Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: 6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. 8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord.
A theocracy, as it pertains to sacred history, is that form of government in which God offers to be the leader of a nation, and the people respond in the affirmative by giving Him free rein in every aspect of their lives. This form of government is not subject to majority opinions or wishes of the people, but is rather conducted according to the laws and principles of God in every experience the people go through. Unlike a democracy, the majority cannot change or modify God's laws whenever it seems convenient. Instead, the citizens of a scriptural theocracy modify or change their behavior to align themselves with God's law that never changes.
In our passage for today the people entered into a sacred agreement to obey God's voice in every aspect of their lives. It's therefore very important for us to fully understand the implications of such an agreement, for there are many misunderstandings that abound concerning such a theocracy. Unlike a democracy, there are no downsides in a theocracy that cannot be resolved, when the conditions God lays down are met and practiced. Many people erroneously believe that having God as their leader would put them at a disadvantage in this life, since His laws and methods do not always harmonize with man-made laws and policies. This is an absolute falsehood perpetuated by the devil, to which too many people have regrettably succumbed, as evidenced by the following scriptures. Let's read:
Malachi 3:13 Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee? 14 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?
The reason why the people had arrived at this incorrect conclusion was not because of any short coming on God's part, but because of a violation of the stipulated conditions upon which the fulfillment of God's promises always rest. A careful observation of the promises and conditions laid down, with their inevitable results, shows that when we are faithful in honoring God, He also will be faithful in honoring us, for these are the terms of the agreement. Let's read:
Deuteronomy 28:1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: 2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. 3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. 5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. 6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. 7 The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. 8 The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 11 And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee. 12 The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. 13 And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
As we read this passage of scripture it begins to occur to our minds that something must have gone terribly wrong in experiences of the Jewish theocracy. Could it be that the negative views of God's leadership in the lives of the children of Israel could have been as a result of some shortcoming on their part? According to the passage in Deuteronomy, there would have been no irresolvable downsides to serving God, so how is it that so many balked at the idea of the scriptural theocracy? Now the Bible is not saying that a theocracy will be a bed of roses; what it does say is that God, as our leader is going to have our backs in every situation, if we "Diligently" follow His laws and commandments.
One of the problems that many of the Israelites had was with the word "diligently", in that some of them followed some of God's instructions sometimes. God would have given them the grace and strength necessary to be diligent and consistent every day, if they had put their trust in Him and not in themselves, for God also gave a promise to all who desired to serve Him faithfully. Let's read:
Deuteronomy 33:25 "Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be. 26 There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky. 27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms". ...
In our world today, some Christians follow some of the ten commandments, sometimes, while other professed believers relinquish them entirely in favor of what they think is right. In a theocracy God's laws are not to be abrogated, altered, disregarded or annulled if they do not sanction a course of action that the carnal mind clamors for. A true christian who has taken God as his leader will always seek to conform to the requirements of God instead of bending God's laws to suit his own wishes or desires. We therefore end with a passage of scripture that should serve as an encouragement to all, to seek a personal theocracy with Christ, where God will lead and guide us in all the ways of His choosing, which are only right paths. Let's read:
Job 36:5 Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom. 7 He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: but with kings are they on the throne; yea, he doth establish them for ever, and they are exalted. 10 He openeth also their ear to discipline, and commandeth that they return from iniquity. 11 If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.
We sincerely hope and pray that every member of the human family would take this passage of scripture very seriously, for God is faithful, who has promised. God bless!