Liberating Planet Earth
by Gary DeMar by Gary DeMar
The Liberation of the State 101 and tainted with sin. As this passage amply demonstrates, the Bible is hostile to the humanists’ quest for perfect justice on earth. There will eventually be perfect justice administered by God on judgment day. Under Moses’ direct rule, God’s revelation was instantly avail- ~ able in any given case. Yet there was insufficient time available for Moses to hear every case of legal dispute in the land. Perfect justice was limited by time and space. Men had to come to Moses’ tent and stand in (presumably) long lines (Exodus 18:14). The quest for perfect earthly justice from God through His servant Moses was eating up countless man-hours. Not only was Moses’ time limited, but so was the time of those who stood in lines. When people are waiting for justice, their lives tend to come to a halt. They become unproductive. They are afraid to commit scarce economic resources to their tasks. They hold back, hoping to get an area of uncertainty in their lives resolved by civil justice. Jethro recognized the limitations of even a system of perfect justice, where God’s word came directly to the people. Such a system could not work. It was too great a burden. Better to have an appeals court system judged by men with less than perfect insight, so long as justice was speedy. Better to have speedy justice and to get back to living normal routines than to have perfect justice several years down the road of life. Who was fit to be a judge? The standards are similar (though not so rigorous) to the standards given for elders and deacons in the church (1 Timothy 3): “. . . able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness.” Character counts for more than technical knowledge of the law. Consider the available judges. They had grown up as slaves. The whole generation, except for Joshua and Caleb, possessed slave mentalities. Nevertheless, their rule was preferable in most cases to a system which offered perfect justice in individual cases, but which had to ration the number of cases. Conclusion: regular and predictable justice provided by responsible amateurs is better than perfect justice provided on a sporadic or “first in line” basis. The burden of dispensing justice had to be shared (v. 22). This was re-
102 . Liberating Plaut Earth quired in order to permit the people to endure, going their way in peace (v. 23). There were a lot of judges, too. Rashi, one of the most famous rabbis in Jewish history, estimated that there must have been at least 82,000 judges, or some 15% of the adult male population of 600,000. They were not zdl graduates of state-accredited law schools! The Cov,enantal Structure of Civil Government First, there is transcendencehmzanence (presence). Moses serves as the representative of the people before God. ‘Stand before God for the people. . . .“ He is not a representative of the people to the people, but rather to God. Second, Moses heads up a hierarchical system of law courts. He is at the top of an appeals court pyramid. He is held accountable by God. Third, he speaks the Zaw of God. He sets forth the general principles and goals of a godly society. “And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do.” Fourth, he issues judgment. “Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you. . . .” He compares the people’s actions with the general standards of God’s law, and he renders judgment concerning who is responsible for what. Fifth, there is continuity. “And let them judge the people at all times.” Through time, this system allows men to seek justice continually. There is never to be a period in which God’s law is not being enforced. “If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace.” Satan3 VZmion Satan offers his version of the civil covenant. It is similar to God’s, yet ethically opposite. First, there is no true transcendmce or presence. The representative of the people represents something other than God: the Party, the
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102 . <strong>Liberating</strong> Plaut <strong>Earth</strong><br />
quired in order to permit the people to endure, going their way in<br />
peace (v. 23).<br />
There were a lot of judges, too. Rashi, one of the most famous<br />
rabbis in Jewish history, estimated that there must have been at<br />
least 82,000 judges, or some 15% of the adult male population of<br />
600,000. They were not zdl graduates of state-accredited law<br />
schools!<br />
The Cov,enantal Structure of Civil Government<br />
First, there is transcendencehmzanence (presence). Moses serves<br />
as the representative of the people before God. ‘Stand before God<br />
for the people. . . .“ He is not a representative of the people to the<br />
people, but rather to God.<br />
Second, Moses heads up a hierarchical system of law courts. He<br />
is at the top of an appeals court pyramid. He is held accountable<br />
by God.<br />
Third, he speaks the Zaw of God. He sets forth the general principles<br />
and goals of a godly society. “And you shall teach them the<br />
statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must<br />
walk and the work they must do.”<br />
Fourth, he issues judgment. “Then it will be that every great<br />
matter they shall bring to you. . . .” He compares the people’s actions<br />
with the general standards of God’s law, and he renders<br />
judgment concerning who is responsible for what.<br />
Fifth, there is continuity. “And let them judge the people at all<br />
times.” Through time, this system allows men to seek justice continually.<br />
There is never to be a period in which God’s law is not<br />
being enforced. “If you do this thing, and God so commands you,<br />
then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to<br />
their place in peace.”<br />
Satan3 VZmion<br />
Satan offers his version of the civil covenant. It is similar to<br />
God’s, yet ethically opposite.<br />
First, there is no true transcendmce or presence. The representative<br />
of the people represents something other than God: the Party, the