Read 2 Chronicles 13
Abijah King of Judah
13 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam, Abijah became king of Judah, 2 and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Maakah, a daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.
There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah went into battle with an army of four hundred thousand able fighting men, and Jeroboam drew up a battle line against him with eight hundred thousand able troops.
4 Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Jeroboam and all Israel, listen to me! 5 Don’t you know that the Lord, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt? 6 Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, an official of Solomon son of David, rebelled against his master. 7 Some worthless scoundrels gathered around him and opposed Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young and indecisive and not strong enough to resist them.
8 “And now you plan to resist the kingdom of the Lord, which is in the hands of David’s descendants. You are indeed a vast army and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made to be your gods. 9 But didn’t you drive out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and make priests of your own as the peoples of other lands do? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may become a priest of what are not gods.
10 “As for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests who serve the Lord are sons of Aaron, and the Levites assist them. 11 Every morning and evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the Lord. They set out the bread on the ceremonially clean table and light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. We are observing the requirements of the Lord our God. But you have forsaken him. 12 God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you. People of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.”
13 Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah the ambush was behind them. 14 Judah turned and saw that they were being attacked at both front and rear. Then they cried out to the Lord. The priests blew their trumpets 15 and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. At the sound of their battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 The Israelites fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hands. 17 Abijah and his troops inflicted heavy losses on them, so that there were five hundred thousand casualties among Israel’s able men. 18 The Israelites were subdued on that occasion, and the people of Judah were victorious because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
19 Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took from him the towns of Bethel, Jeshanah and Ephron, with their surrounding villages. 20 Jeroboam did not regain power during the time of Abijah. And the Lord struck him down and he died.
21 But Abijah grew in strength. He married fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22 The other events of Abijah’s reign, what he did and what he said, are written in the annotations of the prophet Iddo.
Go Deeper
At this point in the story, the nation of Israel is split into two different kingdoms. We have the Northern Kingdom, who retains the name Israel, and the Southern Kingdom who is also referred to as Judah. The Northern Kingdom struggles with leadership and faithfulness to God. In their history, they never once have a righteous king to rule them. Judah on the other hand has a few faithful and righteous rulers (along with some other unrighteous ones along the way). Here in 2 Chronicles 13, we get a glimpse into the reign of Abijah, who, although a wicked king and not fully devoted to the Lord, has a shining moment of reliance on the Lord that leads to victory for the people of Judah.
In this battle against King Jeroboam, Abijah and his men are greatly outnumbered. Israel has twice as many soldiers as Judah, but Judah has the upperhand in that the Lord is on their side. And with great confidence, Abijah declares to the enemy “And now you plan to resist the kingdom of the Lord, which is in the hands of David’s descendants. You are indeed a vast army and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made to be your gods.” (v. 8) and “God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you. People of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed” (v. 12).
Abijah knows that it’s not in the strength of his army that he will see victory, but in the strength and power of the almighty God. We serve the same God and can walk in the same confidence. The Lord is on our side. He defeated death itself and He is for you! Reflect on these verses from Psalm 27:1-3 and be reminded of who God is and what that means for us as His followers:
The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked advance against me
to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.
Questions
- “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Are you able to approach God’s throne with confidence?
- What are you asking God for deliverance from in your life?
- Who is God to you? Is He powerful and mighty? Is He able to deliver His people? Take a few minutes to praise God for who He is.
Keep Digging
Check out this article from GotQuestions.org for some more context on the character of King Abijah in the Scriptures.
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9 responses to “2 Chronicles 13”
12 God is with us; he is our leader.
As we near Advent season, the phrase “God with us” (Immanuel) carries even more weight. I need to go about today, tomorrow, and all the days to come with the knowledge and the directive that God is with me. He is my leader!
Erik, “Immanuel – God With Us” is one of my all-time favorite names for Jesus.
Thank you for this timely reminder as we enter this time of preparation for his coming.
Amen!
BUT GOD
There was not really a way for Abijah to win, BUT GOD, had other plans. His ways are not ours.
I desire to be a vessel for God in all I do and say, but my flesh gets in the way more often than not. I believe we are all made with a God spot in our being (heart). We were all designed to worship Him. That is our destiny. BUT GOD has to intervene all the time due to our sinful nature. BUT GOD can help me, to let Him, be the greatest capacity in, for, about my life.
