Today's Scripture Reading (March 19, 2025): Deuteronomy 31
Most of us know that George Washington was the United States' first President. A fact that surprised me was that while the Colonies declared their independence on July 2, 1776 (Yes, that date is correct; the colonies declared their independence on July 2, but the Declaration of Independence was ratified two days later on July 4, 1776), and while the revolutionary war was fought from 1775-1783, George Washington, the first President of the nation did not begin his first term until 1789. The first President of the United States didn't start to serve his first term until thirteen years after the birth of the nation and six years after the end of the Revolutionary War. Washington is often near the top of the list of Best Presidents. I know President Trump believes that his name should be near the top of this list, but instead, most political scholars rank him closer to the bottom; a CBS poll from 2022 ranks him 43rd out of 47, which is three spots below William Henry Harrison who was President for only 32 days (Harrison died in office).
Recently, the idea that Washington owned slaves has caused some to sour on Washington's time as President. However, he deserves some credit not just because he was first but because he led the nation without the budget or power given to a modern-day President. The country was still trying to figure out what it was that they wanted the President to do.
For me, one of the more significant questions concerns who led the nation in the thirteen years before Washington took over as President. The answer is that the country was led by the Congress of the Federation, a group made up of delegates from the thirteen colonies. This group of leaders chose the President of the Continental Congress from among its members. Cyrus Griffin from Virginia was the last President of the Continental Congress; Griffin yielded power to Washington as the First President of the United States.
Moses led Israel out of Egypt. One of the questions we might ask is, who did he replace? Was there someone who led the people before Moses? Some believe there may have been a group of Tribal leaders, like the Continental Congress, who led the nation during their time in Egypt. However, most of the people Moses spoke to had known only Moses as their leader. Now, Israel was beginning the first change in leadership they had known during their lifetime. The nation's new leader was going to be Joshua, a man whom Moses had trained for this very task. However, Moses needed to assure the people that Israel had always been designed as a theocracy. God was the true leader during the time of Moses, and he would continue to lead the nation when Joshua took the helm.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 32
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