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in ancient Israel: It's given in Exodus 18:13-29.
Moses "sat to judge the people ... from the morning unto
the evening. And when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did
to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the
people? ... And Moses said ... I do make them know the statutes
of God, and His laws. And Moses' father-in-law said ... Hearken
now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with
thee: be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring
the causes unto God. And thou shalt teach them ordinances and
laws, and shalt show them the way wherein they must walk, and the
work that they must do. Moreover thou shalt provide out of all
the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating
covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands,
and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens; and
let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be that
every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small
matter they shall judge ... and all this people shall go to their
place IN PEACE."
Here is government FROM THE TOP (GOD) on down. Here is
God's own PYRAMID principle of government in ancient Israel.
At that time the whole NATION -- with church and state
united -- occupied one concise area. The form of organization
could be administered by ONE MAN under God, at the top. It was
Government from GOD. Under the Eternal God in authority was Moses.
Under Moses a NUMBER of rulers, each over THOUSANDS (it could have
been several thousands under each ruler). Under each ruler of a
thousand, rulers over hundreds. Under each ruler of a hundred,
rulers of fifties, and under each of them rulers of tens.
It was RULE FROM THE TOP DOWN -- that is, FROM GOD -- it
was the GOVERNMENT OF GOD! God chose Moses. Moses chose rulers
of thousands, and so on down.
But some of the people refused to recognize it as GOD'S
GOVERNMENT, and called it MOSES' government, just as a small FEW
have risen up in God's Church today, to rebel against THE
GOVERNMENT OF GOD.
Notice it. It's in Numbers 16:
"Now Korah, ... and Abiram, ... and On, ... took men, and
they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel,
two hundred and fifty of the princes of the assembly, famous in
the congregation (the Old Testament Church), men of renown: and
they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron,
and said unto them, ye take too much upon you, seeing all the
congregation are holy, every one of them (precisely what the
dissenters are saying now in God's Church), and the Eternal is
among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the
congregation of the LORD?"
They denied GOD had chosen and empowered Moses. They
accused him of "lording it over them."