2 Chronicles 13 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

2 Chronicles 13 Short Summary:

In 2 Chronicles 13, Abijah becomes king in Judah after Rehoboam’s death. He waged war with Jeroboam of Israel and defeated his superior army by calling out to God for help. Israel was severely weakened after this defeat, and Jeroboam died not long after. Rehoboam reigned in Judah for 3 years, but he was not always faithful to the Lord. He repeated many of the sins of his father, Rehoboam.

2 Chronicles 13 Extended Summary

WHEN:

• Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, became king in his father’s place in 975 B.C.

• Rehoboam reigned 17 years (1 Kings 14:21) in Judah, from approximately 975-958 B.C.

• Abijah reigned for 3 years following Rehoboam, 958-955 B.C.

• When the kingdom of Israel and Judah divided, the people of Israel made Jeroboam their king.

• Jeroboam was king over Israel for 22 years (1 Kings 14:20), 975-953 B.C.

CHARACTERS:

• Rehoboam – The son of Solomon and the 4th king of Israel and Judah.

• Abijah – Rehoboam’s son. He took the throne of Judah after his father’s death.

• Jeroboam – An Ephraimite who was originally a servant of Solomon. God selected him to be the king over Israel following the rebellion against Rehoboam.

WHERE:

• Abijah and Jeroboam waged war against each other in the hill country of Ephraim.

• Abijah captured Bethel and brought it under the control of the nation of Judah.

OUTLINE:

• ABIJAH REIGNS IN JUDAH AND WARS WITH JEROBOAM (13:1-22):

  • Rehoboam’s son, Abijah, took the throne and reigned over Judah 3 years.

  • He went to war with Jeroboam of Israel. His army of 400,000 men fought Jeroboam’s 800,000 men.

  • Abijah stood up and addressed Jeroboam before the battle. He accused him of rebelling against God because God had promised the leadership of the nation to David’s house.

  • He called out Jeroboam’s idol worship and the illegitimate priests Israel had appointed to serve at their unauthorized places of worship.

  • In contrast, Abijah spoke of Judah’s respect for God and His commands.

  • Unknown to Abijah, Jeroboam had secretly surrounded the army of Judah by sending an ambushing force behind Abijah’s army.

  • When Abijah discovered his peril, the priests blew their trumpets and the king cried out to the Lord for help.

  • God heard Abijah’s plea, and He helped Judah defeat the army of Jeroboam. 500,000 men of Israel were killed in the battle.

  • Abijah was able to take control of a few of Jeroboam’s cities, including Bethel.

  • The text says Judah won the battle because “they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers” (13:18).

  • Jeroboam never managed to rebuild the strength of Israel during his reign. The Lord “struck him down” after he reigned 22 years.

  • Unfortunately, Abijah was not always faithful to the Lord either (1 Kings 15:3). He repeated many of the sins of his father.
    

APPLICATION:

• Probabilities, odds, strategies, and proportions are meaningless when God’s power is at play in a situation.

• Have you noticed from the Bible stories that God likes to give victories to His servants when the battles they fight have odds heavily stacked against them?

• Abijah was out-manned and out-maneuvered, but his plea to God was enough to negate all those factors.

• Can God not work in these same ways today? Can He not still tip the balances of power and secure victories for His saints over seemingly insurmountable forces of evil?

• This should give us confidence to undertake great and ambitious tasks. Our strength may be insufficient to achieve them, but a plea to God may be all it takes to rally the forces of heaven behind our cause.