Thy Strong Word from KFUO Radio
1,218 episodes - English - Latest episode: 20 days ago - ★★★★★ - 73 ratingsThy Strong Word reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations.
Thy Strong Word is hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, and graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation.
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Episodes
Hebrews 2: The Founder of Salvation -- 2019/09/06
September 06, 2019 20:07 - 51.5 MBRev. Michael Salemink, Executive Director of Lutherans for Life, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Hebrews 2. They also discuss the Southern California Defending Life Conference, defendinglifeconference.org. Do you think of halos, harps, and feathery wings when you hear “angel”? In the Bible, the word literally means “messenger,” so in a way of speaking, Jesus Christ is God’s angel in the truest sense! In Hebrews 2 however, the writer argues that Jesus is no mere angel. In fact, there’s ...
Ezra 6: Temple Completed, God Blesses through Government -- 2019/09/05
September 05, 2019 21:31 - 51.5 MBRev. Curtis Deterding, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, Florida, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Ezra 6. We can’t go along with the polarizing ideology of our day: government is neither all good nor all bad. It is an instrument of God, an instrument at times of wrath and at times of blessing. In Ezra 6, we see that God uses King Darius of Persia to not only bring the Temple to swift completion, but to rebuild it twice as tall, to pay for it completely with government funds,...
Romans 8: Free from the Flesh, Meaning for the Body -- 2019/09/04
September 04, 2019 22:14 - 51.5 MBRev. Scott Stiegemeyer, Assistant Professor of Bioethics and Theology at Concordia University Irvine, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Romans 8. They also discuss the Southern California Defending Life Conference, defendinglifeconference.org. A special “defending life” episode with a presenter at this week’s conference: What does it matter what I do with my body? It’s mine, isn’t it? It’s just going to die anyway, so shouldn’t we focus on spiritual things instead? Ironically, if we degr...
Ezra 5: Rebuild Restart, Confess Boldly amidst Uncertainty -- 2019/09/03
September 03, 2019 22:42 - 51.5 MBRev. Tim Scharr, President of the Southern Illinois District of the LCMS, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Ezra 5. How do we live out our faith in the midst of a shifting legal landscape? Sometimes the authorities are permissive or even supportive! Sometimes they are difficult or even antagonistic, threatening to shut down our work or penalize us. That was the situation of the Judean exiles, uncertain whether King Darius would be more like Artaxerxes who interrupted the reconstruction of...
Psalm 30: Joy Comes with the Morning -- 2019/09/02
September 03, 2019 22:42 - 51.5 MBRev. Ryan Ankersen, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Fremont, Nebraska, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 30. Psalm 30 contains one of the best-known lines of the entire Psalter: “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” It has been quoted and adapted countless times, such as in the classic hymn “The Church’s One Foundation.” What is the rest of the psalm talking about though, and what real-life events does it describe? The first question comes fr...
Ezra 4: Love, Submission, and Samaritan Sabotage -- 2019/08/30
August 30, 2019 22:28 - 51.5 MBRev. Joseph Barlau, pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Seymour, Indiana, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Ezra 4. They seem loving and tolerant, but they have ulterior motives. The Samaritans in Ezra chapter 4 claim to worship the same God, but when the Judeans faithfully stick to the First Commandment, “the adversaries” resort to bribery and political maneuvering. The language switches to Aramaic as imperial letters are exchanged; the North is after power. This chapter presents us w...
Ezra 3: Reconstruction of Repentance and Reformation -- 2019/08/29
August 29, 2019 22:20 - 51.5 MBRev. Thomas Eckstein, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Jamestown, North Dakota, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Ezra 3. The elders cried even as the crowds celebrated. Rebuilding the altar and the temple foundation was just another reminder that God had punished them justly. The rebuilding project was a moment of repentance and reformation. The Judeans saw through faith that they were to fear God above all; their enemies were God’s instruments to punish disobedience, and this time...
Ezra 2: Faith & Family Identity Amidst Trauma -- 2019/08/28
August 28, 2019 21:14 - 51.5 MBRev. Brian Davies, pastor of Lord of Glory Lutheran Church in Grayslake, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Ezra 2. Just as Moses counted the Israelites in the first exodus, so here in Ezra 2 we have a census of the second exodus, the deported Israelites who came back home from Babylonia after 50 years. Every name and number is cause for both celebration and mourning. Families had lost so many loved ones, and some families had hardly any survivors. Many families were greatly divi...
