The prophet Azariah's word to Asa has the effect of strengthening his resolve for the Lord even further. Some today might consider the king went to extremes in his devotion to God; certainly his fervor for the Lord is apparent.
After his meeting with the prophet, Asa did indeed take courage and proceeded to lead the nation in:
- putting away the abominable idols from the land (vs. 8)
- gathering together the faithful Jews for a day of massive sacrifices to the Lord (vs. 11)
- entering into a covenant with God to seek Him with all their heart and with all their soul (vs. 12)
- removing his mother Maacah from being queen mother for her idolatries (vs. 16)
- cutting down his mother's idolatrous image, crushing it, and burning it (vs. 16)
So intense was the king's dedication to the Lord that the Bible says, "Whoever would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman" (vs. 13). The Jews were so zealous for God that anyone who refused to join them in their devotion faced the death penalty! Furthermore, they had no regrets about this decision: "All Judah rejoiced over the oath; for they had sworn with all their heart, and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around" (vs. 15).
Does that mean edicts like this should be enforced today? Is it God's desire that Christians impose their faith upon others, even to the point of administering violence for refusal to do so? I would say not. This attitude seems to be limited to a certain point of history while a specific set of conditions was operating under the Mosaic and Davidic covenants. While Jesus affirmed the commandment to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength as the greatest law we could ever have, He did not add the ominous "or else" as a threat.
I believe that our acts of devotion and worship to the Lord have value to Him only because they come from a free will; coerced love is not really love at all.
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