Deuteronomy 16:18-20 – A just government to ensue orderly living

For Israel to become an orderly society when they entered the promised land, there must be people appointed to ensure orderliness. The instructions given in Deuteronomy 16:18-20 were for people with integrity to be appointed and given authority to judge, maintain order, settle disputes, and deal with offenders. Right and appropriate people must be selected to administer justice righteously. To ensure fairness, God stipulated three things such appointed officers must not do. Firstly, they must not distort justice. Secondly, they must not be partial, and thirdly, they must not take a bribe. They must only do the right thing.    

Emphatically, God wants justice to be evident. Verse 20 explicitly instructed that the officials appointed must pursue justice and justice alone. Why is justice so important? When the right people are appointed into positions to administer justice, the people can exist peacefully. All unjust burdens will be removed, and peace and progress ensured. Society can then find security because lawbreakers will be brought to task and all disorderliness justly dealt with. This in turn will ensure that each person’s inheritance will be protected. How can a society be orderly when crimes are left unchecked, and offenders left to run riot rampantly and not fairly dealt with?

When we think of fairness in society, we think of people who are elected to govern our nation. A relevant question to ask is why do we need people in authority to be fair and just? The answer is obvious. If people who are not fair and just are placed in authority, there will be social injustice and people will live with the spirit of discontent. So the Apostle Paul urged in 1 Timothy 2:1-2 saying, “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” We must pray for all who is in authority so that we will have a peaceful and just society.