Thy Strong Word from KFUO Radio

Host Rev. AJ Espinosa studies 1 Samuel 29.“But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” How can David say this with a straight face? He’s been lying to Achish all along! Yet David speaks in chapter 29 with the same sincerity as he did back in chapter 26 with Saul. David demonstrates the paradoxical submissiveness of God’s people, showing love and loyalty to both God and to the enemies of God—the same paradoxical faithfulness demonstrated by Christ and the early church. Through God’s providence, David’s rejection both gets him away from Saul while also allowing him to deal with the Amalekites who have raided Ziklag.

Rev. Brian Kachelmeier, pastor of Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church in Los Alamos, New Mexico, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 28.“Then Samuel said to Saul, ‘Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?’” The medium of En-dor performs a seance for Saul in chapter 28, and Saul receives a haunting echo of what Samuel told him years ago: “The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand.” Like Saul, we often ask God for answers that He’s already given us. But God isn’t a magic eight-ball; He doesn’t change His mind if we keep asking Him. Whether we like it or not, He has already spoken so much to us through our pastors and through the Scriptures. Saul inverts his own name in this scene: instead of being the man that God asked for, he tries to force God to be what he asks for. Meanwhile, David appears to be ready to march against God’s people, but appearances are deceiving—just as they were at the cross of Jesus Christ, who won Israel’s salvation despite the appearance of defeat.

Rev. David Boisclair, pastor of Faith and Bethesda Lutheran Churches in North St. Louis County, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 27.“When Achish asked, ‘Where have you made a raid today?’ David would say, ‘Against the Negeb of Judah,’ or, ‘Against the Negeb of the Jerahmeelites.’” Achish of Gath learns of the bad blood between David and Saul, and he seizes upon the opportunity to flip David to his side. Little does he know, David isn’t actually raiding his fellow Judahites, but rather the enemies of Israel. David is the true king in exile, even without the wealth and prestige, just as Jesus Christ had neither a palace nor an army. With humble shrewdness, the church simply does the work of God’s kingdom in service of neighbor, regardless of whether or not the world recognizes it.

Rev. Lucas Witt, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Baltimore, Maryland, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 26.“As the LORD lives, you deserve to die, because you have not kept watch over your lord, the LORD’s anointed. And now see where the king’s spear is and the jar of water that was at his head.” Atop the hill across the valley, David shouts down to Abner like Goliath in chapter 17. Chapter 26 makes surprising connections as David again demonstrates his unwavering loyalty to Saul, saving his life a third time. In repentance and respect, he refuses to even touch Saul’s clothing, taking his spear instead. David insists that the guilt must lie not with Saul himself but with one of his commanders, and both men remind each other in mercy that they both represent the Messiah who was to come—the Lord Jesus, pierced by a spear in unwavering loyalty to His Father on the Cross.

Rev. Kevin Martin, pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 25.“Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand!” Even David needs saving in chapter 25, and it’s Abigail who saves him from himself. This woman “with whom the Father is well pleased” is both faithful to her house and hospitable to David, reminding him that he stands for something bigger than himself: the Christ’s fivefold destruction of Israel’s enemies and the sevenfold Sabbath of God. The Lord Jesus also fed those who came to Him in five and two, with bread and wine. In Him, human beings all flawed alike are His bride “Abigail,” the church of His glorious name.

Rev. Kevin Parviz, pastor of Congregation Chai v'Shalom in St. Louis, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 142.“When my spirit faints within me, you know my way! In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me.” David didn’t always feel the Spirit powerfully guiding his every move; sometimes he felt alone and uncertain. Much darker than Psalm 57, Psalm 142 offers a lamentation from the bottom of David’s soul, providing a way for God’s people later to make sense of the spiritual caves we find ourselves in. Even when we see no son of David reigning on the throne, we are consoled by David’s Son and Lord Christ, who knows our loneliness. Together, we all call out for resurrection, when we will no longer be surrounded by traps—when “the righteous will surround me.”

Rev. Richard Mittwede, pastor of University Lutheran Church in Austin, Texas, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 24.“And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. He said to David, ‘You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil.’” Saul shows true repentance in chapter 24, moved by David’s mercy. In turn, Saul extends mercy to David, sending his battalions home and even acknowledging that David is meant to be king. Neither man was an angel or a devil—they were just men, struggling to walk faith’s path of repentance. David points to Jesus Christ this time by showing his devotion to the spirit of the law, not merely the letter. Even when we’re absolutely convinced that someone’s harm is justified, God desires mercy and submissiveness.

Rev. Curtis Deterding, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, Florida, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 23.“O LORD, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account. Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand?” David had become a curse, even though he had just saved Keliah from the Philistines. In chapter 23, King Saul shows his willingness to starve a whole city just to draw David out of hiding. As David went from place to place, he learned what it felt like to be scorned and rejected. This may indeed be the basis of Psalm 31, where David calls God “My rock and my fortress.” Likewise, Jesus Christ became our saving curse, and Golgotha our “Rock of Escape” from sin and death.

Rev. Andrew Jagow, pastor of Bethany Lutheran Church in Alexandria, Virginia, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 22.“Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping.” David’s covert wanderings continue in chapter 22, but his cover is quickly blown as people rally around him. Like Christ Jesus, he welcomes the burn-outs, the turned-downs, and the left-behinds in compassion. David acts to minimize the danger to those around him, even if it means putting himself in harm’s way. King Saul ruthlessly condemns the priestly city of Nob, and while this was the just punishment due the house of Eli, God through David mercifully takes its lone survivor Abiathar under his wing. Christ has put forward His own life for ours, stepping down to let us take His place of safety.

Rev. Ken Wagener, retired LCMS pastor in Mooresville, Indiana, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 21.“So the priest gave [David] the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the LORD.” Why is David being so ‘selective’ with the truth and so bold as to ask for the bread of the Presence? Chapter 21 shows how David at this time was a desperate man on the run—he was bold out of necessity. David, the son-in-law of King Saul, then feigns madness when the Philistines recognize him. All this points ahead to Jesus Christ, the son of the true King, who boldly served the needs of others, and who was even derided as crazy and demon possessed by his enemies. Love led Him also to take five holy loaves, and He fed five thousand of God’s people.