Does the Bible Support a Libertarian Philosophy?

Does the Bible support libertarianism?  This is a question I wrestled with in my "early days" of discovering liberty, one which needed to be answered.  I had been a Christian a long time, and was not about to give up my faith for any political ideal or philosophy.  I found the answers I needed, and maybe I can help a few others working through the same thing.

This article will examine just a few texts in the Old Testament to consider whether there is justification for a minarchist libertarian form of government.  This brief study will be based mostly on 1 Samuel 8. 

Old Testament Forms of Government

The Theocracy

When the Lord created Adam and Eve, there was obviously no strong human form of government; what existed is best described as anarchism.  The Lord himself, rather than man, judged and disciplined mankind, one on one. Two examples illustrating this are:

• The Lord's judgment of Adam, Eve, and the Serpent after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. (Genesis 3:8-24)
• The Lord's  judgment of Cain after he murdered his brother Abel. (Genesis 4:8-15)

(Side Note: We also can see in scriptures His occasional judgment towards groups of people, rather than individuals. Examples of this include the Great Flood, and the destruction of the Tower of Babel.  Though this appears decidedly anti-libertarian from a human viewpoint, one should not presume upon the Lord how He judges people. Our viewpoint is limited to human interaction.)

The Judges

The judging of individuals gradually became the task of judges, the first biblical mention of which is found in Numbers 25:5. By the time the Hebrews took possession of the Promised Land, the role of the judges was well-established.

In the book of Deuteronomy, as the Hebrews approached their new homeland, their leader Moses gave a long discourse of laws which they were to follow. In the midst of that discourse (Deuteronomy 16:18-20) Moses says:

Appoint judges and officers for your tribes in every city that the Lord your God is giving you. They are to judge the people fairly. Never pervert justice. Instead, be impartial. Never take a bribe, because bribes blind wise people and deny justice to those who are in the right. Strive for nothing but justice...

It is apparent that the Lord intended for judges, chosen by the people, and judging with impartiality and fairness, to be the normal form of government for His people, at least for that time.  Did it change?  Well, yes the form changed, but God's will did not.

The Monarchy

It wouldn't be long though before the people decided that the judges were not good enough for them, and Moses knew that.  In Deuteronomy 17:14-15, Moses continues:

You will enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You will take possession of it and live there. You will say, "Let's have our own king like all the other nations around us." Be sure to appoint the king the Lord your God will choose.

Note that neither Moses nor the Lord was in favor of the Hebrews being ruled by a king, but rather it was understood that the people, due to their feelings of inferiority, would eventually be demanding one. This, of course, did quickly happen, as reported in 1 Samuel 8. Note the sequence of events (copied from "God's Word" version of the Bible).

1)  In violation of Moses's instruction, Samuel appointed his sons to be judges. Remember the Lord's instructions given through Moses, in which he instructed the people to "appoint judges and officers for [their] tribes", the appointment was not by birthright.

When Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn son was Joel; the name of his second son was Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba.

2)  As one might expect, Samuel's sons, becoming judges effectively by birthright rather than by the will of the people, soon became corrupt.

The sons didn't follow their father's example but turned to dishonest ways of making money. They took bribes and denied people justice.

3)  The people, tired of the corruption, eventually asked Samuel to appoint a king.

Then all the leaders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They told him, "You're old, and your sons aren't following your example. Now appoint a king to judge us so that we will be like all the other nations."

4)  Samuel knew that it was not in God's plan for them to have a king, so he went to inquire of the Lord.

But Samuel considered it wrong for them to request a king to judge them. So Samuel prayed to the Lord.

5)  The Lord granted the people their wish, even though it was not what He desired for them. Their desire for a king is equated with idolatry.

The Lord told Samuel, "Listen to everything the people are saying to you. They haven't rejected you; they've rejected me. They're doing just what they've done since I took them out of Egypt-leaving me and serving other gods.  Listen to them now, but be sure to warn them and tell them about the rights of a king."

6)  Samuel warned the people that having a king would cost them dearly, and described to them how severely they would lose their freedoms.

Then Samuel told the people who had asked him for a king everything the Lord had said. Samuel said, "These are the rights of a king: He will draft your sons, make them serve on his chariots and horses, and make them run ahead of his chariots. He will appoint them to be his officers over 1,000 or over 50 soldiers, to plow his ground and harvest his crops, and to make weapons and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters and have them make perfumes, cook, and bake. He will take the best of your fields, vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his officials. He will take a tenth of your grain and wine and give it to his aids and officials. He will take your male and female slaves, your best cattle, and your donkeys for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks. In addition, you will be his servants."

7)  Samuel additionally warned them that they would lose God's help in their time of need. 

"When that day comes, you will cry out because of the king whom you have chosen for yourselves. The Lord will not answer you when that day comes."

8)  The people, due to their insecurities, still wanted a king.

But the people refused to listen to Samuel. They said, "No, we want a king! Then we, too, will be like all the other nations. Our king will judge us, lead us out to war, and fight our battles."

9)  The Lord granted them their request.

When Samuel heard everything the people had to say, he reported it privately to the Lord. The Lord told him, "Listen to them, and give them a king."

The continuing history of Israel from that point through the end of the Old Testament is a mixed bag. The kings that followed did in fact do as Samuel said they would. There were some notably good kings, but many were evil, and the common people suffered the consequences.

Conclusion - The Desire for "Strong Government" is Idolatry

It is important to restate that when God's people wanted a king (a symbol of power), the Lord considered it idolatry, a rejection of Him and His will for them.  If there is one lesson from these scriptures, it is that the desire to have a "strong" government is nothing less than idolatry!  Christians be careful! Are we being led astray by false prophets who deify our "king", the state?  God's response:

When that day comes, you will cry out because of the king whom you have chosen for yourselves. The Lord will not answer you when that day comes.

Why will He not answer them?  Because they have left Him to serve another god - their king! 

One last scripture for now, Isaiah 11:2-5 referring to Jesus Christ our true judge:

He will judge the poor justly. He will make fair decisions for the humble people on earth. He will strike the earth with a rod from his mouth. He will kill the wicked with the breath from his lips. Justice will be the belt around his waist. Faithfulness will be the belt around his hips.

Comments are more than welcome!