Ezra 1: Yahweh’s Spirit Among the Pagans, Israel Resurrected -- 2019/08/27
August 27, 2019 21:11 - 51.5 MBRev. John Lukomski, retired pastor in Northfield, Minnesota, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Ezra 1. In Hebrew, Ezra and Nehemiah form one large book that follows Daniel. Daniel shares his stories of life in exile, and now Ezra tells of the return home to Jerusalem. In chapter 1, we hear of Emperor Cyrus’s policy of allowing deportees to return home and rebuild. More than simply a lesson in history or political theory, this is testimony to how God uses all things to accomplish His purpo...
Daniel 12: You Shall Rest, Stand, and Shine in Your Allotted Place -- 2019/08/26
August 26, 2019 20:30 - 51.5 MBRev. David Boisclair, pastor of Faith and Bethesda Lutheran Churches in North St. Louis County, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Daniel 12. Daniel 12 is one of the few places in the Old Testament where we get direct and explicit mention of the bodily resurrection: “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Gabriel immediately speaks of the martyrs and the traitors among Israel during the ...
Daniel 11: Stand Firm Against the Mad False God --- 2019/08/23
August 23, 2019 21:02 - 51.5 MBRev. Gregory Alms, pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Catawba, North Carolina, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Daniel 11. After so many hints and shadowy references, we finally get Daniel’s prophecy in the clearest terms. Daniel’s apocalyptic message to stand firm in the faith and to resist the powers of evil rings truest for Israelites suffering under Antiochus IV “Epiphanes” of the Seleucid Empire. The historical precision of chapter 11 practically names this madman who fancies him...
Daniel 10: “Sevens Sevens,” Daniel Sees Jesus --- 2019/08/22
August 22, 2019 21:38 - 51.5 MBRev. Dr. Alfonso Espinosa, pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Irvine, California, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Daniel 10. What does the number seven mean, spiritually speaking? Picking up a little bit more of chapter 9 from last time, we consider how creation, wholeness, perfection, peace, and revenge are all tied together in this single number. Rather than counting the 490 years from a secular perspective, we should see God giving His people a great jubilee in every age: first ...
Daniel 9: 70 Years and 70 Weeks for Repentance and Restoration --- 2019/08/21
August 21, 2019 20:47 - 51.5 MBRev. Timothy Appel, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Smithville, Texas, and host of Sharper Iron on KFUO Radio, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Daniel 9. Find Sharper Iron episodes at kfuo.org/sharperiron. In the wake of his troubling visions, Daniel turns to Scripture. When he encounters Jeremiah’s prophecy of the 70-year exile, he turns in repentance on behalf of the whole people of God. His prayer here in chapter 9 shows that when God pours out His wrath on His people, every one of...
Daniel 8: The Greek Goat and the Little Horns of Every Age --- 2019/08/20
August 20, 2019 20:26 - 51.5 MBRev. Nabil Nour, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Hartford, South Dakota, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Daniel 8. A few years after Daniel’s vision of the four beasts, Daniel has another vision of two beasts: a ram who is defeated by a goat with conspicuous horns. In Daniel 8, the angel Gabriel explains the vision’s meaning in detail: the Macedonian Empire (under the goat’s great horn, Alexander the Great) is about to rapidly overthrow the Medo-Persian Empire along with everything...
Psalm 41: Blessed, Betrayed, Raised Up --- 2019/08/19
August 19, 2019 21:00 - 51.5 MBRev. Nathan Meador, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Plymouth, Wisconsin, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 41. We can’t bring ourselves to have hope for the future or joy in the present unless God reminds us of His past and present goodness. When we are too busy to stop and recall God’s grace, we rob ourselves! In Psalm 41, David begins by reminding himself of the blessings and aid of God that he has already enjoyed. David then confesses his sin and asks for rescue. Although ...
Daniel 7: Daniel Dreams of Four Beasts and One Man --- 2019/08/16
August 16, 2019 20:43 - 51.5 MBRev. Peter Bender, pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Sussex, Wisconsin, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Daniel 7. The first half of Daniel gave us the stories of Daniel, his friends, and Nebuchadnezzar. For the second half, Daniel now turns to his own dreams and visionary experiences. In chapter 7, he describes his terrifying vision of four monstrous beasts: a lion with wings like an eagle, a monstrous bear, a four-headed leopard, and iron-toothed beast beyond description. We are told ...
