Iron Sharpens Iron Essay #35 The Danger of the “Good King” Model — Why a True Republican Form of Government Requires County Sovereignty

Yesterday in the meeting Paul brought up the Guarantee Clause of the U.S. Constitution (Article IV, Section 4):

“The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government…”

He acknowledged that we do not currently have that republican form fully in place, and he said NCS is working to fix it by “giving sovereignty back to the people.”

He also shared from his decades of experience as an education administrator in California, saying that in the new state the Board of Education should only have “one drawer of space instead of all those bureaucracies.”

This shows he clearly sees the problem of centralized bureaucracy.

Today in discussion with friends, the question of invaded or failing counties came up. Some said certain counties are “totally invaded” by crime and cartels, so we cannot give them real sovereignty. When I asked, “Then you want a dictator to rule?” one friend paused and answered, “Yes.”

These conversations reveal the tension we are living in right now.

Representation Is Not Sovereignty

Even with one senator per county, we must be honest about what that actually gives us.

Representation is not sovereignty.
Representation is not authority.

People can argue that we still have freedom of speech and the right to protest whatever we want. But in practice, the centralized majority (or the state legislature) ultimately governs over us. They can silence, remove, arrest, or economically disconnect you by cutting off networks, banking, or other essential services.

With only 58 county senators in a state legislature, the system remains a majority-rule democracy, not a true republican form of government with protected local sovereignty. One voice out of 58 can still be easily overridden.

The El Salvador Example and the “Good King” Temptation

A powerful real-world example often raised is El Salvador under President Nayib Bukele. Once one of the most dangerous countries in the Western Hemisphere, it has become one of the safest through his aggressive, centralized crackdown on gangs. Many call him a “good king” who genuinely loves his people and delivered results.

The logic then follows:
“If a county is failing or invaded, shouldn’t the State be able to step in temporarily, implement solutions, and hand power back when the county is ready — just like the Federal government can step in when a state fails, or like we intervene in nations to restore order?”

This sounds reasonable on the surface. Temporary intervention can be necessary in extreme cases.

But the deeper question is this:

What happens when the next king does not love the people the same way Bukele does?

Biblical Kingship and the Ancient Israelite Monarchy — The 12 Tribes Model

God originally designed Israel as a decentralized confederation of 12 tribes.

Each tribe had its own land, elders, judges, and significant self-governance. Power was kept close to the people and accountable to God. This was the system that reflected God’s heart for liberty and responsibility.

The people rejected this model and demanded a human king “like all the other nations” (1 Samuel 8).

Samuel warned them plainly that the king would take their sons, daughters, land, produce, and freedom, turning them into servants. The people still demanded a king. God allowed it, but the long-term result was division, oppression, idolatry, and eventual exile. Even the best kings (David, Solomon) could not prevent the cycle.

The monarchy ultimately failed because it concentrated power in one man instead of keeping it diffused as God intended.

Jesus later reinforced the same principle:

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them… It shall not be so among you” (Mark 10:42-45).

True greatness in God’s kingdom is servanthood, not centralized rule.

The Roman Republic — A Historical Model of Checks and Balances

The Roman Republic offers another powerful example of a system built on diffused power.

It had multiple layers of authority:

two consuls (executive),

the Senate (aristocratic wisdom),

popular assemblies and tribunes of the plebs (protecting the common people).

No single person or body held absolute power. The system was deliberately designed with checks and balances so that ambition would counteract ambition.

When Rome abandoned this republican structure and moved toward empire under emperors, it eventually collapsed into tyranny and decline.

Federalist Paper #51 — Madison’s Warning

James Madison in Federalist Paper #51 explained why a republic needs more than good intentions:

“Ambition must be made to counteract ambition… If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.”

Madison understood that we cannot rely on the next leader being a “good king.”

We must build structural auxiliary precautions — clear limits and diffused sovereignty — so that power is kept in check even when leaders are flawed.

How the 9 Branches Framework Fits into a True Republican Form

The 9 Branches of the Tree of Life (rooted in Servitude mindset) provide a practical, living framework that can operate at every level of society:

Government – County-level sovereignty with the 9 Branches guiding local decisions on land restoration, energy, food, education, manufacturing, and truth-telling.
Institutions – Churches, schools, businesses, and civic groups operating as Servitude-centered hubs rather than top-down bureaucracies.
Communities – Neighborhoods and cities using the 9 Branches to heal land, feed people, train the next generation, and restore well-being.
Families – Households functioning as the smallest republican unit, stewarding personal economies of well-being through the 9 Branches.
Personal Economies of Well-Being – Individuals living out the 9 Branches in daily life: restoring their own “land” (body, mind, spirit), building sanctuaries of healing, providing for their households, and walking in truth.

This framework is not just for government. It is a universal operating system that can be lived out in any organization or relationship, countering the human tendency toward centralization and control.

Why This Matters for NCS

NCS was formed to escape the oppressive centralized control of Sacramento. Yet if the new constitution still leaves the state with superior power over the counties — even with “good intentions,” one senator per county, and plans to reduce some bureaucracies — we are simply building a kinder, nicer version of the same “good king” model.

Paul is a good man who wants to do right. Bukele has delivered real results for his people. But the system should never depend on the next leader being just as good.

History and Scripture show that good kings are followed by lesser ones, and centralized power rarely stays temporary.

A true Republican Form of Government (as required by Article IV, Section 4) does not solve problems by creating a stronger central ruler who can step in when counties struggle.
It solves problems by protecting sovereignty at the lowest level — the People, the community, the city, and the county — so that power does not have to be concentrated in one person or one capitol.