(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Deuteronomy 16:18–22, “Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment. Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee. Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the LORD thy God hateth.”
When Moses was travelling in the desert, the Lord told him to select seventy men to help him with the administration of Israel. This section is just an extension of that principle for the nation once it was established. It would be impossible for the senior leaders of the nation to be involved in the day to day running of the country at the local level. Local administrators were appointed in every town and region to deal with the day to day issues at the local level. However, it was vitally important that these people be unimpeachable. If a person was willing to take a bribe then no one could rely on their judgements. This principle is called the rule of law and means that every citizen can expect the same outcome from the courts if they have the same circumstances in their case. The same issues are as important today as they were at the very beginning of Israel’s occupancy in the Promised Land.
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