Covenant, Calves, and the Cry of Victory Text: 2 Chronicles 13:4-19
Introduction: Two Mountains, Two Kingdoms
We come this morning to a civil war, a bloody family dispute between the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. And as is the case with all such conflicts, the battle is not ultimately fought with spears and shields, but with worldviews. The real conflict is always theological. Before the first soldier draws a sword, the fundamental arguments about reality have already been made. And here, in our text, we have the king of Judah, Abijah, standing on a mountain in enemy territory, preaching a sermon before the battle. This is not just a pre-game pep talk. This is a declaration of cosmic realities. Abijah lays out the entire case: there is a true kingdom, established by God through an unbreakable covenant, and there is a counterfeit kingdom, established by man through rebellion, fear, and idolatry. And God is about to show everyone which one is which.
We live in a time of a great sorting, a great division. We have two rival visions for our society, our families, and our future. One is built on the unshakeable rock of God's revealed Word, and the other is built on the shifting sands of human autonomy and rebellion. One has a true priesthood and a true sacrifice, and the other has appointed priests of its own devising, offering sacrifices to "no gods." The story of Abijah and Jeroboam is therefore not some dusty artifact of ancient history. It is our story. It is a stark reminder that ideas have consequences, and bad theology has a body count. The central question of this passage, and for our own day, is this: on what basis do you stand, and upon whom do you rely?
Judah was outnumbered two to one. They were outmaneuvered, surrounded, and by all human calculation, doomed. But they had one thing Israel did not: they had a covenant with the living God. And when you have that, the odds do not matter. When God is with you at your head, and His priests are sounding the trumpets, you are in the majority. This passage is a glorious case study in the difference between true and false worship, the nature of covenant faithfulness, and the reality of liturgical warfare.
The Text
Then Abijah rose up on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel: Do you not know that Yahweh, the God of Israel, gave the rule over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt? Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master, and worthless men gathered about him, vile men, who proved too strong for Rehoboam, the son of Solomon; he was young and timid and could not exert his strength before them.
So now you intend to exert your strength before the kingdom of Yahweh by the hand of the sons of David, being a great multitude and having with you the golden calves which Jeroboam made for gods for you. Have you not driven out the priests of Yahweh, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes to ordain himself with a bull from the herd and seven rams, even he may become a priest of what are no gods. But as for us, Yahweh is our God, and we have not forsaken Him; and the sons of Aaron are ministering to Yahweh as priests, and the Levites are in their work. And every morning and evening they burn to Yahweh burnt offerings and fragrant incense, and the showbread is set on the clean table, and the golden lampstand with its lamps is ready to light every evening; for we keep the responsibility given by Yahweh our God, but you have forsaken Him. And behold, God is with us at our head and His priests with the signal trumpets to raise the shout of war against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against Yahweh, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.”
But Jeroboam had encircled an ambush to come from the rear, so that Israel was in front of Judah and the ambush was behind them. So Judah turned around, and behold, they were attacked both front and rear; so they cried to Yahweh, and the priests blew the trumpets. Then the men of Judah raised a shout of war, and when the men of Judah raised the shout of war, then it was that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. So the sons of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hand. And Abijah and his people struck them down with a great slaughter, and 500,000 chosen men of Israel fell slain. Thus the sons of Israel were subdued at that time, and the sons of Judah were strong because they leaned upon Yahweh, the God of their fathers. And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured from him several cities, Bethel with its towns, Jeshanah with its towns, and Ephron with its towns.
(2 Chronicles 13:4-19 LSB)
The Unbreakable Covenant (v. 4-7)
Abijah begins his sermon not with military threats, but with a theology lesson. He starts with first principles.
"Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel: Do you not know that Yahweh, the God of Israel, gave the rule over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?" (2 Chronicles 13:4-5)
He appeals to what they should know. This is not some esoteric secret. This is public knowledge, foundational to their identity. God gave the kingdom to David. This was not a democratic election or a military coup. It was a divine grant. And it was given "forever." This is the Davidic Covenant, and Abijah adds a crucial descriptor: it is a "covenant of salt." Salt is a preservative. It speaks of permanence, incorruptibility, and endurance. A covenant of salt is an unbreakable, enduring promise. God's Word does not rot. His promises do not decay. The kingdom belongs to David's line, period. This is not a matter for debate.
Against this backdrop of divine, permanent order, Abijah defines Jeroboam's actions with stark clarity.
"Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master, and worthless men gathered about him, vile men..." (2 Chronicles 13:6-7)
The issue is rebellion. Jeroboam was a servant who rebelled against his lord. This is the original sin of Satan replayed on the stage of Israelite history. To rebel against God's anointed is to rebel against God. And notice who joins him: "worthless men," "vile men." The Hebrew is literally "sons of Belial." Rebellion is never a solo act; it attracts the worthless, the scoundrels, the men who despise authority because they despise the God who establishes all authority. Abijah frames the entire schism not as a political disagreement over taxes, but as a wicked rebellion against a divine institution.
True Worship vs. Counterfeit Religion (v. 8-12)
Abijah then moves from the political rebellion to its necessary consequence: religious apostasy. A false government must be propped up by a false religion.
"So now you intend to exert your strength before the kingdom of Yahweh... being a great multitude and having with you the golden calves which Jeroboam made for gods for you." (2 Chronicles 13:8)
Jeroboam's kingdom is a direct challenge to the "kingdom of Yahweh," which is administered through David's sons. They trust in their numbers, their "great multitude," but their real confidence is in their idols, the golden calves. Jeroboam, in a fit of political expediency, set up these idols to keep the people from going to Jerusalem to worship, fearing he would lose their allegiance (1 Kings 12). He created a state-sponsored, counterfeit religion to secure his own power. This is what all tyrants do. They cannot tolerate a transcendent authority, so they must invent gods they can control.
