Altogether, those chosen to be gatekeepers at the thresholds numbered 212. They were registered by genealogy in their villages. The gatekeepers had been assigned to their positions of trust by David and Samuel the seer. – 1 Chronicles 9:22

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 29, 2016): 1 Chronicles 9

Ronald Reagan seems to be the patron Saint of the Republican Party. If you listen to the way that they speak, Reagan’s name continues to be mentioned and his shadow extends over a party that is now separated from his leadership by more than two and a half decades. The greatest compliment a Republican Candidate can receive is that you are doing things just the way that Reagan did, and the biggest criticism seems to be that Ronald Reagan would not have approached the problem that way. I almost expect to see candidates for Republican Party start to where rubber bracelets on their arms with WWRRD on them – What Would Ronald Reagan Do.

So maybe it is not surprising that some are asking whether or not Donald Trump is the next Ronald Reagan. Robert Alexander, Professor of Political Science at Ohio Northern University and self-described optimist and pragmatist, notes that there are some similarities between the two men. Both men were celebrities before they started their political careers. Both identified first with the Democratic Party before moving to the Republican Party, both challenged the Republican establishment (I think we forget that when nostalgically remembering Reagan), and both promised to restore America’s greatness. However, Reagan had a well-defined strategy for leadership which Trump seems to lack. But winning as a Republican candidate today seems to depend on being more and more like Ronald Reagan.

As we read the book of Chronicles, we have to continually remind ourselves about when the book was written. Chronicles was written following the return of Judah to its homeland after the Babylonian exile. It presented the case for how the nation needed to move forward in a brand new day and era. The purpose was to give a roadmap to the people with regard to how to make Israel great again. To do that, Chronicles describes the rise of Israel (although more specifically Judah) and then follows with the story of how Judah fell. And the rise was primarily due to two men; the prophet, Samuel, and the king, David.

So a successful roadmap back to greatness required following the example of these two men and doing exactly as they had done, but especially following the example of David. The rebuilders of the nation continually asked themselves “What Would David Do.” All that was needed to convince the people to do something in a particular way was to remind them that David had done it that way. Even when it is something as mundane as setting the gate keepers at the entrances of the city. The people were anxious to do things just the way that David had done them in an effort to recapture the greatness of that period in time.      

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 10