Abijah’s Reign

Rehoboam had carefully groomed his son Abijah or Abijam to be his successor and upon his death he became king, but his focus was not on serving God.   In I Kings 11:9-13 God had specifically told Solomon he was going to take the kingdom away from ins family.  “And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded.  Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.  Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father's sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.  Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen.”

When Israel broke away from Rehoboam, he had intended to attack them, but God had forbidden him to do so, as I Kings 12:24 tells us.  “Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the LORD, and returned to depart, according to the word of the LORD.”

Abijah refused to accept God’s decree, we see in II Chronicles 13:1-7.  “Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah.  He 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.  And 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.

And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel; Ought 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?  Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord.  And 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.”

Instead of crediting God with causing the split, Abijah blamed Jeroboam for striking before Rehoboam undere stood what was happening.   Proverbs 21:2 says, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes…,” and Abijah was convinced of his own righteousness, even though I Kings 15:3 tells us  “…he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.”  Based on his self righteous attitude, he claimed God’s promises to David, in II Chronicles 13:8-12.  “And 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 you golden calves, which Jeroboam made you for gods.  Have 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.

But 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: And they burn unto the LORD every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices 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 the LORD our God; but ye have forsaken him.  And, 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.”

While he was not obeying God completely, Abijah had not completely turned away from him, and when Jeroboam seemed likely to defeat him, he and the people of Judah called on the Lord.  Although they were not able to completely conquer Jeroboam, they were able to take much of the land along the border from him, as II Chronicles 13:13-20 tells us.  ”But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them.  And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind: and they cried unto the LORD, and the priests sounded with the trumpets.  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.  And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God delivered them into their hand. 

And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men. Thus 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.  And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Bethel with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and Ephrain with the towns thereof.  Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and the LORD struck him, and he died.”

The fight with Abijah so weakened Jeroboam that he never recovered, and a few years later, he and his family were killed in a coup.  Abijah only reigned three years, but during that time he gained a lot of respect but he copied Solomon and Rehoboam in getting a large harem, as II Chronicles 12:21 tells us.  “But Abijah waxed mighty, and married fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters.”