(The previous post covered Rehoboam's reign.)
2 Chronicles 13
(This chapter introduced king Abijah.)
1 In the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah.
2 Three years reigned he in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
(Abijah reigned over Judah and warred with Jeroboam the king of Israel.)
3 And Abijah joined battle with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men: and Jeroboam set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, who were mighty men of valor.
(Verses 4-12: Abijah appealed to Jeroboam and the army of Israel.)
4 And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill-country of Ephraim, and said, Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel:
5 Ought ye not to know that Jehovah, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?
(This was the third time a "covenant of salt" was mentioned: Leviticus 2:13 and Numbers 18:19.)
6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up, and rebelled against his lord.
7 And there were gathered unto him worthless men, base fellows, that strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tender-hearted, and could not withstand them.
8 And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of Jehovah in the hand of the sons of David; and ye are a great multitude, and there are with you the golden calves which Jeroboam made you for gods.
9 Have ye not driven out the priests of Jehovah, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made you priests after the manner of the peoples 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.
10 But as for us, Jehovah is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and we have priests ministering unto Jehovah, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites in their work:
(Abijah spoke against what Jeroboam and Israel were doing. Abijah proclaimed "Jehovah is our God.")
11 and they burn unto Jehovah every morning and every evening burnt-offerings and sweet incense: the showbread 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 Jehovah our God; but ye have forsaken him.
12 And, behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with the trumpets of alarm to sound an alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against Jehovah, the God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper.
(Abijah pleaded with Jeroboam and Israel to not fight against God because they would not prosper. Abijah was trying to help Jeroboam.)
13 But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them.
(Jeroboam did not listen. Instead, he had his men surround Abijah and his men.)
14 And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind them; and they cried unto Jehovah, and the priests sounded with the trumpets.
15 Then 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.
16 And the children of Israel fled before Judah; and God delivered them into their hand.
(After the men of Judah shouted and their priests blew trumpets, God smote Jeroboam and Israel so that they fled.)
17 And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.
(500,000 Israelite soldiers were killed.)
18 Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon Jehovah, the God of their fathers.
(Judah prevailed because they relied on God. Relied meant "to lean on, trust in, support." Judah had faith in God.)
19 And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Beth-el with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and Ephron with the towns thereof.
20 Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and Jehovah smote him, and he died.
21 But Abijah waxed mighty, and took unto himself fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters.
(Jeroboam died and Abijah grew mighty.)
22 And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the commentary of the prophet Iddo.
(The commentary of the prophet Iddo?? Iddo was mentioned in 2 Chronicles 9:29; 12:15.)
2 Chronicles 14
(This chapter introduced the reign of Asa.)
1 So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet ten years.
2 And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of Jehovah his God:
3 for he took away the foreign altars, and the high places, and brake down the pillars, and hewed down the Asherim,
(Asa was a good king that reigned over Judah. One of the things he did was to take down altars, high places, and pillars of foreign gods.)
4 and commanded Judah to seek Jehovah, the God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment.
(Asa commanded Judah to seek God.)
5 Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the sun-images: and the kingdom was quiet before him.
6 And he built fortified cities in Judah; for the land was quiet, and he had no war in those years, because Jehovah had given him rest.
(The kingdom and land were quiet. This usage of the word quiet meant "at peace, rest, undisturbed.")
7 For he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars; the land is yet before us, because we have sought Jehovah our God; we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.
8 And Asa had an army that bare bucklers and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valor.
9 And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an army of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and he came unto Mareshah.
10 Then Asa went out to meet him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.
(Asa and his army met the Ethiopian army for battle.)
11 And Asa cried unto Jehovah his God, and said, Jehovah, there is none besides thee to help, between the mighty and him that hath no strength: help us, O Jehovah our God; for we rely on thee, and in thy name are we come against this multitude. O Jehovah, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.
(Asa turned to God for help. Asa stated that they rely on God. This word was the same as used earlier (2 Chronicles 13:18) which meant they had faith in God. Again, notice this book took God's perspective of kings acting as kings.)
12 So Jehovah smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.
13 And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and there fell of the Ethiopians so many that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before Jehovah, and before his host; and they carried away very much booty.
14 And they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of Jehovah came upon them: and they despoiled all the cities; for there was much spoil in them.
15 They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep in abundance, and camels, and returned to Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 15
(This chapter continued Asa's story.)
1 And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:
2 and he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: Jehovah is with you, while ye are with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
(The Spirit of God went upon Azariah the prophet. He stated to Asa that if they sought God they would find Him but if they forsook God, He would forsake them. God is Right and Just.)
3 Now for a long season Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law:
(Israel had been without God, a teaching priest, or the Law for a "long season." This "season" was during the last fourteen years of Rehoboam’s reign and the three years of Abijah’s reign.)
4 But when in their distress they turned unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.
(When Israel had trouble they would turn to God and they would find Him. Why did they not pursue God when things were going well? We know that none of the kings of the ten tribes of Israel were good. How long would God continue accepting their repentance before it would be enabling?)
5 And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in; but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the lands.
6 And they were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God did vex them with all adversity.
7 But be ye strong, and let not your hands be slack; for your work shall be rewarded.
8 And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from the hill-country of Ephraim; and he renewed the altar of Jehovah, that was before the porch of Jehovah.
9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and them that sojourned with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that Jehovah his God was with him.
(After Asa had removed the abominations out of Judah, he gathered his people as well as people from tribes in Israel who knew that God was with Asa...notice: Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim.)
10 So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.
11 And they sacrificed unto Jehovah in that day, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.
12 And they entered into the covenant to seek Jehovah, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul;
(The people who gathered together with Asa made a covenant to seek God with all their heart and soul.)
13 and that whosoever would not seek Jehovah, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.
14 And they sware unto Jehovah with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.
15 And all Judah rejoiced at the oath; for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and Jehovah gave them rest round about.
16 And also Maacah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; and Asa cut down her image, and made dust of it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.
(Asa removed his own mother because she made an idol grove.)
17 But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.
18 And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels.
19 And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.
(The high places were not taken out of Israel but Asa had a perfect heart all his days. We know the special high places that Solomon put up were not removed until Josiah.)
(This post covered the reign of Abijah and the beginning of Asa's reign.)
Day 124
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