THE RULE OF MAN

The Rule of Man is what I refer to as the ‘big guy principal’.  From the beginning of mankind, it has always been the ‘big guy’ that rules. I’m not just referring to someone’s physical stature, but the nature of the one who rises to rule over others.  Kings, and warrior leaders will exert their physical might, or their cruelty upon those who are weaker, or peaceable.  The rule of man is always about subjugating others to their will.  When Moses received the Ten Commandments, they were intended to reveal how God expected the people to live with each other, and with Him. Under God’s law, men would live ungoverned by other men.  There was no need of the ‘big guy’ if you followed God’s laws. The basis of God’s social law was simple; if you lived with fealty toward one another, without desire to enslave one another, then you could live free of government.  

OOOPS, one problem; the carnal nature and its tendency to enslave.  

The problem for the Hebrew children was that God’s law didn’t physically change the carnal nature.   Eventually, the carnal nature twisted God’s laws, and eventually devolved into a ruling elite forcing others to live by their interpretation of the Laws. Carnal men, and women were able to take the law and enslave others to it.  Before long, you once again had a ruling religious elite who believed they were better than, and knew more than everyone else.  It is all too easy to get fat off of the desire of people to please God.  Something the Apostle Paul spoke often about even as Christianity began to take hold.  God never intended men to be governed by anyone other than Himself. Amazingly though, for a brief time in history (about 440 years), a people lived without a centralized government, or ruler telling them what to do.  This was the people of Israel before the kings. It wasn’t a perfect time, because surrounding this semi-nomadic nation of shepherds and farmers, there were developing kingdoms bent on enslavement. God himself had conquered many of the nations in miraculous interventions so that His children could grow in number. Then a problem occurred that changed everything for the Hebrews.  The commandments and laws began to be ignored.  The tribes of Israel began to try and subjugate one another, and in the process ignored the Commandments concerning their worship of their creator, and FATHER. The tabernacle, once the proud symbol of God’s presence, sat in disrepair, and its High Priest grew fat and old upon the sacrifices of the few people who still worshiped.

During the time of the ‘Judges’ the world was changing around the people of God. Human beings were beginning to fill the earth as commanded, and the Jewish people found themselves surrounded by enemies and warrior kingdoms who claimed to be ordained by their gods to enslave the world.  The Egyptians, still fearing God’s rebuke of their claim to ownership, would only help other rulers attempt to invade Israel. Tribal memories are long. The Philistines, a conglomeration of mediteranean sea peoples, set their sights on the ungoverned Hebrews because it was much easier to pick off their little cities here and there, than to attack an entire kingdom. The Hebrew people were not a nation, they were a family, and a very dysfunctional one at that.  Worse, they were no longer loyal to the ONE true God of their fathers.  The Philistines found the children of Israel to be godless, ignorant, and leaderless. Worse yet, you could get them to turn against their own people by paying bribes, or promising lucrative trade deals.  In later studies, as we look into the many places that the Apostles visited, we will do background studies into how those cultures came to be. Suffice it to say for the sake of this lesson, that idolatry abounded in the many nations which sought to destroy Israel. At the same time,  there was a remnant of people who interceded for the cause of God’s people. (Although, I’m convinced that God didn’t need to be coerced into protecting the people of His hand.)  

The law of God did not appear to be a shield from the vast armies surrounding Israel.  The ‘civilized’ world of that time had kings, pharaohs, and mighty warrior chieftains who led their city states in ever increasing attacks on their neighbors, and even kingdoms far removed from their home of origin.  Poor wicked, rebellious, Israel couldn’t even call upon their God because they’d spurned Him for the idols of their neighbors.  It is in this state, that the Israelites approach Samuel, the last Judge of Israel, and beg for a king to lead them.  The wickedness of Israel was complete.  They wanted to be like everyone around them.  Godless, and wicked. This example is being played out in modern day America.  Whenever I hear the calls for socialism, it is almost always followed by a comparison to other nations who have it.  The warnings are just as real today as they were in ancient Israel.

The Rule of Man, even good, and decent men, will be in direct opposition to God. God is always about freedom, and choice, so He allowed the Hebrews to be governed by a king.  From that point on, every civilized people would be basically the same, SLAVES!!  It doesn’t matter what form the ‘big guy’ took, the big guy would be the master, and everyone else would be their slave.  This form of ‘government’ (I use the term loosely,) would be the pattern for mankind for thousands of years until a small group of Christian men, and women rose up against tyranny and created an amazing thing called a republic!!  Up and until the birth of the United States of America, mankind had followed the ‘big guy’ form of rule.  God told Samuel what it would look like for the Hebrew children and that is what happened. Samuel warned them: A king will draft (enslave) your sons to fight wars.  He will draft YOUR sons to work his fields, harvest his grain, and make his wines.  He will enslave your sons to work as blacksmiths, engineers, mine ores, and create weapons.  He will take your daughters to be cooks, and household servants for him. He will take your best lands, take your best livestock, and tax you on everything you produce.  So it has been, and so it will be for those who trust in the ‘big guy.’  Thomas Jefferson said it best when he said: “The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground”.   Enslavement (not racial enslavement) is the end result of all governments which seek to centralize control.  The subjugation of people to the strong man’s will is seductive to those who don’t lead a Spirit led life.  Call it laziness or stupidity, even free people will sell themselves for the illusion of safety, and provision.  From the moment Saul became king of Israel, the Hebrew people were defeated, and would eventually be conquered.  The Rule of Man is wicked and those who are the most cruel, eventually end up being killed by someone more wicked and cruel than they were. There isn’t a form of government from the earliest tribal systems to modern day nations that hasn’t had subjugation to the will of the leader as its foundation.  Only our great republic was formed upon the idea that the people COULD govern themselves. Every other form of government from monarchies, socialists, communists, and even theocracies like Islam fail because it is too easy to fall into enslaving others.  

Sadly, even our own country is seeing the slow and merciless march toward enslavement.  Identity politics is self-devouring, and fraught with intersections where one minority's rights are in conflict with another’s.  The journey from city states to huge nations that span oceans is a journey of war, cruelty, and wickedness beyond imagination. I would like to think that Christianity could change that, but only the Church can.  AND, there is a difference between Christianity and the Church.   Real Christianity is the model for nations, and their leaders to go by, but that would mean giving up power, money, and prestige.  These are powerful and seductive forces that only a born again believer can overcome.  Those who profess Christ in word only can’t withstand the seductive pull of the carnal nature.  Yet, this is what Christ came to change.  The church will change it, but it has been and will continue to be a slow process because carnal men and women can pretend to be spiritual.  Without the morality born of the Spirit of God, the world will always be searching for a ‘big guy’ to rule them.