how He'll defend you and lift you up.
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