Because they relied on the LORD
Tue, 12 December, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.
13 Jeroboam had sent an ambush around to come upon them from behind. Thus his troops were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. 14 And when Judah looked, behold, the battle was in front of and behind them. And they cried to the LORD, and the priests blew the trumpets. 15 Then the men of Judah raised the battle shout. And when the men of Judah shouted, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 The men of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hand. 17 Abijah and his people struck them with great force, so there fell slain of Israel 500,000 chosen men. 18 Thus the men of Israel were subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the LORD, the God of their fathers.
Abijah, Solomon’s grandson, is ruling the southern kingdom of Judah. Jeroboam, who lead the successful revolt against Solomon’s son, is still the king of the northern kingdom of Israel. The conflict between the two kingdoms continues, and in a major battle, Abijah chastises Israel for rejecting the rightful king, the descendant of David (Abijah) and for rejecting the temple and the Levitical priesthood.
Jeroboam, instead of listening to this litany of his sins, uses the time to set an ambush for Abijah’s outnumbered men. But Abijah trusts in God and cries out for God’s assistance. God hears and delivers Israel and Jeroboam into Abijah’s hands. The author leaves us in no doubt how outnumbered Judah could win the battle. It was because they relied on the LORD, the God of their fathers.
What do we learn from this?
The battle isn’t always to the largest army. The victory doesn’t always go to the smartest or the strongest. God gives victory to those whom He chooses. That doesn’t mean that the godly will always win, for according to His perfect will, God has His people lose sometimes, but always for a purpose. He brings pain and suffering into our lives, but for a goal of bettering us or increasing His own glory.
But we also see there are times when God gives the victory to those who by every human standard have no possibility of winning. He does that to gain the glory, and to humble the proud.
In the example of our text, we see that God uses the weaker Judah to punish stronger Israel for their willful rejection of God. Judah had humbled themselves, and were trusting in God and not in their own military power. Therefore God acted on their behalf and fought for them. God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. It was the work of God on the behalf of His people who had humbled themselves.
Where is Christ in this passage?
Abijah asks why Israel had rebelled against God’s anointed king? They can not prosper fighting against the descendant of David, for God had promised to have a son on the throne forever. When they were rebelling against the descendant of David, they were rejecting the Messiah who was to come from the line of David. They were rejecting the great King Jesus Christ who was yet to come.
