Accession of Abijah -- his idolatry -- war between Judah and Israel -- Abijah's address to Israel and

victory -- deaths of Jeroboam and of Abijah -- accession of Asa -- religious reformation in Judah --

invasion by Zerah the Ethiopian -- victory of Zephathah -- Azariah's message to the army of asa -- great

sacrificial feast at Jerusalem -- renewal of the covenant with Jehovah.

1 KINGS 15:1-15; 2 CHRONICLES 13-15

JEROBOAM did not only survive Rehoboam, but he witnessed the accession of two other kings of Judah,

Abijah and Asa. The reign of Abijah237 was very brief. Both in 1 Kings 15:2 and in 2 Chronicles 13:2 it is said

to have lasted three years - an expression which must be understood according to this canon laid down by

the Rabbis, that the commencement of a year in the reign of a king is to be reckoned as a full year. Thus, as

Abijah ascended the throne in the eighteenth (1 Kings 15:1), and Asa in the twentieth (ver. 9) year of

Jeroboam's reign, it follows that the former actually reigned only somewhat over two years. Two things are

specially noticed concerning Abijah, his relation towards Jehovah (in 1 Kings 15:3- 5), and his relation to the

kingdom of Jeroboam (2 Chronicle s 13:2-20).

To begin with the former. It is stated that "he walked in all the sins of his father," and that "his heart was not

perfect with Jehovah his God." These two statements are not explanatory of, but supplementary to, each

other. We know that Rehoboam had not abolished the service of Jehovah (see, for example, 1 Kings 14:28),

but that, by its side, a spurious worship had been tolerated, if not encouraged, which, in the view of Holy

Scripture, was equal to idolatry. In this matter Rehoboam had not only followed the example of his father

Solomon, during his later years, but greatly increased the evil which had t hen begun. A similar remark

applies to the reign of Abijah, as compared with that of Rehoboam. That the idolatry of the reign of

Rehoboam had grown both worse in character and more general in practice under that of Abijah, appears

from the notices of the reformation instituted by his successor, Asa. The former circumstance is implied in

the terms by which the idolatry of that period is described (2 Chronicles 14:3, 5), and by the circumstance

that "the queen-mother" (Maachah, Abijah's mother and Asa's grandmother),238 who under Abijah held the

official rank of Gevirah, "Queen" (the modern Sultana Valide), had made and set up "a horror for Asherah"

- some horrible wooden representation, equally vile and idolatrous in its character.

Again, that idolatry had become more widely spread, and that its hold was stronger, we infer from the fact

that, despite Asa's example, admonitions, and exertions (2 Chronicles 14:4, 5), "the high places did not

cease" (1 Kings 15:14). This progressive spiritual decline under the reigns of Solomon, Rehoboam, and

Abijah was so marked as to have deserved the removal of the family of David fro m the throne, had it not

been for God's faithfulness to His covenant-promises (1 Kings 15:4, 5). But, although such was the state of

religion, Abijah not only made loud profession of the worship of Jehovah, but even brought votive

offerings to the Temple, probably of part of the spoil taken in war (1 Kings 15:15; comp. 2 Chronicles 13:16-

Concerning the relations of Judah to the neighboring kingdom of Israel, it may be said that the chronic state

of warfare which had existed during the time of Rehoboam now changed into one of open hostilities. Two

reasons for this may be given. Abijah was a much more vigorous ruler than his father, and the power of

Egypt, on which Jeroboam relied for support, seems at that time to have decreased. This we gather, not only

from the non-interference of Egypt in the war between Abijah and Jeroboam, but from the fact that, when

Egypt at length sought to recover its lost ascendancy, it was under the rule of Zerah the Ethiopian

(probably Osorkon II.), who was not the son, but the son-in-law, of the preceding monarch (2 Chronicles

14:9); and we know the fate that overtook the huge, undisciplined army which Zerah led.

The language of the sacred narrative (2 Chronicles 13:2, 3) implies, that the war between Judah and Israel

was begun by Abijah. On both sides a levy of all capable of bearing arms was raised, though, so far as the