After the reign of Rehoboam for 17 years and died at 58 years old. Now, we have Abijah who reigned for only three years. Historical records say that Abijah was born in 950 B.C. and died in 911 B.C. How he died doesn’t seem to be revealed either by Scripture or by history. I wanted to read through The Antiquities of the Jews and found no information on how or why Abijah died so young and reigned so short. A historical source mentioned in the Bible was the book of Iddo which I think may be missing today.
2nd Chronicles 13 tells us about the war between Abijah and Jeroboam I. Jeroboam I was known for his idolatrous religion. The 10 political tribes were with him. The priesthood of Jeroboam’s new religion not only tried to represent God with golden calves but a priesthood not prescribed by God. It was a total abomination that would soon reveal why Jeroboam’s dynasty would eventually collapse.
8 “And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made you for gods. 9 Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes for ordination[d] with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are not gods. 10 But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. We have priests ministering to the Lord who are sons of Aaron, and Levites for their service. 11 They offer to the Lord every morning and every evening burnt offerings and incense of sweet spices, set out the showbread on the table of pure gold, and care for the golden lampstand that its lamps may burn every evening. For we keep the charge of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken him. 12 Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your fathers, for you cannot succeed.” (ESV)
Judah may have had some issues. Rehoboam never had a good start. However, we read that Rehoboam later repented of his folly. The damage of Rehoboam’s foolish behavior still caused Judah some decline. However, the priesthood of Judah was still intact for some time. As God commanded, only the Levites are allowed to minister to the priesthood. Abijah, in spite of his short life, encouraged the troops that the LORD God was still with them. Abijah’s army was 400,000 chosen men> Jeroboam I had twice the size of what Abijah had. We often have the saying majority wins. Yet, we know that a few with God is the majority.
The way things are described to the conclusion of the battle is as follows:
13 Jeroboam had sent an ambush around to come upon them from behind. Thus his troops were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. 14 And when Judah looked, behold, the battle was in front of and behind them. And they cried to the Lord, and the priests blew the trumpets. 15 Then the men of Judah raised the battle shout. And when the men of Judah shouted, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 The men of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hand. 17 Abijah and his people struck them with great force, so there fell slain of Israel 500,000 chosen men. 18 Thus the men of Israel were subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers. 19 And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him, Bethel with its villages and Jeshanah with its villages and Ephron[f] with its villages. 20 Jeroboam did not recover his power in the days of Abijah. And the Lord struck him down, and he died. 21 But Abijah grew mighty. And he took fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22 The rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo. (ESV)
Jeroboam I was anointed king but abused that power. It just reminds me of the sins of Saul who was anointed by God as king. For some reason, God allows wicked people like Jeroboam I and Ahab to reign. One of Jeroboam I”s sons, Nadab reigned for merely two years and was also wicked. Later, we have Baasha who murdered Nadab and usurped the throne. Meanwhile, Asa would succeed Abijah and be considered a good king. Baasha’s sinful actions were allowed by God as a judgment about Jeroboam I.
Right now, trying to blog about the kings of both the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom. Judah also had some bad kings and good kings. We would have Asa and then Jehoshaphat. After Baasha, we have Elah and Zimri. Then we have the House of Omri which would later be known more as the House of Ahab. It would be good to study both kingdoms to see how God’s judgment and sovereignty is at work, whether wicked men want it or not.
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