Commentary - 2 Chronicles 13:21-22

Bird's-eye view

These concluding verses to the reign of Abijah present us with a picture of unresolved tension. On the one hand, Abijah is strengthened and blessed with a large family, which are external markers of God's favor. On the other hand, the means by which he pursues this strength, particularly through polygamy, is a direct violation of God's law for kings and the creation ordinance for mankind. This is a classic case of a man using worldly methods to secure what he perceives as a godly blessing. The passage then concludes by grounding this entire historical account in a verifiable source, the writings of the prophet Iddo, reminding us that we are reading real history, interpreted for us by God's inspired spokesmen.

Outline

Verse 21

But Abijah became stronger; and he took fourteen wives to himself, and became the father of twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

The chapter begins with Abijah on the battlefield, trusting in the Lord and winning a spectacular, God-given victory. His strength was from God. But this verse shows us what so often happens when God blesses a man with success. The test of a man is not found in adversity, but in prosperity. When God makes you strong, what do you do with that strength? Do you lean into Him further, or do you begin to lean on the arm of the flesh?

Abijah, sadly, chooses the latter. He "became stronger," and the very next clause tells us how he manifested this strength: "he took fourteen wives to himself." This was the behavior of a typical oriental potentate, not a king of Judah. This was a king flexing his muscles in the way the pagans did. He was directly disobeying the explicit command for Israel's kings found in Deuteronomy 17:17, that the king must not "multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away." This multiplication of wives was a political strategy, a way of forging alliances and securing a dynasty through sheer numbers. It was a carnal solution to a spiritual task.

And God, in His confounding common grace, blesses this mess with fruitfulness. Twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. Children are a heritage from the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is a reward (Psalm 127:3). So we see God's covenant faithfulness to the line of David operating despite the sin of David's descendant. God will get His Messiah into the world, and He will do it through a line of sinners saved by grace. But we must not mistake God's patient grace for approval. A household built on polygamy is a household built on a foundation of sand. It is a nursery for jealousy, intrigue, and strife, as the histories of David and Solomon so painfully attest. Abijah was sowing the wind, and his descendants would reap the whirlwind.

Verse 22

Now the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways and his words are written in the treatise of the prophet Iddo.

The Chronicler here concludes his account by pointing to his sources. This is not "once upon a time." This is history, and the author wants us to know it. He appeals to a known document, the "treatise," or midrash, of the prophet Iddo. A midrash is more than a simple chronicle; it is an interpretive commentary on the events. This is key. The historians of Israel were the prophets. They didn't just record what happened; they told you what it meant from God's point of view.

Notice the comprehensive nature of what was recorded: his "acts," his "ways," and his "words." His acts are his public deeds, the battles and building projects. His ways refer to his character, his habits, his manner of life. And his words are his speeches, his decrees, his pronouncements. Abijah gave a magnificent sermon on the battlefield in this very chapter, calling Judah to faithfulness. Iddo recorded that, but also, we can infer, the words that didn't match his ways. The whole man was recorded. This is a sober reminder that God keeps the books meticulously. One day, the full account of our acts, ways, and words will be opened. For the unbeliever, this is a terror. For the believer, it is a cause for humility and gratitude, knowing that the blood of Christ has covered the damning record and blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us.

The fact that a prophet wrote the history is crucial. This means it is an inspired history, a theological history. God is the primary author of this story, and He wants us to learn from Abijah's mixed legacy. He wants us to see the folly of trusting in worldly strength and the necessity of looking to a better King, one whose only bride is the Church, and whose strength was perfected in the weakness of the cross.

Application

The story of Abijah is a cautionary tale for every successful Christian. When God grants you victory, whether in business, family, or ministry, the immediate temptation is to consolidate that victory using the world's methods. We are tempted to multiply "wives and horses", to trust in political maneuvering, financial security, or strategic alliances rather than in the living God who gave us the victory in the first place.

Abijah's story forces us to ask: what do we do with the strength God gives us? Do we leverage it for our own glory, building our own little polygamous kingdoms? Or do we consecrate it to Him, recognizing that true and lasting strength is found not in a large harem, but in simple, faithful obedience to His Word?

Furthermore, the reference to the prophet Iddo reminds us that our lives are being written down. We are writing our story every day through our actions, our habits, and our speech. The only way for that story to have a happy ending is for it to be subsumed into the greater story of the one perfect King, Jesus Christ. Abijah's life was a mix of glorious faith and grievous failure. He points us to our need for a king who never fails, whose ways are perfect, and whose words are true. We must trust in His finished work, not our own mixed performances.