What has God been asking of these kings all along the way? Obedience. Where is the obedience in my life? How do I know what I need to obey? God’s Word shows me all things that pertain to life and godliness. 2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.
As we face odds 2 to 1, we can know that as we look up, we have a perfect mediator, who is always standing in the gap for us. We do have to ask for help. I want, desire greatly, for God to take up my whole self. I want, desire that I always ask for help. I am still in a process of learning. BUT GOD is my sufficiency. 2 Cor 3:5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God
Thank You God for You being my sufficiency. Thank You that You divine power has granted me all things that pertain to life and godliness. God thank You that it is through knowledge that I find in Your Word daily that I am able to glorify You. Psalm 9 says I will praise You with all my heart and will tell of the marvelous things You have done. I will be filled with joy because of You! God even when faced with difficulties I want, desire to rejoice in Your goodness and Your strength within me. God today in these minutes of this day, Your grace is sufficient, for when I am weak You are strong. God I love that a single day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere and that You withhold nothing good from those who do right. God help me to do right today, in these minutes in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you as always, sweet sister!
Would you believe (clearly a rhetorical question, because I know how much you believe!) — for my BRP reflection just yesterday, I was reading this powerful, timely truth in Philippians 4:
“I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]”
-Philippians 4:13 AMP
“Self-sufficient in CHRIST’S sufficiency.”
And, as you point out, we have to ask for help.
Almighty God, I long for the outcome that only comes from placing my trust completely in you.* Please remind me and help me daily to let YOU “be the greatest capacity in, for and about my life.” May I always be “quick to affirm and rely upon [Your] power.”
*With sincere gratitude to my sisters Amy and Ella for the comments that inspired these words.
WOOHOO!
“The Israelites were subdued on that occasion, and the people of Judah were victorious because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors”(v18).
The verb “relied” caught my attention as scripture records that where trust is placed determines the outcome. As Judah’s leader, Abijah declared reliance upon God and is delivered from the enemy. As we read this thousands of years later, God still gives the victory as we surrender to him. May we be quick to affirm and rely upon his power!
“Where trust is placed… determines the outcome.”
WOW.
The entire promise of the Gospel right there.
That reads like the kind of truth I want embroidered on a pillow or silkscreened on a T-shirt — not to commercialize — but to keep close to my head and heart.
Thank you so much for sharing, Ella!
“The Israelites were subdued on that occasion, and the people of Judah were victorious because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors.”
-2 Chronicles 13:18 NIV
Who was it that won the day?
It wasn’t the larger, stronger, most strategically-positioned people. Instead, it was the army with less-than-ideal circumstances — and FAR from ideal leadership.
So what DID win the day?
As has already been pointed out so eloquently here, this victory was rooted in RELIANCE.
I find this wonderfully reassuring.
Because while Scripture upends any expectation that the stronger or more skilled side will win, in real life things don’t always turn out as well for the underdog.
Today’s chapter provides a much-needed reminder that God’s power — not human advantage — is the defining factor.
For all his flaws and limitations, Abijah got this one right — he OWNED his limitations. He stood before Israel with an unshakable confidence that was anchored in God. His declaration was simple and unwavering: “We rely on the LORD.”
There is so much power in such a humble posture.
As I approach my own personal battles, I’m inspired to ask this question: “Am I relying on myself — or am I relying on the Lord?”
As I seek “holy outcomes” that come only from trusting in GOD, am I focused on God-dependent decision-making?
Which means I’m not guided by comfortable familiarity, personal preference or even what seems to be the most sensible.
Victorious living comes when I affirm and rely GOD’S power.
Going forward into whatever lies ahead, I want to walk confidently in this direction:
RELY ON GOD.
Not because I’m unable to think, lead, choose or act wisely — but because He can guide, strengthen, and sustain me in ways I never could on my own.
And that is where real peace — and real victory — is found.
King Abijah stood firm in faith against overwhelming odds. Despite being outnumbered, he trusted in the Lord’s promises. “But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken Him” (2 Chronicles 13:10). This teaches us that no matter the challenges we face, standing firm in our faith and trusting in God’s promises can lead to victory.