Civil officers are chosen by the people and are answerable to them. First, it is their responsibility to choose the men who will govern them. Thus, the people of Israel were responsible to select and establish in office the men who would serve as civil rulers. Second, the people of Israel were to hold their officers accountable to rule justly and wisely. Hence, although the ultimate authority to govern came from God, the proximate source of magisterial authority is from the people.
Civil government is to be decentralized and local in orientation.
Here both civil and criminal law was to be decided. Here important matters of community defense and well-being were discussed and determined. Thus, each tribe had jurisdiction over its own territory, and had the duty to see that its cities, towns, and villages had proper civil government. The model of the Hebrew Republic provides for a locally oriented, decentralized civil rule, with various levels of government. In Israel, this consisted of the local magistrates in the gates, the rulers of the tribes, the council of the elders of Israel, and, eventually the king.