The Day the Ambush Failed and Faith Prevailed

Saul, David, and Solomon ruled over the united kingdom of Israel. Each reigned about 40 years. Then, despite all the wisdom Solomon had taught his son, Rehoboam (who replaced him) forsook the counsel of his father, men of the older men and followed the foolhardy advice of men his own age. As a result, the kingdom split. Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests, supported Rehoboam in the south while the other ten tribes made Jeroboam king in the north. What else could one expect but fighting between the two kings and the two kingdoms, which 2 Chronicles 12:15 declares was the case.

When Abijah became king after his father Rehoboam died, nothing changed. Jeroboam continued to reign in the north, and a battle between him and Judah’s new king, Abijah, soon materialized. The southern kingdom managed to have a great number of soldiers—400,000. But they were no match for the ten tribes of their brethren, who possessed double that amount. It is obvious who should have won that contest. But when the battle lines were drawn, King Abijah addressed Jeroboam and all the troops that would fight against them. And he tells them why they will lose!

He first reminds them (2 Chron. 13:5) that the Lord God of Israel had given the kingdom to David and his descendants by a covenant of salt, which meant that it could not be broken. This implies that God is going to favor Judah over Israel.

Next, he reminds the northern kingdom that Jeroboam (though now king) was once the servant of Solomon, against whom he rebelled (v. 6). He strengthened himself later against Rehoboam with the help of “worthless rogues” (v. 7). The citation of these facts also implies that in a battle between the two kingdoms that God will favor Judah.

“And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord, which is in the hands of the sons of David,” Abijah says, pointing out the folly of fighting against God’s kingdom. But also, Abijah notes what Israel has brought to the fight—the golden calves that Jeroboam had made for them (v. 8); these were a total misrepresentation of who God actually is. Nothing on earth can accurately depict God Almighty, Whose presence fills the universe. A calf, a fish, a bird, or an insect as a representation of the real God is laughable.

This action had so angered God that he sent a prophet to cry out against the altar of incense Jeroboam had constructed. The altar then split apart, and the ashes poured out from it. When Jeroboam tried to have the prophet arrested, his hand withered. He immediately humbled himself and asked for the prophet to pray for him to restore his hand, which he did (1 Kings 13:1-6). Had Jeroboam forgotten all of these actions that are now called to mind?

(Ordinarily, restoration is a great concept, but in making the golden calves, Jeroboam restored what had angered God while Moses was on the mount. That golden calf had been burned, ground into powder, and scattered upon the water, and the Israelites were then forced to drink it, all of which is recorded in Exodus 32:20. Why would anyone desire to restore error?)

Furthermore, Jeroboam had cast out the true priests of God from serving in Israel. He replaced them with just anyone, imitating what people of other lands had done. Virtually, anyone could make himself a priest—over things that are not gods (2 Chron. 13:9). Ouch! Jeroboam had fake priests who were ministering to fake gods.

Did they really want to fight against Judah, who had not forsaken God and whose priests were legitimate, being the sons of Aaron, whom God had Himself appointed to serve Him (v. 10)? These men tend to their appointed duties just as God commanded them to do, but Jeroboam and Israel had forsaken the Lord (v. 11). To summarize the situation, Abijah closes with these words:

Now look, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper! (v. 12).

Jeroboam and his men should have turned around and marched home because Abijah’s logic could not be refuted. He did not make up anything or try to “spin” the facts. He spoke the truth, and Israel should have listened. But they did not.

Instead, Jeroboam resorted to a ploy that, so far as we know, had never failed—the ambush. This ploy had worked well when Joshua led his men against Ai in Joshua 8. It also worked against a stubborn Gibeah in Judges 20:29-37. Undoubtedly, Jeroboam considered the ambush a superior strategy in fighting against the smaller army. The exact number that went behind Abijah’s army is not specified, but Jeroboam could have had 400,000 men in front of his foe and 400,000 behind Him, which could effectively quash Abijah’s 400,000 troops in between (2 Chron. 13:13). And it might have worked, had Jeroboam not forsaken God long ago.

For a moment, Judah was unnerved when they looked and saw “the battle line was at both front and rear.” They cried out to the Lord, and the priests sounded the trumpets (v. 14). Then a remarkable thing occurred. The men of Judah shouted, and at that moment “God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah” (v. 15). Israel fled, and God gave Judah the victory (v. 16). The ambush failed.