Daniel 6: Daniel/Jesus in the Lion’s Den --- 2019/08/15
August 15, 2019 22:19 - 51.5 MBRev. Steven Theiss, retired pastor in Frohna, MO, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Daniel 6. Another classic Bible story: Envious politicians collude to rob Daniel of his exalted position. Daniel boldly worships Yahweh alone in defiance of the king’s edict. Daniel is thrown into the den of lions, but come morning, he miraculously emerges unscathed. The parallels abound. Daniel’s story in Babylon mirrors that of Joseph in Egypt, but it also maps onto the ministry of our Lord Jesus. As ba...
Daniel 5: For the Prideful, the Writing’s on the Wall --- 2019/08/14
August 14, 2019 21:56 - 51.5 MBRev. John Shank, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Edwardsville, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Daniel 5. “The writing’s on the wall” is a common phrase in English, but how many people know that it comes from the Bible? People still use the phrase, even in popular music, to refer to an ominous reckoning of some kind, but it originally referred to King Belshazzar’s fateful encounter with the hand of God. No one knew what the writing meant at first, but the king was terrifie...
Daniel 4: From Majestic Tree to Crazy Stump --- 2019/08/13
August 14, 2019 21:56 - 51.5 MBRev. John Lukomski, retired pastor in Northlake, Minnesota, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Daniel 4. Most chapters of the Bible come to us from prophets and apostles. Daniel 4, however, takes the form of a letter from a pagan king! The destroyer of Jerusalem himself, the Babylonian emperor Nebuchadnezzar, offers praise to God for all to hear. He has finally been humbled. In his letter, he relates another dream experience which ultimately required Daniel’s help. Daniel interpreted the ...
Daniel 3: The Son of God Down in the Fiery Furnace --- 2019/08/12
August 12, 2019 20:36 - 51.5 MBRev. Bill Cwirla, pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Hacienda Heights, California, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Daniel 3. Many of us have heard of the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego down in the fiery furnace. It’s the stuff of Sunday school and Veggie Tales. But what does it mean that the golden statue was 60 cubits high? Or that the fire was seven times hotter than normal? Or that the narrator keeps repeating all the bureaucrats and instruments? Why is Daniel never ...
Daniel 2: The King’s Dream—The Multipart Statue --- 2019/08/09
August 09, 2019 22:44 - 51.5 MBRev. Brian Kachelmeier, pastor of Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church in Los Alamos, New Mexico, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Daniel 2. Like Pharaoh in the days of Joseph, King Nebuchadnezzar starts having troubling dreams. The Babylonian king, however, is tired of soothsayers playing games: He wants someone to not only interpret his dream, but he wants someone first to accurately describe the dream without any prior knowledge! The Babylonian wisemen are at a loss and on the verge o...
Daniel 1: Pagan Punishment and Testing --- 2019/08/08
August 08, 2019 21:09 - 51.5 MBRev. Darrin Sheek, pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Anaheim, California, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Daniel 1. Stories like Daniel in the Lions’ Den and The Fiery Furnace are Sunday school classics. Many of us have heard of Daniel’s friends, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.” But these were not their real names! Daniel 1 gives us the background for all these stories: God’s people were captured and deported by the Babylonians, who were trying to make them adopt Babylonian...
1 John 5: Blood of the Human Christ --- 2019/08/07
August 07, 2019 21:17 - 51.5 MBRev. David Boisclair, pastor of Faith and Bethesda Lutheran Churches in North St. Louis County, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 John 5. “There are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood.” John’s poetic language in the final chapter of his letter point to three real-life events when God publicly testified to the Messiah-ship of Jesus: His baptism, His crucifixion, and Pentecost. All three can be seen in His death, when He “gave up His spirit” and His side ...
1 John 4: Test the Spirits—Love vs. Antichrist --- 2019/08/06
August 06, 2019 21:01 - 51.5 MBRev. Dr. Martin Noland, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in San Mateo, California, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 John 4. Many people have quoted from 1 John 4: “God is love” and “Test the spirits” among others. But what do these verses mean in context? John is talking about how to tell the difference between the Spirit of God and the spirit of antichrist. He’s still talking about this split that has occurred in the Christian community. Although lots of people talk about “love” or “G...
