THE HEBREW REPUBLIC
A Study By
Gary Ray Branscome
From the death of Joshua to the
time of Samuel, the nation of Israel existed as a republic. Although the government was
rudimentary, lacking certain characteristics that we have come to associate
with a republic, the essentials were in place. As in all true republics,
authority resided in the law, not in men, and those who administered the law
were public servants, not overlords. [See Deuteronomy 17:15-20]
One difference between the Hebrew
republic and the republics that we are familiar with lies in the fact that it
was not democratic. It had no elections, no legislature, no chief executive,
and no standing army. Rather than being elected, the judges were accepted by
the people on the basis of their reputation.
In accordance with the plan adopted
by Moses, judicial authority was divided (Exodus 18:19-26). On the local level, each village had elders that
were known and respected by the community. Those elders would judge smaller
matters while more difficult cases were taken to priests and those whose
reputation extended beyond the local community (Ruth 4:2, 1Samuel 8:4,
Deuteronomy 17:9). Therefore, while there were many judges, we are only given
the names of those who were known nationwide.
LIFE
IN THE HEBREW REPUBLIC
Our knowledge of everyday affairs
during that period of Israel's history is limited. While the Bible gives us a
brief overview of political and military events, it would be a mistake to
assume that life in ancient Israel consisted only of one bad experience after another.
Not only were there many years of peace and freedom, but during a period that
(when the life of Eli is included) lasted only about four hundred and fifty
years, there were over three hundred years of peace and freedom. During those
years of peace, life went on much as it is described in the Book of Ruth.
[Judges 3:11, 30&31, Judges 5:31, Judges 10:2-3, Judges 12:7-14, Judges
15:20 and 16:31, Acts 13:20]
To be certain, there were times
when neighboring countries extended their domain into Israel, and times when the people were oppressed. However,
those periods rarely lasted very long, and may not have included the entire
country. Moreover, while the last five chapters of the Book of Judges give us a
rather dismal picture of things, they do not give the whole picture. In fact,
basing our view of everyday life on those chapters alone would be like basing a
view of life in America solely on the stories of Jesse James, John Dillinger, and cult leader Joseph Smith. If we want to know
what everyday life was like during that period, we need to look at the Book of
Ruth.
In the book of Ruth we see a
vibrant agrarian society – one that allowed the poor and widows to glean
the fields, thus providing for them in a way that did not lend itself to fraud
and abuse. Moreover, it was a free society. The cultural regulations that Moses
gave were so well integrated into it that they were no more burdensome to the
people than our cultural rules are to us. Rules such as wash before eating,
wash the dishes after dinner, bathe regularly, and do not eat the flesh of
dogs, cats, and rats. [Ruth 2:2, Ruth 3:9-12, Ruth 4:6-8]
THE
LAW OF THE LAND
Instead of attempting to make a
rule for every conceivable situation, the Ten Commandments provided a summary
of the legal code that everyone could learn. The Law then provided the Judges
with a number of precedents that guided them in applying those Commandments to
every situation (Exodus 21:1to23:9). By following those precedents, judgments
were more uniform, and harebrained interpretations of the Law were kept to a
minimum.
Since God had given the nation a
fixed body of law, there was no need for a legislature. The people learned the
Law as children, and it did not change. For that reason, it was far less
burdensome than the volumes of ever changing regulations that we have to deal
with today.
THE
NATIONAL MILITIA
For defense, the Hebrew Republic relied on a citizen militia, rather than a
professional army. While that militia was not as well organized as the Swiss
militia, with God's help it rallied time after time to drive out invaders. At
such times, God provided able men to lead the militia, and the Judges assumed
some executive power when it was called for. Thus, the common defense was
provided for in a way that did not expose the nation to the danger of a
military takeover.
THE
DECLINE OF THE REPUBLIC
The end of the Hebrew Republic did not come at the hand of its enemies, but at the
hand of citizens who thought that big government held the solution to their
problems. What they failed to see, was that those problems were not caused by
the system of government, but by a moral decline accompanied by lax law
enforcement. In short the Republic was destroyed because the people became
tolerant of evil. The unwillingness to confront, condemn, and punish
lawbreakers that we see on the part of Eli, seems to have been widespread. Many
crimes went unpunished, and corrupt judges let the guilty off the hook while
subverting justice. As a result, the people ceased to take the Law seriously,
and began to do whatever seemed right in their own eyes. [Judges 17:6 and 21:25, 1 Samuel 2:22-25, Ecclesiastes 8:11]
Sadly, what happened in Israel is happening in America. Because the Bible is belittled and immorality goes
unpunished, there is little fear of God. Homosexuals not only show no remorse,
but openly flaunt their lifestyle. And, those in government not only approve
such wickedness, but also allow babies to be butchered in the name of choice
(Judges 19).
[NOTE: As judges both Eli and Samuel had a
responsibility to see that their sons were punished when they did wrong (1
Samuel 2:12-22 and
8:1-5). Yet, just like so many in authority today they did nothing. And, in the case of Eli, that tolerance brought God's wrath down upon
his head (1 Samuel 3:11-14).]
CONCLUSION
The Hebrew Republic does not deserve the scorn heaped upon it by those
who favor centralization. Centralization only amplified the corruption that was
already present, while facilitating an even greater abuse of power. What Israel needed was good law enforcement, and a way to hold
those in power accountable for their crimes. Without that, a more authoritarian
system only lends itself to greater abuse.
God's warning of the ways in which a
king would abuse power, tells us that God does not approve of the abuse of
power (1Samuel 8:10-19). However, like many today those in Israel assumed that a ruler with more Godlike authority
would be more Godlike, and would end the corruption. Nevertheless, the
wickedness committed by rulers became worse. If we want to live in a free
country we need to learn the lessons of history, including the importance of
requiring those in power to obey the law.