Page 204 - Through New Eyes

202 THROUGH NEW EYES

Remember that a ~@ is something that makes an inprirzt. If
we allow the Mosaic law to imprint itself on our hearts, meditat-
ing on its Old and New Covenant significance, we will acquire
inner wisdom; and this inner wisdom will enable us to apply
God’s fundamental principles creatively to modern problems,
many of which are not explicitly dealt with in the law (for in-
stance, pornography).

The Mosaic Polity
We turn now to the social “heavens and earth” of Israel
under the Mosaic establishment. There was a clear separation
of “church” and “state” in the Mosaic covenant. Only the family
of Aaron could serve as priests in the Tabernacle, and only the
tribe of Levi could assist them. This meant that no officer of the
state could be an officer of the church, and separated the two
institutions definitively (cf. 2 Chronicles 26:16-19). The law dis-
tinguished between civil punishments on the one hand, and
ecclesiastical ones, such as “cutting off from the people ,“ or ex-
communication, on the other. 7
The civil polity of Israel had been anticipated during the
Egyptian sojourn, and consisted of elders who served as judges.
When Israel came out of Egypt, she had never before been a na-
tion in the sense of having a civil order. Her elders had simply
been “leading men.” Now, however, a system of courts was
needed. God brought Jethro to help them set it up (Exodus 18).
Jethro was a Noahic priest-king (Exodus 2:16; 18:12), head of the
Kenite branch of the Midianite nation (Genesis 25:2; Exodus
2:16; Judges 1:16; contrast Numbers 22:4; Numbers 25; 31).
Jethro was Moses’ father-in-law, and for forty years Moses had ‘
observed Jethro managing a nation (Acts 7:30). Thus, Moses
had been trained in civil government. Under Jethro’s God-
inspired advice, Moses set up a series of judges and appeals
courts in Israel: elders over tens, fifties, hundreds, and thou-
sands, with himself as Supreme Judge.
Moses’ successor was Joshua, and after him came other
judges, some who oversaw the entire nation, and others who
judged in more localized areas. None of these judges was a king,
and those who aspired to be were thwarted. s None had a stand-
ing army or “praetorian guard.” Rather, in time of military dis-