Psalm 40: The King Who Obeys, Thanks, and Prays --- 2019/08/05
August 05, 2019 21:32 - 51.5 MBHost Rev. AJ Espinosa studies Psalm 40. Before we ask God for something, we should first thank Him for the prayers He has already answered. Psalm 40 gives us this form and pattern of prayer, not as a way of buttering God up, but as a way of reminding ourselves that God is indeed faithful and gracious. We can have faith in Him and present our petitions boldly. David praises God for saving him again and again, and he reflects on how God ultimately rejected Saul in favor of David, because God ...
1 John 3: A Tale of Two Churches --- 2019/08/02
August 02, 2019 21:00 - 51.5 MBRev. Dr. George Lobien, retired pastor from Lakeside Lutheran Church in Venice, Florida, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 John 3. John wants his dear children in the faith to be absolutely clear: the other so-called Christians are actually “children of the devil”! As he said in the previous chapter, they are “antichrists,” a splinter group that has separated itself from fellowship with the apostles and with God. They have instead have aligned themselves with the Gnostics and others of ...
1 John 2: Christ Our Advocate --- 2019/08/01
August 01, 2019 21:29 - 51.5 MBRev. Curtis Deterding, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, Florida, joins guest host Rev. Michael Meyer, Manager Disaster Response for the LCMS Office of National Mission, to study 1 John 2. To ‘know’ Christ is to believe His Word and walk in a manner worthy of one who abides in the light, that is, a child of God. We are to love our neighbor as Christ first loved us, even as we love not the things of this world. Beware of false teachers, who may look and act genuine, but in fact t...
1 John 1: Sins of the Body Matter to Jesus --- 2019/07/31
July 31, 2019 20:34 - 51.5 MBRev. Matt Zickler, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Western Springs, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 John 1. If we deny that God became a real flesh-and-blood human being, then we are blind to our sins and captive to the darkness. What we do with our bodies matters to God! God created our bodies and the whole material world, and He has begun to save our bodies and restore this world in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the topic of the first letter of John. We fin...
Psalm 39: Can’t Bottle It Up Anymore --- 2019/07/30
July 30, 2019 21:30 - 51.5 MBRev. Christopher Maronde, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church — Bingen in Decatur, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 39. David tries to grin and bear his just punishment, but he can’t take it anymore. Yet in Psalm 39, rather than sinfully bursting out at the wicked, he bursts out at God in prayer. His cry for help is full of raw emotion and urgency—and it’s okay to pray like that! God can take it. David vents while turning to humility in faith, waiting for God to bring an e...
Numbers 36: Marriage to Protect the Inheritance --- 2019/07/29
July 29, 2019 20:44 - 51.5 MBRev. Dr. Steve Schave, Director of Urban and Inner City Mission and Church Planting with the LCMS Office of National Mission, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 36. “At this rate, there won’t be anything left for our children!” This is a common sentiment in many areas of life. We all want our children and grandchildren to enjoy the same blessings that God has given us. In Numbers 36, the tribe of Manasseh realizes that a loophole in marriage and inheritance laws might leave future ...
Numbers 35: Cities to Escape the Redeemer --- 2019/07/26
July 26, 2019 20:10 - 51.5 MBRev. Simon Volkmar, pastor of Great Church of the Cross with the Selbständige Evangelisch—Lutherische Kirche (SELK) (Independent Evangelical—Lutheran Church) in Hermansburg, Germany, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 35. Jesus Christ is the ultimate avenger! We’re not talking Marvel---the word for "avenger" in Numbers 35 is actually the same Hebrew word translated as "redeemer" or "kinsman-redeemer" elsewhere. For the Israelites, a redeemer was a family member who rescued the fami...
Numbers 34: Scary Big Borders --- 2019/07/25
July 25, 2019 19:55 - 51.5 MBRev. Doug Nicely, pastor of Jerusalem Lutheran Church in Collinsville, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 34. God’s command in the previous chapter was clear: “You shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you.” But here in Numbers 34, we see that “the land” that God has promised is a very aggressively-positioned piece of real estate. It extends right up to or even right over some scary enemy territory! As small as the actual territory might seem to us, ...
Numbers 33: Moses Recounts the Meanderings --- 2019/07/24
July 25, 2019 19:55 - 51.5 MBRev. Joe Cox, theology teacher at Lutheran High School South in St. Louis, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 33. The main action of Numbers has drawn to a close, and now chapter 33 begins a prequel to Deuteronomy: On the banks of the Jordan River, Moses gets Israel ready for the invasion, summarizing their journey up to this point. Apparently, Moses kept thorough records of every place they visited over the last 40 years! The place names evoke images, stories, and even ...
