Thy Strong Word from KFUO Radio

Rev. Doug Minton, pastor in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Joshua 22. Joshua sends the troops back home; God has given them rest from war. But in chapter 22, that seems far from obvious. This rest is only a temporary respite, with powerful enemies remaining in most of the tribes’ allotments. And peacetime begins to look truly fleeting when the western tribes decide to march against the eastern tribes! In the confrontation that follows, it becomes clear that the western tribes are full of bias, fear, and suspicion. They are inclined to think that only their side is truly “God’s country.” Crisis is averted in the end, but we too often fall into such traps, labeling ourselves and our fellow Christians with divisive thoughts & words. We need an altar that testifies to unity, which prefigures the Sacrament of our Lord Jesus.

Rev. Thomas Eckstein, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Jamestown, North Dakota, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Joshua 21. Everything unfolds according to plan in Joshua 21. Eleazor & Joshua make good on the promises given through Moses and Jacob: the Levites are given cities, scattered throughout Israel. Yet even while Levi is punished like Simeon, God mercifully allows each Levitical order to live within certain regions with the rest of their relatives. As He does so, He ensures that no Israelite is left without nearby spiritual shepherds. He also shapes the whole land of Israel into a giant tabernacle that points ahead to Christ our incarnate Lord. This peculiar shape and its fuzzy borders teach us: Love is far greater than rights—we are merely caretakers of what ultimately belongs to Him, not us.

Rev. John Shank, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Edwardsville, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Joshua 20. God speaks, and more promises are fulfilled as Joshua 20 begins the final section of the book. The inheritance has been divided up—but will it remain holy, or will it fall into pollution? God uses the cities of refuge to restrain humanity’s thirst for violence and vengeance. These Levitical cities would ensure that cases of manslaughter were given a fair and unbiased trial. These cities showed God’s mercy and orderliness, embodied in our pastors and elders today. But even if an accidental killing didn’t qualify as murder, punishment was still necessary, and these cities served as places of exile. Innocent blood had to be atoned for, and that only happened with the blood of the high priest, foreshadowing our Lord Jesus, whose blood sets us free from exile.

Rev. John Lukomski, retired LCMS pastor, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Joshua 19. In rapid succession, all the remaining tribes receive their inheritance in Joshua 19. Although the territories are assigned by lot, the process is not up to fate, but the will of God. As these historical events are narrated, God reveals His purposes and keeps His promises. Connections to Jacob’s blessing from Genesis 49 abound: Simeon is “scattered” among cities in Judah, and Zebulun ends up along the Mediterranean on a major trade route. In the case of Dan however, we have a picture of what happens when God’s people forfeit their inheritance and try to stake their own claim. Faith receives whatever God would give us, as impossible as it might seem. In faith, we receive the inheritance prepared for us by our Lord Jesus, just as the prophets foretold.

Rev. Doug Nicely, pastor of Jerusalem Lutheran Church in Collinsville, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Joshua 18. For the first time in Joshua, the Tabernacle and the Ephraimite city of Shiloh are mentioned here in chapter 18. The image is the partial fulfillment of creation, when God’s holy presence commanded His people to subdue the earth. The casting of lots is deep with meaning. Although God sometimes brings about extraordinary reversals, He often works through ordinary means, like Judah and Joseph receiving the firstborn inheritances. The rest of the tribes draw lots, with Benjamin’s lot coming up first. This fulfills God’s promise given through Moses, that Benjamin would be protected by his brothers and that God would dwell with him at the future site of the Jerusalem Temple. All these acts of grace point ahead to the church, in which we have received God’s future promises in the midst of His presence.

Rev. Nabil Nour, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Hartford, South Dakota, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Joshua 17. God does not show partiality. As Ephraim showed in the last chapter, God’s love and mercy and are not restricted by birth order. Neither are they restricted by gender, as Manasseh shows here in Joshua 17. Even Joshua, God’s representative, shows no partiality towards his fellow descendents of Joseph. Even though Manasseh’s holdings end up embarrassingly huge, God does not fail to bless Machir or Zelophehad’s daughters, who in faith asked for God’s help. The unfailing Scriptures however also show that the tribe of Dan was not forgotten or neglected in the midst of Joseph’s bounty, with Ephraim’s territory firmly restricted to the south fork of the Kanah. Through all this, Manasseh points to Jesus Christ, who blessed the faith of the least, making us forget our travails through His salvation.

Rev. Rolf Preus, pastor of Trinity-Sidney and St. John-Fairview, Montana, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Joshua 16. This short little chapter about Ephraim says so much about God. Joshua 16 says that after the tribe of Judah, the lot fell to the people of Joseph. By God’s providence, a seemingly random process unfolds according to His will, abundantly blessing Joseph as promised by his father Jacob. Also according to Jacob however is the reversal of Ephraim and Manasseh. God surprises us time and again by favoring the second-born and the second-class, revealing His deep mercy and our great need for humility. Like his grandfather Jacob, Ephraim is mercifully blessed by God for the sake of Christ. Joshua of Ephraim prefigures the salvation of our Lord Jesus, and the royal house of Ephraim in the North points to Christ’s universal reign.

Rev. Kevin Martin, pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Joshua 15. Like the apostles who testified to the resurrection, Caleb & Joshua were God’s witnesses who testified to the conquest of Canaan: God was giving them the same land they saw 45 years ago. In chapter 15, the names of the borders and cities are like the nail marks and spear wound of the Lord Jesus. Zin was the extreme southern edge where Israel sojourned and where David would run for his life. The Valley of Achor marked the place where Israel came under judgment on account of Achon. And certain cities would remain unconquered for some time, most notably Jerusalem. Only the true Messiah truly delivers Jerusalem, with resurrection and salvation “prepared in the sight of every people.”

Rev. Dr. Alfonso Espinosa, pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Irvine, California, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Joshua 14. Did you know that Joshua and Caleb were old men during the wars of Canaan? Caleb was 85 years old after the northern campaign, and yet he says “I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me.” In both confidence and humility, he asks for Joshua’s blessing to take possession of Judah’s inheritance by doing battle with the giant Anakim. Chapter 14 takes a step back to appreciate the faithfulness of God. God had mercifully spared Caleb and Joshua, keeping them strong to bless the next generation. God is always faithful, whether or not we faithlessly forfeit what He has promised. Caleb of Judah foreshadows our Lord Jesus of the same tribe, who defeated Satan in battle, was blessed with resurrection, and comes again to bring resurrection and peace to the earth.

Rev. David Boisclair, pastor of Faith and Bethesda Lutheran Churches in North St. Louis County, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 24. David was a celebrated warrior and commander. He was king over both Judah’s territory in the South and over the people of the northern tribes. But in Psalm 24, He gives all the glory to Yahweh, saying that the whole world and all people belong to Him, and that He is the true warrior and king. Yet David especially celebrates the people of Jacob, cleansed and purified by God. Among them the King of Glory makes a special entrance. When our Lord Jesus entered His temple at 40 days old, Simeon celebrated Him as “the glory” of God’s people, the Christ who brings Israel vindication “in the sight of every people.”