A Call to Come Home

II Chronicles 13:4–12

"Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, "Jeroboam and all Israel, 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 by a covenant of salt? Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, an official of Solomon son of David, rebelled against his master. Some worthless scoundrels gathered around him and opposed Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young and indecisive 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. You are indeed a vast army and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made to be your gods. But didn't you drive out the priests of the LORD, 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 and seven rams may become a priest of what are not gods. "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 they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the LORD. They set out the bread on the ceremonially clean table and light the lamps 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. Men of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed."

It was a call to repentance and to return home. King Abijah of Judah was here acting like a prophet of God and exhorting the King of Israel to reunite not only to their kin and their own people but ultimately to God, for it is futile to oppose God. Gamaliel warned the Jewish leaders, who were much more powerful (just like Jereboam having a bigger army), as well concerning the disciples of the LORD Jesus Christ, "so in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone. Let them go! For if their purpose or endeavor is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God (Acts 5:38-39).” God is unstoppable and so I am glad that I find favour in Him amidst all that I encounter. "What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us (Rom 8:31)?" But, with our fallen nature, trapped in this mortal frame, how can it be? The question always hangs in our daily experience of life and at times we feel as though God is distant: Is God really for us? The answer is yes and we can trust that He is here, for "He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things (Rom 8:32)?" In Christ, we are God's treasure, and we are empowered by His Spirit with us today ushering God’s sovereignty in our lives and over all.