Numbers 32: Inheritance for the [Adopted] Firstborns --- 2019/07/23
July 23, 2019 20:43 - 51.5 MBRev. John Lukomski, retired pastor in Northfield, Minnesota, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 32. Talk of staying out of Canaan has risen up again forty years later. In Numbers 32, Reuben and Gad ask that Moses allow them to permanently settle in the Transjordan region to the east. Moses fears that this sort of talk will cause the tribes to get cold feet and lead to yet another generation forfeiting the inheritance prepared by Yahweh. In the proceedings that follow, God manifest...
Numbers 31: Merciful in Victory over Midian --- 2019/07/22
July 22, 2019 21:21 - 51.5 MBRev. David Boisclair, pastor of Faith and Bethesda Lutheran Churches in North St. Louis County, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 31. We struggle with the brutality of Numbers 31, but we must learn to be humble like Job and not challenge God’s authority. In the end, we see that God punishes the Midianites justly while also preventing further bloodshed. Moreover, He spares the young women and allows them to join the people of Israel, just as He would later do with Rahab o...
Numbers 30: Honoring God and Husband --- 2019/07/19
July 19, 2019 21:42 - 51.5 MBRev. Ingo Dutzmann, retired pastor and Director of Camp Winni on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 30. The Second Commandment demands that God’s name be kept holy, which means that vows by His name must be honored. When push comes to shove, however, God would rather keep marriage holy by having women honor their fathers and husbands. Such is God’s protective grace shown in Numbers 30: God will forgive and release women from binding oaths if the...
Numbers 29: Days of Tents and Judgment --- 2019/07/18
July 18, 2019 21:12 - 51.5 MBRev. Steven Theiss, retired pastor in Frohna, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 29. Why are people in Queens setting up tents in their backyards? That’s what Pastor Theiss wondered one October until he realized he was in the midst of a community observing the “Feast of Booths,” the Old Testament harvest festival commemorating God’s provision for Israel during their 40-year tent-and-Tabernacle sojourn in the wilderness. The pattern of “camping out” in preparation to recei...
Numbers 28: God Eats Daily Bread with Us --- 2019/07/17
July 18, 2019 21:12 - 51.5 MBRev. Matthew Wurm, pastor of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Brookings, South Dakota, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 28. Many of the offerings and sacrifices in ancient Israel were to be consumed by the priests, the Levites, and the broader community. These were a means of God’s provision for those who were not sustaining themselves through agriculture. Numbers 28 however describes a different kind of sacrifice: a burnt offering, food totally consumed by the fire. It wasn’t fo...
Numbers 27: The Daughters of Zelophehad --- 2019/07/16
July 17, 2019 18:30 - 51.5 MBRev. Ben Maton, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 27. What’s in a name? Numbers 27 strikes modern readers as curious, since we can be so dismissive of names and “labels.” In the Bible though, a name is one of the most important things in life, and Zelophehad’s daughters demonstrate faithfulness to their family in their request to Moses. God shows abundant grace to ensure that nothing will get between His people and t...
Psalm 38: Do Not Forsake Me, O Lord --- 2019/07/15
July 17, 2019 18:29 - 51.5 MBRev. Nathan Meador, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Plymouth, Wisconsin, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 38. David is drowning in his sin, overwhelmed with sorrow over what he has done. Psalm 38 doesn’t speak to the exact circumstances, but David knows his state of serious injury is punishment from God, as if God Himself had fired the “arrows” into him. David’s friends have abandoned him, and his enemies seek to take advantage of the situation, but he knows there is still ho...
Numbers 26: Census of the New Generation --- 2019/07/12
July 14, 2019 23:06 - 51.5 MBRev. Paul Cain, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Sheridan, Wyoming, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 26. The tribe of Simeon has been decimated. After the Baal worship in Shittim, led in large part by the Simeonite chief Zimri the son of Salu, we observe in Numbers 26 that Simeon’s figure in the census has decreased by 37,100, a massive 63%. The “plague” seems to have mercifully spared the women and children, targeting the men who participated in the idolatry, the most serio...