The corruption runs deep. A false god requires a false priesthood.
"Have you not driven out the priests of Yahweh, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests like the peoples of other lands?" (2 Chronicles 13:9)
They rejected God's ordained ministers and replaced them with a priesthood of their own making, open to anyone with a bull and seven rams. The standard was not divine calling and consecration, but rather the ability to pay the fee. This is pragmatism over principle. It is the worship of "what are no gods." In contrast, Abijah lays out the marks of Judah's faithfulness. "Yahweh is our God, and we have not forsaken Him." They have the true priests, the sons of Aaron. They perform the true worship: the morning and evening sacrifices, the fragrant incense, the showbread, the golden lampstand. They are keeping "the responsibility given by Yahweh our God."
This is the central contrast. Judah's strength is not in their numbers, but in their liturgy. Their confidence is in their faithful adherence to the pattern of worship God Himself commanded. This is why Abijah can say with such boldness:
"And behold, God is with us at our head and His priests with the signal trumpets to raise the shout of war against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against Yahweh, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed." (2 Chronicles 13:12)
This is not a battle of Judah versus Israel. It is a battle of Israel versus Yahweh. And that is a fight you cannot win.
Worship as Warfare (v. 13-16)
Jeroboam, being a pragmatist and a rebel, does not listen to the sermon. He relies on clever military tactics. He is a strategist, not a theologian.
"But Jeroboam had encircled an ambush to come from the rear, so that Israel was in front of Judah and the ambush was behind them." (2 Chronicles 13:13)
From a purely human standpoint, the situation is hopeless. Judah is trapped. They are outnumbered and surrounded. This is the moment of ultimate testing. Do they trust their own strength, which is nothing, or do they trust in the God Abijah just preached about?
"So Judah turned around, and behold, they were attacked both front and rear; so they cried to Yahweh, and the priests blew the trumpets. Then the men of Judah raised a shout of war..." (2 Chronicles 13:14-15)
Notice the sequence. First, they see the trap. Second, they cry out to Yahweh. This is not a cry of despair, but a cry of dependence. Third, the priests blew the trumpets. This is a liturgical act, a call for divine intervention. Fourth, the men of Judah shouted. This is the shout of faith, the war cry of those who know the battle is the Lord's. This is worship as warfare. Their primary weapons were not their swords, but their voices, their trumpets, their cry to God.
And the result is immediate and decisive.
"...and when the men of Judah raised the shout of war, then it was that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. So the sons of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hand." (2 Chronicles 13:15-16)
God did it. The text is emphatic. God smote them. God gave them into their hand. The victory was not a result of Judah's military prowess, but of God's direct intervention in response to their cry of faith. The shout of praise was the trigger for the display of God's power.
The Foundation of Strength (v. 17-19)
The aftermath of the battle is staggering. Five hundred thousand men of Israel fell slain. This is a catastrophic defeat, a clear and unambiguous judgment from God. The Chronicler then gives us the reason, the theological summary of the entire event.
"Thus the sons of Israel were subdued at that time, and the sons of Judah were strong because they leaned upon Yahweh, the God of their fathers." (2 Chronicles 13:18)
Here is the lesson boiled down to its essence. Israel was subdued. Judah was strong. Why? Not because Judah had a better king, Abijah himself was a flawed man. Not because they had a bigger army, they were outnumbered two to one. Not because they had a better strategy, they were caught in a trap. They were strong for one reason and one reason only: "because they leaned upon Yahweh, the God of their fathers." The word for "leaned upon" means to rely on, to trust in, to find support in. Their strength was found outside of themselves. They were strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
The victory is then consolidated. Abijah pursues Jeroboam and captures key cities, including Bethel. Bethel was one of the centers of Jeroboam's calf-worship. This is not just a territorial gain; it is a spiritual victory, a direct strike against the heart of the counterfeit religion.
Conclusion: Leaning on the Lord
So what are we to take from this? We are in a spiritual war. We are surrounded by a hostile culture that has rejected God's covenant and has set up golden calves of its own devising, be they the idols of materialism, sexual autonomy, or the worship of the state. We are often outnumbered, and it can feel like we are trapped, with enemies to the front and enemies to the rear.
The temptation is to despair, or to trust in our own clever strategies, or to try and muster a "great multitude." But this story calls us to a different path. Our strength is not in our numbers, but in our covenant. We have a better covenant than Abijah, sealed not with salt, but with the blood of the Son of God. We have a better King, Jesus, the true Son of David, whose kingdom is forever. We have a better priesthood, with Christ as our great High Priest. And we have a better sacrifice, His once-for-all offering on the cross.
Therefore, our strategy must be the same as Judah's. We must lean upon the Lord. When we see the ambush, when we feel surrounded, our first move must be to cry out to Yahweh. Our warfare must be liturgical. We fight by gathering on the Lord's Day, by singing the Psalms, by hearing the Word preached, by coming to the Table. We fight by raising the shout of faith in a world that worships "no gods."
The battle belongs to the Lord. He smites His enemies. He gives them into our hand. Our task is not to generate the victory, but to lean on the Victor. We are to be strong, not in ourselves, but because we lean upon Yahweh, the God of our fathers, and the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.