2 Chronicles 13

“Have you not cast out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests, like the peoples of other lands, so that whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may be a priest of things that are not gods? But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken Him; and the priests who minister to the Lord are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites attend to their duties. And they burn to the Lord every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense; they also set the showbread in order on the pure gold table, and the lampstand of gold with its lamps to burn every evening; for we keep the command of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken Him. Now look, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against you.  O children of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper!”  2 Chronicles 13:9-12 (NKJV)

Jeroboam was in big trouble, although I am confident nobody in his army thought so at the beginning of today’s chapter.  Jeroboam had sought worldly counsel, adopted the values of the pagan nations he aspired to be like, and now was scornful toward pious Judah to the point where he wanted to annihilate them!  In following after idols (and enticing others to follow him), Jeroboam literally followed the pattern of cursing that King David had described in Psalm 1.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2 (NKJV)

Judah’s king Abijah, on the other hand, had kept the Lord’s Word with its priesthood intact.  Unlike Jeroboam, who walked by sight and not by faith, Abijah walked by faith, believing God’s promises to all who seek Him as He prescribes.  Notice how Abijah’s warning to Jeroboam has nothing to do with how large his army was.  (He was outnumbered.) Instead, his warning to Jeroboam consisted of knowing he had the most important plot of land on any battlefield: The Moral High Ground.  He did not have a made-up priesthood.  He had the legit one!

“The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets; and these shall be to you as an ordinance forever throughout your generations.  When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the Lord your God, and you will be saved from your enemies.” Numbers 10:8-9 (NKJV)

Did you know that all followers of Jesus have legitimately entered His priesthood?

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NKJV)