Thy Strong Word from KFUO Radio

Rev. Kevin Parviz, pastor of Congregation Chai v'Shalom in St. Louis, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Chronicles 11.“David said, ‘Whoever strikes the Jebusites first shall be chief and commander.’ And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, so he became chief.” You can only see turning points in the rearview mirror—the ups and downs of markets, power, and human behavior make multiple narratives possible. In 1 Chronicles 11, the narrator shows how God was at work in David’s reign even in the failures and the challenges. Even figures sometimes thought of as villains like Joab wax and wane under God’s direction. Our darkest seasons of life may turn out to be the ones most full of grace in the bigger picture, as Jesus Christ demonstrates in His own passion.

Rev. David Boisclair, pastor of Faith and Bethesda Lutheran Churches in North St. Louis County, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 48.“Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation that this is God.” Psalm 48 celebrates how God protected Jerusalem from foreign invaders, sending them into “panic.” The triumphant tone lines up with the Biblical account of the Assyrian invasion of Israel & Judah, before the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem. The paradox is that through very specific times and places we encounter the universal God of “all the earth”—but when we talk about God in broad generalities, we end up with a god very specific to our own imagination. In Christ, we are numbered with the saints of Mount Zion along with the whole universal church.

Rev. Curtis Deterding, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, Florida, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Jonah 3-4.“But God said to Jonah, ‘Do you do well to be angry for the plant?’ And he said, ‘Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.’” Jonah had good reasons to be angry. The Assyrians were a thousand-year empire that eventually destroyed most of Israel—why would God betray His people’s safety and security by refusing to serve long-overdue justice? But Jonah’s leafy refuge from the blistering heat—taken by God just as quickly as it was given—proved Jonah’s hypocrisy. Beneath the rationalizations, our anger is almost always arrogant and selfish. Jesus Christ humbly exposed His weakness to invite us to lay down our arms, and to save life where we would’ve destroyed it.

Rev. George Murdaugh, pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Douglasville, Georgia, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Ruth chapter 3 and 4:1-6.“But when he lies down, observe the place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do.” What exactly is Naomi suggesting that her daughter-in-law do? Ruth maintains a respectful tone in everything she says, but she demonstrates a certain shrewdness and boldness—not to fulfill her personal desires—but for the sake of family. She prefigures the women who shrewdly and boldly visit Jesus Christ’s tomb early Sunday morning, only to find that God Himself has already “uncovered” the tomb. As limited humans we must respect our existing obligations, but Christ’s inheritance only grows larger as more are redeemed.

Rev. Dr. Alfonso Espinosa, pastor of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Irvine, California, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Judges 2 and Judges 1:30-36.“There arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel.” How could they just “forget” or “not know” God! It’s tempting to caricature the Israelites and dismiss Judges 2 as something that would never happen to us, but Western Christianity finds itself in the same situation. We let go of our distinctive history—the Exodus, the Exile, Easter morning—and we embrace a more “inclusive” spirituality where YHWH looks a lot like the Baal next door. If our children forget their baptism and assimilate to Canaanite culture, we have failed as teachers. But Christ is merciful, and He re-introduces His Gospel even where it has been forgotten.

Rev. Matt Zickler, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Western Springs, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Deuteronomy 32:48-52 and chapter 34.“You did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel. For you shall see the land before you, but you shall not go there.” What’s the big deal? Moses hit a rock with a stick—does that merit the death penalty?Holiness however isn’t about physical damages; it’s about representing God. When Moses publicly made himself and Aaron the center of power, it came time for him to step aside. When he dies on the mountain in Deuteronomy 34, the message is clear: God has executed him. And yet, God still shows grace to Moses and to all Israel, pointing ahead to Joshua and to the greater Jeho-shua in Jesus Christ.

Rev. Peter Bender, pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Sussex, Wisconsin, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 46.“Be still, and know that I am God. [...] The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Martin Luther based his hymn “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” on Psalm 46. Like the Trinity, it presents three pictures of God side by side: a “trusty shield” to defend us, like a coastal fortress that stands tall over the wind and waves; a victor “by our side,” like a river flowing through the peaceful city of God; and a “valiant One” on the battlefield, like a conqueror who destroys His people’s enemies. We take refuge in Christ as His body the church, where we can let go of the sinful impulse to try and take control.

Rev. Jeremy Klaustermeier, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Warrenton, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 45.“Forget your people and your father’s house, and the king will desire your beauty.” Psalm 45 is a totally unique psalm, the only one called “a love song” in its title. A woman of a foreign nation joins herself to God’s people as she marries the king of Israel—a picture of the repentant church. Faith belongs with true beauty and desire, and Christ uniquely brings us not only faithfulness but intimacy with God. He pours out royal gifts of grace: His Spirit, His Word, absolution, and the sacraments.

Rev. Nate Ruback, pastor of Grace Lutheran Chapel in Bellefontaine Neighbors, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Leviticus 9:22-24 and 10:1-20.“Such things as these have happened to me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, would the LORD have approved?” We often act like the world is full of good things and bad things, good people and bad people. And yet, if God is the Creator of all things and the Source of all goodness, then things aren’t so black and white. In Leviticus 10, Nadab & Abihu presume that their good-guy status gives them the right and freedom to improvise, but Aaron and his surviving sons abstain from their right to eat the sin offering. Christ dealt with sin in a way that Aaron never could, giving up His rights so His actions would reveal God, as He does in us today.

Rev. John Lukomski, retired LCMS pastor, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Genesis 45-46:7.“I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.” Perhaps no one in the Old Testament prefigures the resurrected Christ more clearly than Joseph. Like Genesis 45, Jesus would also share the good news that He was alive with his “brothers” and would invite them to “come near” to see that it was really Him. The news was shocking and even numbing for Jacob and his sons, but in this grand family reunion, the Spirit hints at Jacob’s own resurrection, and Jesus’s hand closed his eyes.