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2
Chronicles Chapter Thirteen
2 Chronicles 13
Chapter Contents
Abijah overcomes Jeroboam.
Jeroboam and his people, by apostacy and idolatry,
merited the severe punishment Abijah was permitted to execute upon them. It
appears from the character of Abijah, 1 Kings 15:3, that he was not himself truly
religious, yet he encouraged himself from the religion of his people. It is
common for those that deny the power of godliness, to boast of the form of it.
Many that have little religion themselves, value it in others. But it was true
that there were numbers of pious worshippers in Judah, and that theirs was the
more righteous cause. In their distress, when danger was on every side, which
way should they look for deliverance unless upward? It is an unspeakable
comfort, that our way thither is always open. They cried unto the Lord. Earnest
prayer is crying. To the cry of prayer they added the shout of faith, and
became more than conquerors. Jeroboam escaped the sword of Abijah, but God
struck him; there is no escaping his sword.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on 2 Chronicles》
2 Chronicles 13
Verse 5
[5]
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?
Of salt — By
a perpetual covenant.
Verse 8
[8] 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.
Golden calves —
There is that among you which may damp your confidence: you worship those
images which God abhors.
Verse 9
[9] 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.
Consecrate — To
make himself a priest.
Verse 10
[10] 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:
The Lord —
Heb. Jehovah, the only true God.
We — Maintain his worship
which you have rejected.
Verse 11
[11] And they burn unto the LORD every morning and every evening burnt
sacrifices and sweet incense: the shewbread 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.
Pure table —
Made of pure gold, Exodus 25:23,24, he saith table and candlestick,
though there were ten of each, because ordinarily there was but one of each
used at a time for those uses.
We keep —
Perhaps he flattered himself, that his keeping up the external worship of God
would make satisfaction for the errors of his life.
Verse 12
[12] 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.
Trumpets —
Upon the sounding whereof God hath solemnly promised to assist his people, Numbers 10:9.
The Lord —
You have not only us for your enemies, but God, even the God whom your fathers
served. It is folly to fight against the God of almighty power: but it is
treachery and base ingratitude, to fight against your father's God.
Verse 13
[13] But
Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before
Judah, and the ambushment was behind them.
Jeroboam —
While Abijah was discoursing, Jeroboam takes the advantage of it to lay an
ambush. It does not appear that he made any answer to all that Abijah said. The
longest sword he thinks will determine the matter, not the better cause.
Verse 15
[15] 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.
Gave a shout — It
is unspeakable comfort, that no stratagem or ambush can cut off our
communication with heaven. To the cry of prayer they added the shout of faith,
and so became more than conquerors.
Verse 20
[20]
Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and the LORD
struck him, and he died.
The Lord struck him — He
escaped the sword of Abijah: but God struck him: there is no escaping his
sword.
Verse 21
[21] But
Abijah waxed mighty, and married fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons,
and sixteen daughters.
Married —
Not after this victory, for he died presently after it, but in the whole time
of his life.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on 2 Chronicles》
13 Chapter 13
Verses 1-22
Verses 4-12
And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim.
A great speech
its claims concerning Judah. God recognised--
1. In the gift of the kingdom.
2. In the worship and services of the temple.
3. In the warfare of life.
II. In its accusations
against Israel.
III. Its passionate
appeal to the people.
1. Religion is appealed to.
2. History is appealed to.
3. Humanity is appealed to. (J. Wolfendale.)
Abijah’s speech
Abijah’s speech is unique. There have been other instances where
commanders have tried to make oratory take the place of arms. Sennacherib’s
envoys. When Octavian was at war with his fellow-triumvir Lepidus he made a
daring attempt to run over his enemy’s army. Riding openly into the hostile
camp, he appealed to the soldiers by motives as lofty as those urged by Abijah,
and called upon them to save their country from civil war by deserting Lepidus.
At the moment his appeal failed, and he only escaped with a wound in his
breast; but after a while his enemy’s soldiers came over to him in detachments,
and eventually Lepidus was compelled to surrender to his rival. Another
instance of a successful appeal to a hostile force is found in the history of
the first Napoleon, when he was marching on Paris after his return from Elba.
Near Grenoble he was met by a body of royal troops. He at once advanced to the
front, and, exposing his breast, exclaimed to the opposing ranks, “Here is your
emperor; if any one would kill me let him fire.” The detachment, which had been
sent to arrest his progress, at once deserted to their old commander. (W.
