2 Chronicles 13
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10–12 Abijah then stated that Judah had not forsaken the Lord, but was observing all His requirements4 (verse 11). Because of this, the Lord would fight for Judah. “Men of Israel,” Abijah said, “do not fight against the LORD . . . you will not succeed” (verse 12).
13–18 The men of Israel did not listen to Abijah. In these verses the writer describes the ensuing battle and how the Lord routed Jeroboam and all Israel (verse 15). We are not told by what means the Lord routed Israel; He could have used supernatural means or He could simply have emboldened the men of Judah. The writer concludes by saying that the men of Judah were victorious because they relied on the LORD (verse 18). Thus it is all the more sad that in spite of Abijah’s reliance on the Lord in this one battle, he is said to have committed all the sins his father had done before him (1 Kings 15:3).
What was the cause of Abijah’s sinfulness? In 1 Kings 15:3, we are told that his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD . . . as the heart of David his forefather had been. Sinfulness arises from a divided heart. None of us can avoid sinning in this life, but we can have an undivided heart. We must strive to have a heart like David’s, for he was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14).
19–22 Abijah, with the Lord’s help, inflicted a decisive defeat on Jeroboam and Israel. The writer notes that sometime after the battle the Lord struck Jeroboam down (verse 20); we are not told how.