“Abijah began to rule over Judah in the eighteenth year of Jeroboam’s reign in Israel. He reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother was Maacah, the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah. Then war broke out between Abijah and Jeroboam. Judah, led by King Abijah, fielded 400,000 select warriors, while Jeroboam mustered 800,000 select troops from Israel. When the army of Judah arrived in the hill country of Ephraim, Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim and shouted to Jeroboam and all Israel: “Listen to me! Don’t you realize that the Lord, the God of Israel, made a lasting covenant with David, giving him and his descendants the throne of Israel forever? Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, a mere servant of David’s son Solomon, rebelled against his master. Then a whole gang of scoundrels joined him, defying Solomon’s son Rehoboam when he was young and inexperienced and could not stand up to them. “Do you really think you can stand against the kingdom of the Lord that is led by the descendants of David? You may have a vast army, and you have those gold calves that Jeroboam made as your gods. But you have chased away the priests of the Lord (the descendants of Aaron) and the Levites, and you have appointed your own priests, just like the pagan nations. You let anyone become a priest these days! Whoever comes to be dedicated with a young bull and seven rams can become a priest of these so-called gods of yours! “But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not abandoned him. Only the descendants of Aaron serve the Lord as priests, and the Levites alone may help them in their work. They present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the Lord every morning and evening. They place the Bread of the Presence on the holy table, and they light the gold lampstand every evening. We are following the instructions of the Lord our God, but you have abandoned him. So you see, God is with us. He is our leader. His priests blow their trumpets and lead us into battle against you. O people of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed!” Meanwhile, Jeroboam had secretly sent part of his army around behind the men of Judah to ambush them. When Judah realized that they were being attacked from the front and the rear, they cried out to the Lord for help. Then the priests blew the trumpets, and the men of Judah began to shout. At the sound of their battle cry, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel and routed them before Abijah and the army of Judah. The Israelite army fled from Judah, and God handed them over to Judah in defeat. Abijah and his army inflicted heavy losses on them; 500,000 of Israel’s select troops were killed that day. So Judah defeated Israel on that occasion because they trusted in the Lord, the God of their ancestors. Abijah and his army pursued Jeroboam’s troops and captured some of his towns, including Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, along with their surrounding villages. So Jeroboam of Israel never regained his power during Abijah’s lifetime, and finally the Lord struck him down and he died. Meanwhile, Abijah of Judah grew more and more powerful. He married fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. The rest of the events of Abijah’s reign, including his words and deeds, are recorded in The Commentary of Iddo the Prophet.”
2 Chronicles 13:1-22 NLT
The success of Abijah lay in two factors. The first is that he relied on the strength of his relationship with God for success. The second is that he relied on the knowledge of his own history. Abijah’s warning to Israel is both sad and profound for two reasons. The first is that it highlights how similar he was to David’s mentality when fighting Goliath. In this, we see a familiar strength of the davidic line ringing through. Secondly, it highlights how far Israel had fallen, since they had slipped from being Gods chosen people to idolatrous war mongers, just as the Philistines before them. In both cases, Abijah attempts a rallying cry based on legacy and history. Fortunately, Judah listens while Israel does not. This results in a boom for Judah but significant losses for Israel as a whole. It is an important thing to remember. Victory is imminent for those who choose to be on God’s side of history. This is always a choice, especially where legacy and history are readily available to us. No one is absolved for not knowing. For everyone whose father is Rehoboam, they are also the great-grandson of David. Success isn’t about where you start but where you end up as you remember legacy and history.
Abijah’s Success Factors: Relied on God and knowledge of history.
Abijah’s Warning to Israel: Highlighted their fall from grace and the importance of legacy and history.
Outcome of the Battle: Judah, listening to Abijah, emerged victorious while Israel suffered losses.
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