2 Chronicles 13:1–14:1

The contrast with the account in 1 Kings 15:1–6 of Abijah’s short reign is striking. Kings is fully negative in its brief assessment, with most space given to noting that “his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God,” and that God nevertheless ensured that the reign would continue “for David’s sake” (1 Kings 15:3–5). The Chronicler (like his hearers) was aware of failings during Abijah’s reign (2 Chron. 14:3–5; 15:8, 16) but has chosen to describe at length a single incident, a battle with Jeroboam, as Abijah proclaimed sole allegiance to and correct worship of the Lord and relied on him (13:2–21). The Chronicler shapes his account as a message to his wide audience, initially to those who are part of “all Israel” outside Judah to remember the promise to David “forever” and to see temple worship as God-ordered, but also encouraging those in Judah to continue being faithful and relying on the Lord.

The setting of two opposing forces (13:2b–3) leads into Abijah’s long speech (13:4–12), the first since Solomon’s (ch. 6), with two foci: (1) God’s giving David kingship over all Israel forever, and (2) the purity of the Jerusalem cult under the “sons of Aaron” as priests and the Levites in ministry. The speech follows a common pattern, seen also in prayers (e.g., 6:14–42; 14:11): recounting earlier biblical traditions (doctrine), application, and exhortation (cf. similar style and content in Hezekiah’s speech; 29:5–11).¹ The rhetorical structure is clear as it moves from the past, “Ought you not to know” (13:5), to the present, “and now” (13:8), leading to the exhortation “Behold” (13:12), with alternation of “we” and “you”:

1. “Ought you not to know”:
2. 13:5: “The Lord God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons . . .”
3. 13:6–7: “Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat . . . rose up and rebelled against his lord. . . .”
4. “And now”:
5. 13:8–9: “Now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord . . . ,
6. because you . . . have with you the golden calves . . . for gods.
7. Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, . . . and made priests for yourselves . . . ?”
8. 13:10–11: “The Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him.
9. We have priests . . . who are sons of Aaron. . . .
10. We keep the charge of the Lord our God,
11. but you have forsaken him.”
12. Exhortation:
13. 13:12a: “God is with us at our head. . . .
14. 13:12b: Do not fight against the Lord . . . for you cannot succeed.”²

The opening includes the king (“Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel”; 13:4), but the appeal is mainly to the people as a whole (“O sons of Israel”; 13:12). They may have been right to rebel at the start of Rehoboam’s reign, when he was “young and irresolute”—the Lord’s message had been that “this thing is from me” (11:4)—but Jeroboam’s subsequent cultic actions and a new “son of David” reigning in Judah gave an ideal opportunity for them to acknowledge that “the Lord God of Israel” had given the whole kingdom to David and that God was to be worshiped according to his commands at the temple (the promise of kingship to Jeroboam had included its temporary nature; 1 Kings 11:39).

Emphasis is on God: how can they “withstand the kingdom of the Lord” (2 Chron. 13:8) and “succeed” if they fight against “the Lord, the God of your fathers” (13:12)? The forces with Jeroboam may have brought the “golden calves,” but “God is with us at our head,” represented by the priests who sound the battle call.

With no response, battle ensued (13:13–19). Jeroboam’s superior forces prepared an ambush, but Judah “cried to the Lord,” and God gave victory “because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers.” The summary of Abijah’s reign compares his success with Jeroboam’s failure (13:20–21), followed by the formulaic conclusion (13:22–14:1).³

1. III.B. Abijah and Asa: Relying on the Lord (13:1–16:14)
   1. 1. Abijah and Victory (13:1–14:1)

In telling this story the Chronicler affirms that past rebellion is not final; the prodigal is always welcomed as a full member of the family (cf. Luke 15:11–32). While past history always shapes life in the present, with patterns of behavior becoming more set (as grooves become ruts!), each generation is nevertheless responsible for its own decisions. This was argued at length at the time of the exile, in Ezekiel 18 (also Jer. 31:29–30; the only Mosaic law explicitly quoted in Kings [2 Kings 14:6; Deut. 24:16] is one rejecting intergenerational liability). Abijah’s call was not a matter of political affiliation but an appeal based on the “kingdom of the Lord.” Centuries later, Jesus, the Son of David, proclaimed: “The kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). The call to allegiance extends not only to “all Israel” but to “all nations” (Matt. 28:19–20).

Abijah’s appeal, based on God’s past actions and his welcome as people “seek” him, points to God’s grace, as does God’s action when the people “relied” on him. The people of the north, part of “all Israel,” may have rebelled because of the weakness and faults of the Davidic kings—one might compare failings by church leaders⁹—but that did not negate God’s plan for the Davidic king and his people. For all the faults of God’s people, it is among and through his people that God is still fulfilling his purposes (Eph. 1:15–23). Centuries later, Gamaliel warned of the folly of “opposing God” (Acts 5:38–39).

The account of the battle itself highlights God’s provision: he is present and leading, as it is his battle (also in 2 Chron. 20:15). Victory depended not on a greater army (in numbers or resources) but on his action. This was important for the postexilic community in their apparent weakness in relation to the Persian Empire. That the battle was God’s, to be conducted and won in his way, is the basis of praise sung by the pregnant Mary (Luke 1:46–55), and the victory of the resurrection provides confident hope for the early Christian church, facing the ever-visible might of Rome (Rom. 1:1–7). Paul, though in chains, can see that the battle has spiritual dimensions (Eph. 6:10–20; Col. 2:15), while John, confined on Patmos, foresees the final victory, in which “the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful” (Rev. 17:14).