H. Bennett, M.A.)
The lessons of Abijah’s speech
These are two.
I. The importance
of an official and duly accredited ministry. Every Church has in practice some
official ministry, even those Churches that profess to owe their separate existence to
the necessity of protesting against an official ministry. Men whose chief
occupation is to denounce priestcraft may themselves be saturated with the
sacerdotal spirit.
II. The importance
of a suitable and authoritative ritual. Every Church, too, has its ritual. The
silence of a Friends’ meeting is as much a rite as the most elaborate
genuflexion before a highly ornamented altar. To regard either the absence or
presence of rites as essential is equally ritualistic. The man who leaves his
wonted place of worship because “Amen “ is sung at the end of a hymn is as
bigoted a ritualist as his brother who dare not pass an altar without crossing
himself. (W. H. Bennett, M. A.)
Verses 12-17
And behold, God Himself is with us for our captain
God with us
We have here--
I.
A
mysterious doctrine.
II. A comforting
truth.
III. A solemn fact.
(Bp. Montagu Villiers.)
Man’s extremity and God’s power to help
I. God’s people
are often brought into extremities.
1. By their own foolish enterprises.
2. By the temptations of their enemies.
3. By the providence of God leading them, to test and train them.
II. God’s people
are delivered by him in extremities.
1. By prayer: “They cried unto the Lord.”
2. By super-natural power. (J. Wolfendale.)
The Holy War
It is not my intention to discuss the merits of the quarrel
between Judah and Israel. That is interesting history; but I am now to speak to
you concerning our work and warfare for Christ our King. That we are engaged in
a fierce struggle, with a powerful foe, must be admitted. Oh, let us understand
at the outset that our warfare is real, earnest, desperate; that we are not
playing at soldiering.
I. Let us
reconnoitre the enemy. It is a great mistake, all too frequently made, to
ignore the strength of our opponents, to fail to investigate their position and
their practices. No general would think of conducting a campaign without the
due precaution of reconnoitring. We shall do well in our war against error and
iniquity, and all that is not of our God, to make all investigations, to send
some forth to spy out the country to discover, if possible, what the enemy is
designing against us.
1. Turning to this chapter we shall find that the enemy in this case
consisted of rebels against the God-appointed authority. They were, in fact,
insurgents, of whom the children of Judah said truly, “We keep the charge of
the Lord of God; but ye have forsaken Him.” So the men of Judah had this to
help them in their struggle--they knew that their position was one that God
approved. They had not forsaken Him; they were by no means perfect, but they
still held to David’s throne and to his rightful successor. They had the
strength that always comes of the consciousness of right. “Right is might,”
though some will have it that might is right. No, no! “He is thrice armed who
hath his quarrel just” and I want to encourage my own heart and yours by
saying: We are by no means all we should be, but by the grace of God we are
what we are. The enemy has rebelled against God. These things with which we do
battle are doomed to destruction, and we are authorised to help to hasten the
coming of that doom.
2. I find, further, that these men of Israel were idolaters. They
worshipped golden calves, and almost any man who wished could become a priest
to those that were no gods. Our struggle also is against idolatry. I am
speaking on behalf of foreign missions. Believe me, there is idolatry both here
and there.
3. I find here again, that the children of Israel are spoken of as
vain men, and children of Belial. There had gathered in that north country men
of no repute, ne’er-do-wells, and those who had come to grief, empty-headed
men--for such is the real meaning of the word “vain.” The children of Belial
were utterly unprincipled, many of them were doubtless renegades, the castaways
of society. We do not fight against those who have lost their reputation, who
have sinned against the laws of our land, as well as against high heaven; we go
out to try to save them, we do battle against unholiness, uncleanness,
debauchery, and insobriety.
4. Further, if you look at this chapter, you will notice that the men
of Israel were determined characters, o| whom it is written that “they
strengthened themselves.” They were very numerous, but they did not trust to
numbers, they took every precaution to ensure success. We may learn some
lessons from our foes. How diligent they are, how active, how united. How earnestly
they combine to defeat, if possible, the purposes of God, and our attempts to
do His will. Oh, that we were as earnest as they! With a Master infinitely
better, why should we not serve Him with twice as much zeal as they who serve
the devil?
5. The numbers of Israel were very large, twice as many as Judah
possessed; and oh, how many are the forces and principles of evil with which we
have to contend! Ah! but let us remember that numbers are not everything. We
shall have to remind one another presently that God is with us. How many count
you Jehovah for? Yet we must not under-estimate the foe; they are numberless.
