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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Friday, 5 December 2025:
2 Chronicles 13:1-2 — In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah. He reigned for three years in Jerusalem….
Abijah’s reign is short, but the Chronicler spotlights it because it represents a strategic moment of covenant identity formation. Although Abijah is not a consistently righteous king, God uses him as a mouthpiece for truth. Judah is fragile after Rehoboam’s failures, yet God still preserves a remnant trajectory. Abijah’s moment on the stage is defined not by duration but by declaration, a one-cycle leadership window where covenant fidelity is reasserted in the face of counterfeit religion.
2 Chronicles 13:3 — And Abijah went out to battle, having an army of valiant men of war, 400,000 chosen men. And Jeroboam drew up his line of battle against him with 800,000 chosen mighty warriors.
Judah is outnumbered two-to-one. From a battlefield readiness perspective, this is an automatic “no-go.” But God repeatedly demonstrates that numerical disadvantage is irrelevant when spiritual alignment is intact. The Chronicler contrasts two forces: Judah’s smaller but covenant-aligned army versus Israel’s massive but spiritually fraudulent structure. What looks like an operational mismatch is actually a theological mismatch, God versus idols.
2 Chronicles 13:4-5 — Then Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim… and said…. Do you not know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?
Abijah opens with covenant history, not military strategy. A “covenant of salt” signals permanence — unalterable, binding, enduring. Abijah appeals to identity, not might. Judah’s legitimacy rests on God’s promise to David, not on political maneuvering. In corporate terms: he re-centers the organization on its foundational charter, the long-term contract issued by God Himself. The battle is framed as a dispute over covenant authority.
2 Chronicles 13:6 — Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon… rose up and rebelled.
Abijah highlights Jeroboam’s origin: a servant who broke rank, seized opportunity, and built a counterfeit system. Jeroboam’s leadership is founded on rebellion, not calling. Abijah is exposing the root issue — Jeroboam built a kingdom God never sanctioned. Illegitimate foundations eventually collapse under their own weight.
To rebel against God’s chosen workers is to rebel against God.
2 Chronicles 13:7 — And certain worthless scoundrels gathered about him and defied Rehoboam… and Rehoboam was young and irresolute and could not withstand them.
Abijah casts Rehoboam’s weakness in terms of leadership failure: immaturity, insecurity, and lack of resolve. Fraudulent leaders attract corrupt followers, while insecure leaders create openings for rebellion. The Chronicler is showing cause and effect: spiritual weakness in leadership produces structural instability.
2 Chronicles 13:8 — And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD…. Because you are a great multitude and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made you for gods.
Abijah brings the issue into full focus. Jeroboam’s confidence is based on scale — large numbers, large armies, and large crowds worshiping golden calves. But numerical scale cannot compensate for spiritual rot. Abijah is blunt: Jeroboam’s system is built on idols. No matter how impressive the metrics appear, idolatry is always a failing business model.
No number is sufficient to defeat God’s plan.
2 Chronicles 13:9 — Have you not driven out the priests of the LORD… and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes… with a young bull and seven rams becomes a priest of what are no gods.
This is a direct assault on the religious corruption in Israel. Jeroboam fired God’s priests and instituted a buy-in system for priesthood — a complete collapse of spiritual governance. Abijah contrasts this with Judah’s adherence to the Levitical priesthood. When an organization replaces qualified spiritual leadership with compliant performers, truth collapses, worship corrupts, and the entire cultural ecosystem degrades. Abijah calls it plainly: Jeroboam’s system manufactures priests “of what are no gods.”
God chooses His leaders; they are not chosen by powerful or influential men, popular vote, or any other means. Remember, God chose David when no one else had even considered him — David wasn’t even invited to his own anointing ceremony.
- 1 Samuel 16:6-13 — When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him.” But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
2 Chronicles 13:10-11 — But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken Him….
We keep the charge of the LORD our God, but you have forsaken Him.
