Victory: Covenant and Obedience

Few people expected the Philadelphia Eagles to win Super Bowl LII. The returning champion New England Patriots were five-time Super Bowl winners and a modern dynasty under perennial Pro Bowl quarterback Tom Brady. The two teams led the league with the same regular season record, but the Eagles lost their quarterback to injury just weeks before the Super Bowl. The underdog prevailed, however. The Eagles attributed their victory to hard work, stellar coaching, and a refusal to give up.

Even fewer people might have favored Abijah, the new king of Judah, to defeat Jeroboam and his troops. Jeroboam had already ruled Israel for 18 years at this point (v. 1). Moreover, Abijah’s army was half the size of Jeroboam’s.

But Abijah led the army of Judah to a decisive victory over a trained leader with twice the military resources. Here’s why: They trusted the Lord to keep the covenants He had made with David and Moses (vv. 5, 9).  They chose to place their trust in the Lord and obey Him rather than cower before human armies who were led by an idolatrous king (vv. 10–12).

Scripture is clear about who receives credit for the victory. Abijah was brave, his warriors were obedient, and the priests were faithful. But the victory belonged to the Lord: “The Israelites were subdued on that occasion, and the people of Judah were victorious because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors” (v. 18).

No challenge is greater than the abilities of the One who has called us to salvation in Christ and commissioned us to take the gospel to the nations. Through His power, we can beat all expectations and odds of reaching the lost with the gospel.

Pray with Us

Today, we invite you to pray for Anthony Turner, VP and dean of Student Enrollment Services, and his executive assistant, Kris Akut. Thank the Lord for their contribution to recruiting, admitting, and retaining students with a vision for ministry.

BY Dr. Eric C. Redmond

Dr. Eric C. Redmond serves as a professor of Bible at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and as associate pastor of adult ministries at Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, Ill. He is married to Pam and they have five children. He is the author of Say It!  Celebrating Expository Preaching in the African American Tradition (Moody Publishers), Where Are All the Brothers? Straight Answers to Men's’ Questions about the Church (Crossway), a commentary on Jonah in the Christ-Centered Exposition Series (B&H Publishers), and a study guide on Ephesians in the Knowing the Bible series (Crossway).