There are different kinds of government. There are those who have studied them, and come up with different ways to categorize them. IN the past monarchies and aristocracies were popular. The monarchy is where a king or queen governs. The aristocracy is where elite governs. In our time democracies are more popular; the word "democracy" literally means "rule by the people." In a democracy, the people govern. This is only an ideal, because a literal democracy is impossible in a political system containing more than a few people. All "democracies" are really republics. In a republic, the people elect representatives to make and enforce laws. Then there are dictatorships. A dictatorship consists of rule by one person or a group of people. They are not monarchs or aristocrats per se, but act as if they are.
Among many predominantly Islamic nations theocracy is a growing form of government. Theocracy is a form of government in which a god or deity is recognized as the state's supreme civil ruler, or in a higher sense, a form of government in which a state is governed by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided. In Common Greek, "theocracy" means a rule [kra′tos] by God [the.os′]. For believers, theocracy is a form of government in which divine power governs an earthly human state, either in a personal incarnation or, more often, via religious institutional representatives (i.e., a church), replacing or dominating civil government. Theocratic governments enact theonomic laws. Theocracy should be distinguished from other secular forms of government that have a state religion, or are merely influenced by theological or moral concepts, and monarchies held "By the Grace of God".
A theocracy may be monist in form, where the administrative hierarchy of the government is identical with the administrative hierarchy of the religion, or it may have two 'arms,' but with the state administrative hierarchy subordinate to the religious hierarchy.
Iran's government is described as a "theocratic republic". Iran's head of state, or Supreme Leader, is an Islamic cleric appointed for life by an elected body called Assembly of Experts. The Council of Guardians, considered part of the executive branch of government, is responsible for determining if legislation is in line with Islamic law and customs (the Sharia), and can bar candidates from elections, and greenlight or ban investigations into the election process.
The main difference between a theocracy and democracy is that in democracy the leaders are supposed to do the will of the people.
What type of government did the Israelites have before adopting a monarchy (and rejecting God in the process)? They had a theocracy. God spoke His will through the prophet, the priest and the judge. Of course it was different than modern theocracies; God's theocracy is based on agape. This week's lesson is perhaps the best demonstration of that. Who chose how the land should be divided? As we see in Numbers 26:52-56. God did. Even when the daughters of Zelophehad came to petition Moses their father's inheritance (Numbers 27: 1 – 11), Moses prayed to God with the question and did as God commanded. Who chose Joshua as Moses successor? As we see in Numbers 27: 12 – 23, God did. God told Moses his time was soon to come. Moses asked God, to not leave the people alone; they needed someone to lead them. "And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him" (Numbers 27:18). Moses did as God ordered. Who designed the Israelites worship service at the sanctuary? As we see in Numbers 28: 1 – 8: God did. All God did was remind them of what He told them in Exodus and Leviticus. Everything was done according to God's plan.
Who is making the choices in your life? Are you the monarch or dictator? Are you living by democracy? Or are you yielding to Heaven's theocracy?
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Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com