This is the operational difference between Judah and Israel. Judah is imperfect, but still tethered to the covenant structure, legitimate priests, legitimate worship, legitimate dependence. Abijah draws a bold line: fidelity versus abandonment. Judah is aligned to God; Israel is aligned to idols. The Chronicler wants the reader to see the real battlefield, not geography but worship.
God’s true disciples are revealed by how they prioritize and emphasize worship.
2 Chronicles 13:12 — Behold, God is with us at our head… O sons of Israel, do not fight against the LORD….
Abijah reframes the battle one final time: Israel will not be fighting Judah; they will be fighting God. This is a decisive leadership insight — Abijah realizes the battle belongs to the LORD and positions Judah accordingly. You cannot win against God. Every leader must occasionally ask: “Am I opposing God without realizing it?”
2 Chronicles 13:13-14 — Jeroboam had sent an ambush…. Judah looked, and behold, the battle was in front of and behind them….
The tactical picture becomes dire. Judah is surrounded, outnumbered, and strategically compromised. From a human vantage point, loss is inevitable. But crisis often clarifies allegiance. When Judah sees the trap, everything becomes binary: trust God or collapse in fear.
2 Chronicles 13:14-15 — And they cried to the LORD…. And the men of Judah gave a shout…. And as the men of Judah shouted, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
Judah cries out; God responds with decisive intervention. Abijah’s speech was bold, but God’s action is definitive. The Chronicler wants readers to see the pattern: when God’s people call on Him in covenant fidelity, He steps in. The victory is not earned; it is granted. The battle that looked unwinnable becomes a showcase of divine power.
2 Chronicles 13:16-18 — The men of Israel fled…. Abijah and his people struck them…. Thus the men of Israel were subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the LORD….
This is the strategic takeaway: Judah prevailed because they relied on the LORD. That is the executive summary of the entire chapter. The Chronicler uses this battle to reinforce the core leadership thesis of the book — trust drives triumph. Abijah is not a model king, but in this moment, he models the essential act that defines victory: reliance.
God can bring victory even through flawed leaders when their dependence is rightly placed.
With God on your side, nothing and nobody can defeat you. Nothing on earth can thwart God’s plan for your life if you are willing to trust Him and obey Him. The faithful rely on God through seemingly impossible circumstances and are rewarded by God.
2 Chronicles 13:19-20 — And Abijah pursued Jeroboam…. Jeroboam did not recover his power… the LORD struck him down, and he died.
Jeroboam’s long, influential rebellion ends not with glory but with divine judgment. Abijah’s moment of faith contrasts sharply with Jeroboam’s sustained apostasy. Even with political strength, military advantage, and widespread influence, Jeroboam’s legacy collapses because he opposed God. The Chronicler makes the point unavoidable: the long game belongs to the LORD.
Don’t worry, God knows those who oppose Him and will judge them in His ways and His timing.
2 Chronicles 13:21 — But Abijah grew mighty…. Yet he took fourteen wives….
Abijah experiences success, but his personal compromises remain. The Chronicler records his strength, but also his failures. God granted victory because of reliance, not righteousness. Judah’s future challenges are already seeded in Abijah’s divided heart. Success does not automatically mean spiritual fidelity.
2 Chronicles 13:22 — The rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.
God’s account of your life will focus on your relationship with Him and your fidelity to Him, not so much on your accomplishments.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 5 December 2025: Lead from reliance today. When you face pressure, operational strain, relational conflict, or decisions that outsize your resources, stop and actively lean into God’s strength rather than your own metrics. Make one deliberate act of dependence: prayer before strategy, Scripture before decision, humility before action.
Pray: “Father, keep me grounded in dependence. Strip away my confidence in numbers, resources, or position. Train my heart to rely on You in moments of pressure and uncertainty. Anchor my leadership in Your covenant faithfulness, not in my capability. Guard me from the pride and drift that marked Jeroboam, and build in me the reliance that brought Judah victory. Align my spirit to You today. Amen.”
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 