Politics and Torah

We tend to take a fishing approach to the Torah (Genesis to Deuteronomy) looking for a few things that we can use in our own political systems, usually to justify some idea that we are pushing. This is the wrong approach.

The only way to understand the Torah correctly is to realise that it describes a complete political/governmental system. God used Moses to give the Israelites a new system of government that is radically different to any other government that has ever existed.

Unlike traditional kingdoms and empires, there was no human ruler in control. God was the King of the Israelites, so there was no need for a human king or emperor.

Modern governments separate out three government functions, that were combined in the traditionally combined in a king: legislative, executive and judicial.

The system that God gave through Moses had no legislative assembly or person with a legislative function, because God had revealed his perfect laws prophetically through his prophet Moses. We cannot say that we can make better ones.

The Torah gave no authority for the imposition of compulsory taxation. This meant there could not be any permanent executive function or associated administrative bureaucracy (a temporary military leader could only be raised up if the community was under attack). The Torah gives no authorisation for coercion or force; only love and commitment to neighbour.

The main government in the Torah is judicial. Judges would be raised up within their community by proving to be trustworthy. Their implementation of justice was voluntary, because there was no police force to enforce them. Justice depended on family and community honesty and social pressure.

I explain this further in my book called Government of God.