SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9
Scripture: 2 Chronicles 13:3-5, 1 Kings 12

2 Chronicles 13:3-5 shows us two kings at war. There is the king of a pure altar at war with the king of an impure altar. Abijah of Judah is fighting Jeroboam of the northern kingdom. Verses 3-5 say, “Abijah set the battle in order with an army of valiant warriors, four hundred thousand choice men. Jeroboam also drew up in battle formation against him with eight hundred thousand choice men, mighty men of valor. Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the mountains of Ephraim, and said, ‘Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel: Should you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons, by a covenant of salt?’” One of the things we learn about Jeroboam at war with Abijah is that Jeroboam was afraid that all the people would go back to Rehobram, son of Solomon, during the feast days. So he built a counterfeit, impure altar with all the feast days exactly the same as the ones that were being conducted in Jerusalem. God sent a prophet to prophecy destruction and judgment against the altar. 1 Kings 12 records the event. As time passed, a war developed between Abijah and Jeroboam. Abijah was making the case that dominion, true dominion, in Israel belonged to David forever by a covenant of salt. There are two covenants of salt in Scripture. The first one guaranteed the tithe to the Levites. The second guaranteed the Throne of David and dominion for the seed of David, which is Christ. Jesus sits on a Throne of Authority that is guaranteed by a covenant of salt. When we enter covenant with God through tithing, we also have access to the full breadth of all that the salt covenant guarantees, including dominion to the Davidic warriors in the land. What Abijah was saying was, “I am invoking the covenant of the God Who desires to kill. And He is going to war for us today and you are going to be on destruction’s end. If you do not want destruction, turn around and go home.” That is a biblical warrior. Dominion is an issue of covenant. When we qualify for covenant we get to walk with the God Who desires to cut off anyone who is hindering, hurting or harming His Kingdom.