Oh, that our forces were increased!
6. And, moreover, they are wily. Did you notice, as we read, how the
king of Israel set an ambush against Abijah and his men? It was hardly a brave
thing to do. Well, our enemy is not very particular how he goes to work. The
serpent is still the most subtle of all the beasts of the field, but we are not
ignorant of his devices.
II. What about our
own forces? We must not sing our own praises, but to the glory of God, as we
review our troops, we will declare, first, that we are His.
1. Moreover, we are well commanded. Did you notice what the king said
in the 12th verse? “And behold God Himself is with us for our Captain.” When
Napoleon went up and down among his troops on the eve of battle, he used to
assure them that he was himself directing their battalions. That it was which
nerved them for the fray. I think I hear my blessed Master saying, “Lo, I am
with you alway, even unto the end of the age.” We bow before Thee, glorious
Captain! Lead Thou us on! For Thou alone canst lead to victory.
2. Moreover, the priestly service, with the people of Judah, had
never ceased. Morning and evening the lamb was slain, and the lamp was lighted,
and the incensed waved. This was a sign that God was still honoured and obeyed.
Ah, think of it! We are going forth to battle day by day, but our great High
Priest before the Throne still pleads. “He ever liveth to make intercession for
us.”
III. And now about
the battle. We must not wonder, if, when beginning to fight for God, we find
ourselves in a difficulty. These men did. They had not got to the battlefield
before they were caught in an ambushment. There were foes behind them as well
as in front of them. It is not the easiest thing in the world to fight those
who attack us from behind. I know some who go out to serve the Lord, either in
the home or in the foreign field, who, as soon as they find the battle wax hot
against them, or discover themselves caught in a trap, begin to imagine that
the battle is lost already, that they have made a mistake in taking up arms for
God, and are like to turn tail forthwith, only the enemy is behind them, and
they cannot! Ah! what a mistake is this! If God brings us into a crisis, it is
that we may trust Christ. What is the best thing to do when we get into such a
state? Why, just what these did. “They cried unto the Lord.” Was there time to
pray, when there were enemies on either hand? Yes, yes, there is always time to
pray. Praying time is not lost time. Let us cry unto the Lord of Hosts.
2. Then the priests sounded the trumpets to animate the people, to
call them to their duty, to stir up within them their slumbering energies and
dying courage. I warrant you they gave no uncertain sound. Those silver
trumpets were made all of one piece, for God will have all His work united,
symmetrical, and complete. Those silver trumpets sounded out their sweetest and
their loudest at this critical juncture. Be it ours, leaders of the hosts of
God, so to sound forth the Word of God that there shall be no mistake as to the
meaning, and by our brave demeanour to encourage all the people.
3. Did you notice, next, that the rank and file commenced to shout?
“The men of Judah shouted.” No, no! let us cry and shout, for great is the Holy
One of Israel in the midst of us. The cry of prayer should be attended with the
shout of faith, and if we shout not audibly in our services and meetings, let
there be shoutings in the soul which the Lord our God can hear. The secret and
gist of it all is here.
4. “They relied upon the Lord.” There was perfect confidence in
heaven. Even in the midst of the clash of arms, even when they saw they had
apparently been bested by this ambushment, they still trusted. Father, I will
trust thee, for the work is Thine.
5. “They relied upon the Lord God of their fathers.” Oh! I like that
word. “The God of Abraham!” The history of the patriarch flashes through their
minds at the mention of his name. “The God of Isaac, and of Jacob,” and of
David, with whom He had made a covenant of salt! This was the God they relied
on, and this God is our God, the God of our fathers. Did He not treat our
fathers well? Did He not glorify His name through them? Did He not make them
pillars in the house of the Lord? What God has done, God can do. Let us trust
Him.
6. As soon as they fully trusted Him, He began to work, and delivered
Jeroboam into the hand of Abijah. Yes, the rule always holds good, “Them that
honour Me I will honour.” If you trust Him in that little work you have in hand
for God, He will use you.
7. Then we must follow up the work that God does. Abijah and his
people slew their routed adversaries. “Abijah pursued them.”
8. And what about the spoils? When the work is done and the victory
won, what about the booty? Ah! it belongs to Him who gave the power. All must
be cast at Jesus’ feet. Have we not been often mistaken just here? We asked Him
for power to serve, and thank God we got it; but when the victory was ours, we
wanted to share the honour with the King. (T. Spurgeon.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》