2 Chronicles 13

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Dave Burnette's Commentary

2 Chronicles Chapter 13

Written By: God through Inspiration

Penned By: Ezra

Date Penned: (430 BC)

Overview: A History of God's Chosen People (c 1-36)

Theme: The Kingdom of Judah (c 10-36)

Message: Abijah defeats Jeroboam (v 1-22)

2 Chronicles 13 Commentary

(13:1) Abijah Follows the Sin of His Father - In 1 Kings 15:3 it says that Abijah (Abijam) committed the same sins as his father and that he was unfaithful to God, but the Chronicles account makes only positive comments about him. For the most part, Abijah was, no doubt, a wicked king. The writer of Chronicles chose to highlight the little good he did in order to show that he was still under God's covenant promise to David. Because of Abijah's fiery speech to Jeroboam (2 Chronicles 13:4-12), he was spared the immediate consequences of his sin.

(13:8) The Curse of the Golden Calves - Jeroboam's army was cursed because of the gold calves they carried with them. It was as though they had put sin into a physical form so they could haul it around. Consider carefully the things you cherish. If you value anything more than God, it becomes your gold calf and will one day drag you down. What do you carry around and show off? Let go of anything that interferes with your relationship with God.

(13:9) Jeroboam's Low Standards - Abijah criticized Jeroboam's low standards in appointing priests. Anyone is qualified to represent a god that is worthless. To represent the Lord God Almighty, however, a person must live by God's standards, not people's. Those appointed to positions of responsibility in your church should not be selected merely because they volunteer, are influential, or are highly educated. Instead, they should demonstrate sound doctrine, dedication to God, and strong spiritual character (see 1 Timothy 3).

(13:18-19) Israel Experiences God's Punishment - Although outnumbered by Israel, Judah won this conflict by depending on God's help. Some kings in Judah's history focused on God, but not one Israelite king consistently followed God--all followed Jeroboam's idolatry or served Baal. As a result, Israel experienced God's punishment many years before Judah did. Judah had an advantage--the temple, with its sacrifices and the loyal priests and prophets, was in the southern kingdom. Many of Judah's kings were good, at least for parts of their reigns. Whenever an idolatrous king reigned, his rule was later followed by that of a God-honoring king who reformed religious life. Also, the idolatrous kings usually served for a much shorter time than the good ones. The result was that true faith in God ran stronger and deeper in Judah than in Israel, but it was still not up to God's standards.

Dave Burnette's Life Application
Pet Sins

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we Continue in the book of 2 Chronicles with Chapter 13 and we see the son of Rehoboam, Abijah, now the King, defeat Jeroboam. We see that Jeroboam's loss was attributed to the sin of the Golden Calves which the army worshiped and carried around with them. In making application we see how our sin can keep the Lord from working in our lives just as the army of Jeroboam experienced. Today we excuse our "little" sins as "white lies" or "pet sins" but the truth is - sin is sin and when we allow sin in our life it hinders the power and presence of the Holy Sprit from flowing in our lives. It makes me think of what God could do in our lives if we would repent of these "little" sins, then we can see the Lord do mighty things through us. How about you? Do you have "pet" sins that are keeping the Lord from working in your life? Let us learn from our text today and the life of Jeroboam to repent of our "pet" sins so the Lord can have liberty to work in and through us.

2 Chronicles 13

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2 Chronicles 13

¹Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah.

²He 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.

³And 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.

⁴And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel;

⁵Ought 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?

⁶Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord.

⁷And 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.

⁸And 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 your golden calves, which Jeroboam made you for gods.

⁹Have 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.

¹⁰But 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:

¹¹And 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.

¹²And, 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.

¹³But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them.

¹⁴And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind: and they cried unto the LORD, and the priests sounded with the trumpets.

¹⁵Then 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.

¹⁶And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God delivered them into their hand.

¹⁷And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.

¹⁸Thus 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.

¹⁹And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Bethel with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and Ephraim with the towns thereof.

²⁰Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and the LORD struck him, and he died.

²¹But Abijah waxed mighty, and married fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters.

²²And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.