2 Chronicles 13
This chapter records the reign of Rehoboam's son Abijah over Judah. It describes a battle between Judah and Israel. Although Israel had twice the number of soldiers, Judah defeated them by God's intervention. It records the death of Jeroboam, the leader in Israel, and details of Abijah's wives and children.
As I read this chapter I was heartened to read the words of King Abijah. Firstly, he laid claim to God's 'covenant of salt' with his great grandfather, King David. (My Study Bible defines 'covenant of salt' as an 'indissolvable agreement'; in this case, that God had given David the throne for ever).
Secondly, Abijah recognises that Jeroboam had rebelled against his father Rehoboam, and God. He says that although Jeroboam had twice the number of soldiers as Judah, they were putting their trust of victory in golden calves which they had made.
In contrast to Jeroboam, Abijah states that Judah was still serving and worshipping the LORD. He declares, 'But as for us, the LORD is our God', and a little later, 'God himself is with us for our captain'.
Thirdly, I then observed that 'actions speak louder than words'. Abijah had made bold claims of faith in God, and now when Judah was trapped in the middle of the battle, surrounded by Israel's 800,000 men, Judah 'cried unto the LORD and the priests sounded with the trumpets'. The LORD did not fail them. He kept his promises,
'Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me' (Psalm 50:15).
We read that as they shouted to him, God smote Jeroboam and Israel who then fled before Judah and 'God delivered them into their hand'. They slew 500,000 men in the Israelite army and Jeroboam didn't recover strength in the reign of Abijah, but later died.
This account encourages us to trust God - to speak of his promises to us and to watch and see how he answers.
In the New Testament the Lord Jesus encourages us to have faith and trust in God. On one occasion he said to his disciples,
'If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you' (Matthew 17: 20).
We see this when Peter walks on the sea in the middle of a storm towards Jesus, who was also walking on the sea. All the time Peter looked at the Lord Jesus - which is what we do when exerting faith and trusting God - he did an impossible thing; he walked on the sea. As soon as he looked at the great waves around him - which meant he would have looked away from Jesus - his faith began to sink and so did he!
How true this is of us! We are so prone to look at our difficult circumstances or listen to the negative voice within us, that says, 'Who do you think you are?... you can't do this... you'll fail and people will laugh at you... you're making all these claims, but God doesn't really take any notice... he won't really do anything for you... he'll let you down because you haven't got enough faith!'
Don't such thoughts stink of the devil?! My Pastor* has often said how Satan has been a liar from the start. In the garden of Eden Satan said, 'hath God said?' - casting doubt and disbelief on the LORD's words. Instead Satan told Adam and Eve they wouldn't die (Genesis 3: 4), and no, they didn't literally die at that moment, but the result of their disobedience meant that they did die - 'the wages of sin are death', and they were cast out of the presence of God in the garden of Eden - and is not that a form of death in itself?
We may often feel we don't have faith, and be conscious of all our doubts when we pray and think. But God never tells us to rely on what we are feeling - he never says he will make us feel faith - instead, Jesus tell us to be as little children (Matthew 18). Little children are scared of new unfamiliar things, but they just run to their parents knowing and trusting they will help and protect them because they are their parents - and then they might peep at the scary thing from the shelter of their parents arms, knowing they are safe.
Disappointingly, in the first book of Kings 15 we read that Abijah - called Abijam in that account - 'walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD' Although the study notes say that some scholars have suggested there were actually two kings named Abijah, it seems strange that his mother and father and son were all the same. This suggests then that although Abijah appeared to serve the LORD, was he yet again one that served the LORD outwardly, but in his heart he didn't truly love the LORD? Perhaps his claims that the LORD was their God were made in pride - almost saying, 'we're better than you Israelites who are just trusting in your man made idols!'?
I remember my first year at Primary School and learning to my surprise that other children didn't spend their Sundays going to chapel - I thought I was much better than them - that I was a good girl. And even now, I sometimes get an almost undefined thought that God won't chasten my sins, or that he won't notice because I am special, because I am his child. How deceitful and proud our hearts are! How wonderful if we can say, the LORD is our God - but let us give him all the glory for his great mercy, and humbly, knowing that we do not deserve his love, speak of him with due praise.
*JR Rutt, Pastor at Lamberhurst Strict Baptist Chapel, Kent.
Sea of Galilee photo by Chris Gallimore on Unsplash.
My Study Bible: The King James Study Bible. Second edition. Published by Thomas Nelson
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