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The Abiding Gift of Prophecy

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God’s Plan of Government

That the Lord Himself should establish and operate the government of His people as their king was imperative. But by yielding to sin, Adam had come under the dominion of Satan. He lost the power of self-restraint with which he had been endowed at creation. He was rendered incapable of governing himself, and by his sin this same ruin had been brought upon the whole human family. AGP 69.3

Knowing the nature of sin and its terrible effects on the human heart, the Lord foresaw what would take place among men—the maladministration of government; the misconception and disregard of human rights; the enactment of unjust and oppressive laws; the bribery and corruption of courts; the devastating wars of nations. All this was open to His infinite mind. He saw that only His interposition could save the world from oppression, revolution, and anarchy. Therefore in great mercy and compassion He instituted a form of government which, if accepted and carried out, would insure to every subject equality, justice, and tranquillity. Thus mankind would be saved from the oppression, warfare, and continual revolution that would otherwise surely come upon them. AGP 69.4

That government was not a man-made monarchy, nor was it a democracy. It was a theocracy,—a government in which Jehovah was recognized and revered as king. His kingship was very definitely and gratefully accepted by His loyal people in olden times. Isaiah declared in clear, positive terms: “The Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king.” AGP 69.5

Isaiah 33:22. The psalmist acknowledged God as king above all: “God is my king of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.” Psalm 74:12. Said Jeremiah: “The Lord is the true God, He is the living God, and an everlasting king.” Jeremiah 10:10. Of that theocracy one has written: AGP 70.1

“The government of Israel was administered in the name and by the authority of God. The work of Moses, of the seventy elders, of the rulers and judges, was simply to enforce the laws that God had given; they had no authority to legislate for the nation. This was, and continued to be, the condition of Israel’s existence as a nation. From age to age, men inspired by God were sent to instruct the people, and to direct in the enforcement of the laws.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 603.

That was a theocracy, a theocratic government, a government which received its authority, power, laws, and administration directly from God. Regarding the method chosen by the Lord for the administration of His government, another says: AGP 70.2

“In Him all the powers of the state, legislative, executive, judicial, were united…. He exercised His governmental offices for the most part through men whom He raised up…. The stability of the state under the theocratic form of government depended in the first instance and ultimately on the faithfulness of God to His election and His promises; but the success of the theocracy at any given period was conditioned by the attitude of the people toward God and toward the provisions of the covenant. Their obedience to God and reliance on Him were requisite.” “Dictionary of the Bible,” John D. Davis, art., “Theocracy,” pp. 773, 774.