“What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value.” –Thomas Paine, The American Crisis, No. 1, 1776

First in a series on the nature of government and the Founders thoughts:

I. Origins of Civil Government

“Society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one; for when we suffer or are exposed to the same miseries by a government, which we might expect in a country without government, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer.” –Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776

The Bible makes it clear that God established government on earth in Genesis 1-3. He gives Adam authority over all living things in the earth and tells Adam to name the animals and the plants. With this we see that God has set Adam up as the governor of the Garden giving Adam and Eve dominion in the earth. Then after Eve was created God established the family unit as a type of government with Adam as the ultimate final authority for his family. Eve was not subservient to Adam but was his partner in the marriage. However, in God’s eyes someone has to have the final say. Adam then was held to a higher accountability for the decisions he made for his family.

As Adam and Eve’s family spread out and inhabited the earth we see many nations created from their seed. Each one of these nations had its own version of god which influenced their concept of civil government. Originally civic government was for the purpose of security/protection and to create order in society. However, as these governmental entities (kings in most cases) developed they took one of two forms: 1. A tyrant/dictator; 2. A benevolent king/ruler. Most rulers/kings fell into the first category. Some kings even considered themselves god. The people of those nations became subservient to their rulers so that as societies developed the majority of the people were slaves and bond servants with a small elite ruling class.

Property ownership was unheard of until God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. “Thou shall not steal” introduced the idea of private property. Until that time tools etc. were considered shared property of each village. The Greek and Roman Empires introduced legislative bodies into government but still the majority of citizens were slaves/bond servants/serfs. During the Middle Ages Christianity brought about inventions, new ideas and products that made life easier and began to create a merchant class. The Renaissance period only accelerated what had begun during the Middle Ages/Dark Ages. With the Protestant Reformation came the emergence of a working class, greater inventions, innovation and the ideas of free enterprise.

Governments were still top down driven by kings and royalty with very little upper mobility among the people. In other words the people served the King. The prophet Samuel warned the Israelites that if they insisted on having a king that their sons and daughters would end up serving that king and all future monarchs. Instead of heeding Samuel’s warning they rejected God in favor of a king. At the time of the American founding nations ruled by monarchs was the norm.

Dinner Table Discussion Question:

Is government good or inherently evil? Why?

Also, discuss the meaning of the leading quote.