2 Chronicles 14:11 “Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, ‘Lord, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; let not men prevail against You.’”
Observation: Abijah was king of Judah who faced war with the unrighteous Jeroboam, king of Israel. Jeroboam had 800,000 soldiers compared to Abijah’s 400,000, nevertheless Abijah properly cast the battle in spiritual terms. He reminded Jeroboam that God, by a covenant of salt, had given the rule of his people to David and his descendants. Although Jeroboams’ army was great, they worshiped false gods and appointed unrighteous priests, while Abijah and Judah kept the commandments of God (see 2 Chron. 13:1–9). He warned Jeroboam that in fighting Abijah, he was actually fighting against the Lord.
Jeroboam proceeded anyway and was routed, losing 500,000 men. Years later, Abijah’s son Asa was king of Judah and found himself with an army of 580,000 facing an Ethiopian enemy of 1,000,000. But Asa, like his father Abijah, called to the Lord to remind Him of their utter dependence on Him. As a result, God gave Asa a mighty victory against his enemies.
Application: Two generations of leaders, Abijah and Asa, worked to rid the nation of sinful symbols and practices, to restore worship of the one true God. Their cleansing began close to home. First Kings15 tells us that Asa deposed his own grandmother from being the queen mother because she had made a horrid image of a false god.
Such cleansing must always begin at home. Before I can repent effectively for the sins of the nation or my workplace or my church or even my own household, I have to make sure my own heart is pure. Second Chronicles 13:5 reminds the enemies of God that the Davidic covenant was a covenant of salt, echoing identical phrases in Numbers and Leviticus, to emphasize the permanent, everlasting nature of that covenant. Oh, the joy of knowing that I can trust Him to never change! I can rely on His Word, for it is the one permanent thing in this world.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I love having seen this phrase today, “covenant of salt,” for that describes Your covenant with me, doesn’t it? Your unchanging, permanent, eternal nature has entered into my life and changed me forever. Thank You, Lord, for the imagery of this covenant of salt, for it’s something I can rely on when my faith becomes shaky at times.