The dispensation of human government refers to the period of time after the Flood in Genesis when God gave humans the responsibility to establish civil authority and govern themselves. This dispensation spans from the time after the Flood up until the establishment of the nation of Israel.
After the Flood, God made a covenant with Noah and his sons, allowing them to repopulate the earth (Genesis 9:1). As part of this covenant, God instituted capital punishment for murder, stating that whoever sheds man’s blood shall have their blood shed by man (Genesis 9:6). This established the principle that humans should enforce justice and restrain evil through setting up lawful governance. God also commanded Noah and his sons to multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 9:7).
As people spread out and populated the earth, various civilizations and governments emerged. Yet without the direct governance of God over a nation, humanity abandoned restraint and became corrupted. Genesis 11 describes how the people were united in wickedness which led God to confuse their languages and scatter them across the earth.
Examples of the types of corrupt governments that emerged during this dispensation include:
- Nimrod establishing the kingdom of Babel (Genesis 10:8-10)
- The warring kings of Canaan in Abraham’s day (Genesis 14)
- Abimelech’s kingdom in Gerar (Genesis 20, 26)
- The Pharaohs of Egypt who enslaved the Israelites (Exodus 1-14)
These early governments were often tyrannical, unjust, pagan, and opposed to God’s people. Yet God used the dispensation of human government to show that humanity cannot properly restrain evil or rule justly without His direct influence. This paved the way for the establishment of Israel as a nation under God’s law and governance.
The dispensation of human government came to an end when God formally established Israel as a theocratic nation at Mount Sinai. God gave Israel the Mosaic Law, making them a nation ruled directly by God. Israel was to model to the world what a nation under God’s righteous governance looked like (Deuteronomy 4:5-8).
So in summary, the key points about the dispensation of human government include:
- It began after the Flood when humanity was dispersed across the earth.
- Humans were responsible to establish governments and restrain evil.
- Many early governments became corrupt and tyrannical.
- God used this period to demonstrate the need for His direct governance.
- It ended when God established Israel as a theocratic nation.
God’s Commands to Noah After the Flood
After the Flood, God made a covenant with Noah and gave commands to him and his sons to repopulate the earth (Genesis 9:1-17). These commands helped transition humanity into the dispensation of human government:
- Be fruitful and multiply: God blessed Noah and his sons and told them to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 9:1,7). This command authorized humanity to repopulate after the judgment of the Flood.
- Eat meat but not blood: God allowed man to start eating meat, but prohibited the eating of blood (Genesis 9:3-4). This established God’s authority over man’s diet.
- Institute capital punishment: God required capital punishment for those who murder, establishing the principle of human government enforcing justice (Genesis 9:5-6).
- Make a covenant: God made an everlasting covenant with Noah, promising to never flood the whole earth again (Genesis 9:8-17). This guaranteed stability for repopulating.
These commands transitioned humanity into a new era. With the wickedness of the old world judged, Noah and his descendants could start fresh. God authorized them to spread out, multiply, subdue the earth, establish justice through punishment for murder, and govern themselves in orderly cooperation as implied in the covenant He made. But without God’s direct influence, humanity would struggle to rule justly as the dispensation revealed.
Early Civilizations in the Dispensation of Human Government
As people multiplied and spread out across the continents, various civilizations emerged with different forms of human government. Here are some key early civilizations that developed during this dispensation:
- Babel: After the Flood, the people migrated east and unified to build the city of Babel and a tower to make a name for themselves (Genesis 11:1-9). God judged their pride by confusing languages and dispersing them over the earth.
- Egypt: One of the first great civilizations to emerge after Babel, Egypt became a mighty kingdom but later enslaved the Israelites (Exodus 1-14).
- Canaan: The land where Abraham dwelled was inhabited by various tribes and city-kingdoms such as Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 14).
- Babylon: Abraham’s descendants ultimately ended up enslaved in the kingdom of Babylon for 70 years (Jeremiah 25:11).
- Persia: Persia rose to prominence late in the dispensation and continued into the Age of Israel.
These early civilizations demonstrate humanity’s ability to establish governance and advanced cultures. But most of these kingdoms opposed God’s purposes. Without His direct influence, governments often became oppressive, idolatrous and corrupt. This dispensation showed the need for a righteous nation ruled by God’s laws.
Failure of Human Government Without God
A key lesson of the dispensation of human government is that humanity struggled to rule justly without God’s direction. Some reasons human government floundered during this period include:
- No agreed-upon law code: With no universal law from God, people followed customs and laws that seemed right to them (Judges 21:25). But disagreements arose.
- Breakdown of extended families: As generations passed, family clans broke down, removing informal governance.
- Power vacuums: When one civilization fell, wars and power struggles erupted to fill the void.
- Paganim and idolatry: Without knowing God, people worshiped false gods and practiced magic, sorcery and pagan rituals.
- God’s people were oppressed: God’s chosen line through Abraham experienced famine, slavery, pillaging, exile and persecution under human government.
The failure of human government set the stage for God’s formation of Israel as a theocratic nation. Israel would model how a nation properly governed under God’s righteous laws should function (Deuteronomy 4:5-8). Rather than oppressing God’s people, Israel was to practice justice, care for the vulnerable, and point people to the one true God.
End of the Dispensation of Human Government
The dispensation of human government came to a close when God established national Israel at Mount Sinai. Some key events include:
- Exodus from Egypt: God powerfully delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, judging the gods of Egypt (Exodus 12:12).
- Parting of the Red Sea: God parted the sea so Israel could escape the Egyptian armies, demonstrating His supreme power over creation (Exodus 14).
- God’s presence on Sinai: God descended in fire on Mount Sinai, calling Moses up to give Israel His law (Exodus 19:18).
- Mosaic Law instituted: God gave Israel over 600 laws to govern their moral, civil and ceremonial life as a nation (Exodus 20 – Deuteronomy).
- Tabernacle instructions: Elaborate instructions were given to build a dwelling place for God in Israel’s midst (Exodus 25-31).
- Theocratic nation: Israel was constituted a holy nation under God’s direct rule and authority, no longer just autonomous tribes (Exodus 19:5-6).
With the Mosaic Law in place, Israel was to model God’s plan for national governance. The dispensation of human government ended as God’s focus shifted to developing Israel. This transition showed that true success for nations requires following God’s laws and honoring Him as King.
Principles for Human Government Today
Though the dispensation of human government itself ended, its lessons remain relevant today. Here are some key principles for human government that emerge from this dispensation:
- Nations must constrain evil through just laws and punishments (Genesis 9:6; Romans 13:3-4).
- Leaders should act as servants, not exploiting people for gain (Matthew 20:25-28; Romans 13:4).
- Rulers are accountable to God for how they govern (Romans 13:1,4).
- Justice should be impartial, protecting the vulnerable (Leviticus 19:15; Isaiah 10:1-2).
- Citizens should respect and obey government authorities (1 Peter 2:13-17).
- The ultimate hope for just governance lies in Christ’s future kingdom (Isaiah 9:6-7; Daniel 7:14).
While human government is flawed, God expects those in authority to pursue justice, prosperity and peace. Governing authorities have a role to play in restraining evil in a fallen world while awaiting the perfect government of Christ (Romans 13:1-7).
Conclusions
In summary, here are the key points about the dispensation of human government:
- Began after the Flood when humanity dispersed across the earth
- Humans responsible to establish justice through government
- Early governments often became corrupt without God’s influence
- Demonstrated need for direct governance by God
- Ended when God constituted Israel as a theocratic nation
- Principles remain relevant for human government today
- Awaiting Christ’s future kingdom for perfect justice and governance