Numbers 25: Baal Worship at Peor --- 2019/07/11
July 14, 2019 23:05 - 51.5 MBRev. Thomas Eckstein, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Jamestown, North Dakota, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 25. Why does God make such a big deal about sex? This is the reaction that many have to chapters like Numbers 25. The thing is, sex always means so much more than the physical act itself. In this case, Israel’s leaders had joined the people to Baal of Peor’s fertility cult, which threatened to totally unmake Israel. There would no longer be a holy people. Phineh...
Numbers 24: Balaam’s Third Oracle --- 2019/07/10
July 14, 2019 23:05 - 51.5 MBRev. John Shank, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Edwardsville, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 24. In Numbers 24, the pagan prophet finally perceives God’s unshakable and sovereign choice to bless Israel, His elect among the nations from before creation. Balaam’s Aramaisms and archaic language remind us that even Abraham was once Abram, “a wandering Aramean” until God graciously revealed Himself to him. Inspired by the very Spirit of God, Balaam concludes his thir...
Numbers 23: Balaam’s First Oracle --- 2019/07/09
July 14, 2019 23:04 - 51.5 MBRev. John Lukomski, retired pastor, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 23. Shrouded in religious mystery—a sevenfold sacrifice, a mountaintop encounter beyond the timberline—the pagan prophet Balaam performs a divination for his royal patron. In Numbers 23, Balaam then pronounces this divine wisdom-oracle, a message of timeless truth and God’s unalterable will. He does this not once, but twice, reaffirming that God’s mind will not be changed, and His blessings cannot be overridden....
Numbers 22: Balaam, Midianite and Prophet of Yahweh --- 2019/07/08
July 14, 2019 23:04 - 51.5 MBRev. Brian Kachelmeier, pastor of Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church in Los Alamos, New Mexico, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 22. After Israel’s stunning string of military victories, the Moabites fear they are next in line. Numbers 22 describes their steps to get an edge in the coming battle. Along the way, we are introduced to the prophet Balaam. He is a Midianite, but it turns out he knows Yahweh, the God of Israel! How can this be? The reality is that names like Yahweh...
Numbers 21: Arad Destroyed --- 2019/07/05
July 13, 2019 17:09 - 51.5 MBRev. Dr. Alfonso Espinosa, pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Irvine, California, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 21. Israel is on the move! After settling in Kadesh and living there for a generation, Numbers 21 recounts the first incursions into border regions of the Promised Land. This new generation of Israelites goes into battle, and God gives them victory after victory with song and celebration. At times modern readers shrink from these accounts of violence, but we kno...
Numbers 20: The Death of Miriam --- 2019/07/04
July 13, 2019 17:09 - 51.5 MBRev. Warren Woerth, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Arnold, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 20. Although the opening words of Numbers 20 are sparse, it appears that nearly forty years have passed. Now we are dealing with the younger generation that God has promised will inherit the Promised Land. They come to the wilderness of Zin, and the question is: will history repeat itself? Will they trust God in faith and possess the land? Or will they, like Miriam, c...
Numbers 19: Laws for Purification --- 2019/07/03
July 13, 2019 17:08 - 51.5 MBRev. Jacob Heine, pastor of Christ the Rock Lutheran Church in Rockford, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 19. God deals with the problem of death head-on. Chapter 19 and its context are full of death: this chapter deals with cleansing from contact with death, Israelites died in previous chapters from profaning the Tabernacle, and Aaron and Miriam will die in the next chapter. A special animal is consecrated and radically set apart: a young red cow, to be used for no oth...
Numbers 18: Duties of Priests and Levites --- 2019/07/02
July 13, 2019 17:07 - 51.5 MBRev. Curtis Deterding, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Ft. Myers, Florida, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 18. When God put down the rebellion against Moses and Aaron, Israel was filled with fear. They wanted nothing to do with the Tabernacle! God responds in Numbers 18 with gracious instruction: the priests will bear the sin against the Tabernacle, and the Levites will stand guard, so that the people of Israel will be kept safe. The various procedures described in connection...
Psalm 37: He Will Not Forsake His Saints --- 2019/07/01
July 13, 2019 17:00 - 51.5 MBRev. Kevin Parviz, pastor of Congregation Chai v’Shalom in St. Louis, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 37. Don’t get worked up about it; the prosperity of the unbelievers won’t last. This is the lesson that David teaches us in this Hebrew acrostic poem, also known as an abecedarius. Every four lines of Psalm 37 are grouped together by successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet, imparting life lessons spoken from David’s old age. Those who trust in the God of Israel will h...