2 chronicles chapter 13

This is my Bible study Blog, My thoughts and interpretation and how I thinks it relate to us today.

Jeroboam reigned for 18 years, and in his 18th year, Abijah became king of Judah. Jeroboam abandoned his master, and he also abandoned God. He taught the people he ruled over to rely on golden calves. Abijah waged war against Jeroboam and warned that his actions against God would not be taken lightly—that he would pay the price.

**Verses 4-5 (NIV)**

**[4]** Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Jeroboam and all Israel, listen to me! **[5]** Don’t you know that the Lord, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt?”

In the war, Jeroboam had 800,000 men, while Abijah had half that—400,000. Jeroboam made a cunning move to ambush Abijah’s army from the front and the back. Abijah saw this and prayed to God, who delivered him from Jeroboam’s forces, allowing Abijah's army to take out 500,000 of Jeroboam’s men. Jeroboam was unable to regain power after losing the war and much of his land. He was never able to return to power, and ultimately, God struck him down.

Jeroboam was the son of Nebat, an official of Solomon. He seized power under the rule of Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, who was appointed king despite being young, weak, and indecisive. Jeroboam took advantage of this situation.

This is a story that exemplifies disobedience and rebellious behavior. There are always consequences to your actions. When you are disobedient, you put yourself in a vulnerable position—falling into the hands of the enemy and listening to the whispers of the devil. This influence can come in the form of a friend, a family member, or even worldly distractions around you. When you abandon your Father to worship idols, you are only hurting yourself, just as Jeroboam hurt himself. He took advantage of an opportunity, but in the end, it backfired on him.

You also have to consider the years he ruled—he was king for 18 years, which gave him a false sense of security that he was invincible. However, when you go against God, you are not invincible. Just because you have been getting away with things and living blissfully ignorant for years doesn’t mean the consequences won’t catch up to you eventually. You should be thankful to your Father every day and strive to honor Him out of respect and devotion. He loved us and gave us His Son so that we no longer have to live under the strict laws that governed Israel. We no longer need to make animal sacrifices.

Jeroboam dismissed the priests and Levites who no longer served him and had been making atonements for the sins of his people through sacrifices every evening. Abijah pointed this out to him. Instead of following God's ways, Jeroboam appointed priests from among his own people—men who likely did not follow God. They worshipped golden calves, just as many of us still cling to idols today.

However, with Christ, it is easier to let go. All you have to do is repent and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in removing these idols from your life. Continue to strengthen your relationship with Christ so that you don’t fall back into that lifestyle again.

Until Next Time!