Study Desk

Abijah King of Judah^(a)

In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam, Abijah became king of Judah,

and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother's name was Maakah,^[a](b) a daughter^[b] of Uriel of Gibeah. There was war between Abijah^(c) and Jeroboam.^(d)

Abijah went into battle with an army of four hundred thousand able fighting men, and Jeroboam drew up a battle line against him with eight hundred thousand able troops.

Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim,^(e) in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, "Jeroboam and all Israel,^(f) listen to me!

Don't you know that the Lord , the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever^(g) by a covenant of salt?^(h)

Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, an official of Solomon son of David, rebelled⁽ⁱ⁾ against his master.

Some worthless scoundrels^(j) gathered around him and opposed Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young and indecisive^(k) and not strong enough to resist them.

"And now you plan to resist the kingdom of the Lord , which is in the hands of David's descendants.^(l) You are indeed a vast army and have with you^(m) the golden calves⁽ⁿ⁾ that Jeroboam made to be your gods.

But didn't you drive out the priests^(o) of the Lord ,^(p) the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and make priests of your own as the peoples of other lands do? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull^(q) and seven rams^(r) may become a priest of what are not gods.^(s)

"As for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests who serve the Lord are sons of Aaron, and the Levites assist them.

Every morning and evening^(t) they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense^(u) to the Lord . They set out the bread on the ceremonially clean table^(v) and light the lamps^(w) on the gold lampstand every evening. We are observing the requirements of the Lord our God. But you have forsaken him.

God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you.^(x) People of Israel, do not fight against the Lord ,^(y) the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed."^(z)

Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah the ambush^(aa) was behind them.

Judah turned and saw that they were being attacked at both front and rear. Then they cried out^(ab) to the Lord . The priests blew their trumpets

and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. At the sound of their battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel^(ac) before Abijah and Judah.

The Israelites fled before Judah, and God delivered^(ad) them into their hands.

Abijah and his troops inflicted heavy losses on them, so that there were five hundred thousand casualties among Israel's able men.

The Israelites were subdued on that occasion, and the people of Judah were victorious because they relied^(ae) on the Lord , the God of their ancestors.

Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took from him the towns of Bethel, Jeshanah and Ephron, with their surrounding villages.

Jeroboam did not regain power during the time of Abijah. And the Lord struck him down and he died.

But Abijah grew in strength. He married fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

The other events of Abijah's reign, what he did and what he said, are written in the annotations of the prophet Iddo.

^[a]And Abijah rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. Asa his son succeeded him as king, and in his days the country was at peace for ten years.

Asa King of Judah^(a)

Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.^(b)

He removed the foreign altars^(c) and the high places, smashed the sacred stones^(d) and cut down the Asherah poles.^[b](e)

He commanded Judah to seek the Lord ,^(f) the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands.

He removed the high places^(g) and incense altars^(h) in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him.

He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the Lord gave him rest.⁽ⁱ⁾

"Let us build up these towns," he said to Judah, "and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God; we sought him and he has given us rest^(j) on every side." So they built and prospered.

Asa had an army of three hundred thousand^(k) men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men.

Zerah the Cushite^(l) marched out against them with an army of thousands upon thousands and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.^(m)

Asa went out to meet him, and they took up battle positions in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.

Then Asa called⁽ⁿ⁾ to the Lord his God and said, " Lord , there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us,^(o) Lord our God, for we rely^(p) on you, and in your name^(q) we have come against this vast army. Lord , you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail^(r) against you."

The Lord struck down^(s) the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled,

and Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar.^(t) Such a great number of Cushites fell that they could not recover; they were crushed^(u) before the Lord and his forces. The men of Judah carried off a large amount of plunder.^(v)

They destroyed all the villages around Gerar, for the terror^(w) of the Lord had fallen on them. They looted all these villages, since there was much plunder there.

They also attacked the camps of the herders and carried off droves of sheep and goats and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

Asa's Reform^(a)

The Spirit of God came on^(b) Azariah son of Oded.

He went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you^(c) when you are with him.^(d) If you seek^(e) him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.^(f)

For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach^(g) and without the law.^(h)

But in their distress they turned to the Lord , the God of Israel, and sought him,⁽ⁱ⁾ and he was found by them.

In those days it was not safe to travel about,^(j) for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil.

One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another,^(k) because God was troubling them with every kind of distress.

But as for you, be strong^(l) and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded."^(m)

When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of^[a] Oded the prophet, he took courage. He removed the detestable idols⁽ⁿ⁾ from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured^(o) in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the altar^(p) of the Lord that was in front of the portico of the Lord 's temple.

Then he assembled all Judah and Benjamin and the people from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who had settled among them, for large numbers^(q) had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

They assembled at Jerusalem in the third month^(r) of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign.

At that time they sacrificed to the Lord seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep and goats from the plunder^(s) they had brought back.

They entered into a covenant^(t) to seek the Lord ,^(u) the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul.

All who would not seek the Lord , the God of Israel, were to be put to death,^(v) whether small or great, man or woman.

They took an oath to the Lord with loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns.

All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought God^(w) eagerly, and he was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest^(x) on every side.

King Asa also deposed his grandmother Maakah^(y) from her position as queen mother,^(z) because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah.^(aa) Asa cut it down, broke it up and burned it in the Kidron Valley.^(ab)

Although he did not remove the high places from Israel, Asa's heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life.

He brought into the temple of God the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.^(ac)

There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign.

Asa's Last Years^(a)(b)

In the thirty-sixth year of Asa's reign Baasha^(c) king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.

Asa then took the silver and gold out of the treasuries of the Lord 's temple and of his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus.^(d)

"Let there be a treaty^(e) between me and you," he said, "as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me."

Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim^[a] and all the store cities of Naphtali.^(f)

When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and abandoned his work.

Then King Asa brought all the men of Judah, and they carried away from Ramah the stones and timber Baasha had been using. With them he built up Geba and Mizpah.^(g)

At that time Hanani^(h) the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: "Because you relied⁽ⁱ⁾ on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand.

Were not the Cushites^[b](j) and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers^(k) of chariots and horsemen^[c]? Yet when you relied on the Lord , he delivered^(l) them into your hand.

For the eyes^(m) of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish⁽ⁿ⁾ thing, and from now on you will be at war.^(o)"

Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison.^(p) At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people.

The events of Asa's reign, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted^(q) with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek^(r) help from the Lord ,^(s) but only from the physicians.

Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his ancestors.

They buried him in the tomb that he had cut out for himself^(t) in the City of David. They laid him on a bier covered with spices and various blended perfumes,^(u) and they made a huge fire^(v) in his honor.