Verse 5

Ought ye not to know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?

Of salt — By a perpetual covenant.

Verse 8

And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David; and ye be a great multitude, and there are with you golden calves, which Jeroboam made you for gods.

Golden calves — There is that among you which may damp your confidence: you worship those images which God abhors.

Verse 9

Have ye not cast out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and have made you priests after the manner of the nations of other lands? so that whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams, the same may be a priest of them that are no gods.

Consecrate — To make himself a priest.

Verse 10

But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and the priests, which minister unto the LORD, are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business:

The Lord — Heb. Jehovah, the only true God.

We — Maintain his worship which you have rejected.

Verse 11

And they burn unto the LORD every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense: the shewbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of the LORD our God; but ye have forsaken him.

Pure table — Made of pure gold, Exodus 25:23,24, he saith table and candlestick, though there were ten of each, because ordinarily there was but one of each used at a time for those uses.

We keep — Perhaps he flattered himself, that his keeping up the external worship of God would make satisfaction for the errors of his life.

Verse 12

And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the LORD God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper.

Trumpets — Upon the sounding whereof God hath solemnly promised to assist his people, Numbers 10:9.

The Lord — You have not only us for your enemies, but God, even the God whom your fathers served. It is folly to fight against the God of almighty power: but it is treachery and base ingratitude, to fight against your father's God.

Verse 13

But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them.

Jeroboam — While Abijah was discoursing, Jeroboam takes the advantage of it to lay an ambush. It does not appear that he made any answer to all that Abijah said. The longest sword he thinks will determine the matter, not the better cause.

Verse 15

Then the men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

Gave a shout — It is unspeakable comfort, that no stratagem or ambush can cut off our communication with heaven. To the cry of prayer they added the shout of faith, and so became more than conquerors.

Verse 20

Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and the LORD struck him, and he died.

The Lord struck him — He escaped the sword of Abijah: but God struck him: there is no escaping his sword.

Verse 21

But Abijah waxed mighty, and married fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters.

Married — Not after this victory, for he died presently after it, but in the whole time of his life.