HIGHLIGHT THE GOOD. 2nd Chronicles 13 The Holy Spirit, who used "holy men of old," kept the writer of the Chronicles focused on what was important to the returnees from Babylon. They faced the daunting task of rebuilding what had been broken due to their ancestors' sins. It was best for Ezra to highlight the good that Abijah did, rather than dwell on his failures. Much of what he did in his short reign displeased God. He repeated the sinful actions of his father, including multiplying wives. However, that point had already been addressed in the Chronicles as a warning to the current generation. This one incident in Abijah's life was a positive example that demonstrated God's willingness to use flawed, sinful people when they acknowledge Him as the Supreme Authority and Power, even in the most challenging circumstances.
Abijah was a wicked king mentioned in 2nd Kings, but this event in his reign contains some positive remarks that highlight the little good he did. The account of Abijah here is more detailed than the one in 2nd Kings, due to his speech to Jeroboam and the Israelites of the northern kingdom. He challenged the legitimacy of Jeroboam’s reign. God told Jeroboam he would lead the ten tribes, but he took matters into his own hands and acted ahead of God's plan. Abijah also questioned the sincerity of Jeroboam’s advisors and his religious innovations when he made the golden calves.
The reference to the “covenant of salt” is because it was a visible sign of good-faith agreements based on the long-lasting effects of salt. That was a common practice in affirming contracts, where each person would mix salt from their hand with salt from the other person's hand.
In an effort to reunite the Israelites, Abijah confronted Jeroboam with an army of 400,000 troops. However, he hoped that by appealing to the people of Israel—who still remembered the days of fellowship at the temple—they could avoid a bloody conflict and return to the God of their ancestors in unity. In his speech, Abijah reminded them of God's promise to David to establish his throne over Israel. He admitted Rehoboam's failure for heeding bad advice. He also highlighted the difference between worshiping gold idols that resembled calves and honoring the living Lord, whose presence was promised to be with them. The more he spoke, the more he focused on appealing to the people, ignoring Jeroboam. But sometimes, efforts to right wrongs come too late. The people of Israel had become accustomed to carrying around the golden calves, which provided them with a tangible object they could see. Anything that claims our attention and interferes with our fellowship with God is sin. The sin of idolatry is the rejection of the Lord God. Physical objects replacing our faith in the Lord are the first thing forbidden in the Ten Commandments. Jeroboam's sin in making those idols caused the entire northern tribes of Israel to sin. As a result, they remained under evil leadership until they were taken captive 120 years before those in Judah. The importance of good leadership was being reconsidered for the sake of those who returned from Babylon, so they wouldn’t forget the supremacy of the Lord in every part of life. “The Lord is our God” were good words, but coming from Abijah, who “walked in all the sins of his father,” they didn’t carry the weight of truth. However, despite his failures, sinfulness, and insincere faith, God was willing to support his actions in this event. Abijah affirmed what was right even though he did what was wrong. For the sake of His covenant with David, God gave the victory to the army of Judah. Abijah reminded the people about the importance of divine order in the priesthood. To establish a "priesthood" different from what God has ordained is to accept a counterfeit instead of a divine appointment. That disrespectful practice is common today when the priesthood of all believers is counterfeited by man's ordination of those whom people have learned from for instruction from God Himself. Some who take the place of a priesthood or spiritual leaders of the people are not even saved. The ideas of men that they have studied and accepted as 'their truth' have replaced the Holy Spirit as the True Teacher and the one who is 'the truth.' Those who are called to represent the Lord publicly must learn and practice God's standards and doctrine, rather than pass on what they consider "my truth." Not only that, a person's spiritual character and dedication to our Lord add to their qualifications to speak for God. Priesthood exercised in public today is not limited to those who are highly educated, volunteer for that work, or are influential because of their family background or spiritual heritage. The "kingdom of priests" is recognizable because they have new life from God and live by God's standards as Christians. The ambush Jeroboam planned didn’t succeed as he hoped, and the army of Abijah, through God’s intervention, achieved a great victory. Losing 500,000 out of 800,000 soldiers was a huge loss. The result also included the loss of territory and cities in Israel, as well as a decline in power for Jeroboam, who never recovered from that defeat. Although Abijah's army was outnumbered two to one and outmaneuvered by Jeroboam's forces, Judah triumphed because they "relied upon the Lord God of their fathers." "God delivered them into their hand," and more than half of Israel's army was either killed or wounded. This demonstrated God's righteous judgment due to Israel's idolatry, and it was only the beginning. Genuine faith in God is our strength because it elevates our potential far beyond our weakness, allowing God's grace to be "made perfect" on our behalf. "When I am weak, then am I strong." Several kings of Judah were honorable for at least part of their reign. In contrast, the kings in the north were known for their wickedness. Idolatry not only dishonors God but also brings out the worst in human beings. From self-glorification to groveling before images, only evil is produced. There is no redeeming quality to the "up with men" culture that is becoming common today. Judah had the temple, the proper priesthood, the correct altar for sacrifices, and loyal prophets. All of the evil and negative actions of Abijah would not need to be recounted for future generations because the evil associated with him had already been highlighted for the returned exiles through the stories of David, Solomon, and Rehoboam. Abijah, the king of ancient times, wasn’t a particularly stellar figure. God, in mercy, came to aid Judah with deliverance through His plan. All would have to admit that victory came from the Highest Source, or the battle would have led the nation down a very different course.
There was no good reason to belabor a point that has already been made. "In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise." The writer of Chronicles wisely looked ahead to the present situation and used this incident in the life of the nation from many generations earlier to remind them not to forsake the Lord our God, His place of meeting with His people, or His word. They were also reminded that in times of distress and danger, God delivers His people, who have learned to rely on "the Lord God of their fathers." It is always good practice when passing on truth, lessons, and historical accounts to emphasize the positive aspects. Highlight the good even when referencing bad.
Relied upon the Lord. There is no avoiding hard times; they are inevitable. Some may stem from failing health and age, while others may be attributed to Belial’s sons. We need to face a basic fact: unless we depend on God, there is no way to conquer them without the Lord’s intervention. Often, we face situations and don’t know where to turn. When we rely solely on the Lord, we can learn many valuable lessons. Many of these lessons we might miss if everything were to go smoothly. God allows us to go through difficulties so we don’t lose what is truly important.
There have been times when, financially, we had nowhere else to turn but upward. Other times, God has tested us by asking us to walk while holding a very full cup. As stewards, we learned that what we have been given is to be held in trust. The God who gave can also take away when He believes it will benefit us. When sickness and/or pain come to test our will to live by faith alone, God, in His grace, provides assurance through His Word that He hears each feeble groan. His grace is sufficient, so we rely on Him to bring good out of what we perceive as bad. And further down the road, we’ll look back and thank Him for guiding us down that path.
Opposition sometimes comes from surprising sources, occasionally even from brothers who believe what we are doing is all wrong because it differs from the traditional way. They insist our way is incorrect. But God, who guides us, expects my reliance on Him as He leads us forward. To rely on the Lord means I fully trust Him, even when I don’t know what’s best. Relying on Him requires me to bless Him with my complete trust. It will also remove the temptation to claim the victory myself. Relying on the Lord will testify that true success depends on His power.