The writer specifically informs us that God struck Jeroboam and gave Judah the victory. The men of Judah did not out strategize the Israelites. They did not possess more courage. Their training had not left them with better skills. God fought for them and gave them the victory. This type of victory happened many times in the days of Joshua, when the nation was tremendously outnumbered (10:14). At one particular battle, when the enemy began to flee from Joshua, “the Lord cast down large hailstones from heaven” on the enemy; more “died from the hailstones than those whom the children of Israel killed with the sword” (10:11).

We do not know specifically what God did to Jeroboam’s men (put them into confusion, etc.), but when the battle was over 500,000 out of their 800,000-man army “fell slain” (2 Chron. 13:17). Can there be any doubt as to why Judah, the southern kingdom, defeated the superior Israelite force of the northern kingdom? Just in case anyone had doubts, verse 18 tells us that “the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the Lord God of their fathers.”

How humiliating for Jeroboam! He should have listened to the rationale Abijah had put forth, for he spoke the truth. But the humiliation does not end with this incredible loss. It seems that “Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him” (v. 19). Worse still is the description provided in verse 20: “So Jeroboam did not recover strength again in the days of Abijah; and the Lord struck him, and he died.”

Opportunities

No one should feel sorry for Jeroboam. He had many chances to repent. Remember that it was he who changed the worship of the northern kingdom in four significant ways. He did so out of fear that the people would want to be reunited with Judah and possibly kill him (1 Kings 12:26-27). But he did not need to worry because initially God gave the northern kingdom to him. Abijah the Shilonite prophesied what would happen. God gave Jeroboam the ten northern tribes of Israel—and made him a promise:

Then it shall be, if you heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you (1 Kings 11:38).

What a wonderful, assuring, compelling promise! That was chance number one for him to remain faithful. But evidently Jeroboam did not trust in God’s Word. He feared losing the kingdom and changed the worship (1 King 12:25-33). The second opportunity to get back on track was when the Lord sent the man of God to cry out against the altar to show His displeasure in what Jeroboam had done (1 Kings 13:1-5). A third proof involved the man of God restoring his shriveled arm (6).

The fourth opportunity for Jeroboam to repent came when his son became ill. He sent his wife to Ahijah the prophet (the same man who prophesied God would give the kingdom to Jeroboam) to see if he would recover. The lad would die—because God saw something good in him (1 Kings 14:13). But the news was bad for Jeroboam: God had exalted him (v. 7), but he did “more evil than all who were before” him and cast God behind his back (v. 9). Dogs would eat any of Jeroboam’s descendants who died in the city and birds would eat whoever died in the field (11). Even with such a ghastly pronouncement, Jeroboam still would not repent.

The loss of this battle against Abijah may have been his fifth and final opportunity to see that, without a doubt, he had angered Almighty God. When logic, direct statements, and evidence will not move a person to repent, there is no hope. Of all people, Jeroboam will surely be punished as one of the worst. “Then Jeroboam drove Israel from following the Lord, and made them commit a great sin” (2 Kings 17:21). That sin lasted over two centuries; no one ever removed the idols or the other false practices introduced by Jeroboam. The system of worship he invented and installed caused all Israel to worship falsely and led to their ultimate captivity.

Applications

1. Let faith prevail. No matter what the odds, faith must endure. Judah won because of her faithfulness, but no country today can boast of being faithful to God. Individually, we must live by faith—despite whatever persecution (or even death) comes upon us. Faith prevails where it counts the most—in eternity.

2. Don’t reject the Word of God, as Jeroboam did. What it teaches is the truth—regardless of what anyone else says. It alone has the power to save the soul (James 1:21). Friends cannot do it; relatives cannot do it—only God’s Word can save.

3. Make sure your worship is correct. King Jeroboam changed true worship into false. The two golden calves he made could not represent Jehovah. He sent God’s priests packing and let just anyone perform their duties. He changed the place of worship from Jerusalem to Dan and Bethel. He also changed the time of a feast day. God neither authorized nor accepted any of these alterations. People lived their entire lives worshiping God falsely.

4. If you have taken the Lord’s side, you are where you need to be. Do not allow societal pressure to move you away from the truth. It does not matter what “experts” say, whether worldly or spiritually. What matters is what the Bible teaches, for it alone is right.

5. Do not fear those not part of God’s kingdom. We, the church, are God’s kingdom. We may be outnumbered by a myriad of manmade churches, but we respect the Word of God and have made certain to engage in true worship. We willingly defend our beliefs. We therefore expect to be victorious!