LITTLE JUDAH DEFEATS MUCH LARGER ISRAEL

PROCLAMATION

“The Israelites were subdued on that occasion, and the people of Judah were victorious because they relied on The Lord, The God of their ancestors.”  2 Chronicles 13:18 (NIV)

EXPLANATION
King Rehoboam, son of Solomon and king of the southern kingdom of Judah and Benjamin, prepared to go to war with the northern kingdom of Israel to regain that territory.  The word of The Lord came to him through Shemaiah the man of God, saying do not fight your fellow Israelites.  He listened and obeyed the word of God and turned back from marching against Jeroboam. (2 Chronicles 11:1-4)  Afterwards, Rehoboam fortified Jerusalem and the surrounding towns. (2 Chronicles 11:5-12)  The priests and the Levites supported him because Jeroboam had rejected them and appointed his priests to worship the idols he had made. (2 Chronicles 11:13-17)  Then, for some unknown reason, Rehoboam and the people of Judah abandoned the law of The Lord and He allowed them to be attacked and captured by Shishak king of Egypt. (2 Chronicles 12:1-5)  When Rehoboam died his son Abijah succeeded him as king of Judah. (2 Chronicles 12:16)  There was continued friction between the northern and the southern kingdoms.  The army of Jeroboam was much larger than the army of Abijah. (2 Chronicles 13:1-3)  As they prepared for battle, Abijah stood on a hill and called out to Jeroboam and told him that The Lord God was on his side and that he was fighting against The God of their ancestors. (2 Chronicles 13:4-12)  Jeroboam ignored him and sent his troops out to attack Judah from the front and from the rear.  When Abijah saw this, he and the people of Judah cried out to The Lord God and He routed Jeroboam’s army. (2 Chronicles 13:13-20)

APPLICATION
When we are on The Lord’s side and He is with us, it does not matter how big our enemy is because He will fight our battles and grant us the victory. (1 Corinthians 15:57)  Remember that little David slew the giant Goliath with the help of The Lord. (1 Samuel 17:48-51)  Today, most of our battles are not with people but against principalities, and powers in high places, and spiritual wickedness. (Ephesians 6:12)  We need God’s help.  We must put on the whole armor of God so that we can stand up against the evil that we face. (Ephesians 6:10-11 and 14-18)