Thy Strong Word from KFUO Radio

Rev. Lucas Witt, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Baltimore, Maryland, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Joshua 13. Chapter 13 begins with a problem: the land is still full of enemies to defeat, but Joshua is old—really old. What’s God’s solution? “I myself with drive them out from before the people of Israel.” Does that mean that Joshua’s work is done here? It may seem odd to us, but God says the most important thing left for Joshua to do is to ratify each tribe’s inheritance. We begin by reviewing Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh (a.k.a. “East Manasseh”—Ephraim & Manasseh were two full tribes). The focus is on the land, even if Israel still hadn’t taken full possession of it. Similarly, even though we won’t take full possession of our inheritance until the resurrection, our Lord Jesus has guaranteed it in His gospel and sacraments.

Rev. Marcus Zill, Chancellor of LCMS U (lcms.org/lcmsu), joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Joshua 12. After conquering the bulk of Canaan, Israel takes a moment to recount the faithfulness of God. God has blessed them with a massive amount of land, so much that chapter 12 breaks it down into two: the land to the east of the Jordan river, conquered by Moses, and the land to its west, conquered by Joshua. The fact that both leaders are mentioned this way points back to the continuity between Deuteronomy and Joshua; it’s all one story of how God gave rest to His people by giving them this good land. The pair of victories He gave through Moses paved the way for the invasion of Jericho, spreading the word about the mighty God of Israel. Joshua then made good on his name—”Yahweh is victory”—conquering the territory of 31 kings. We too count victory after victory as Christ has established His church among countless peoples and languages.

Rev. Dr. Alfonso O. Espinosa, pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Irvine, California, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Joshua 11. Joshua’s worst fear has been realized: the northern Canaanites have entered into a powerful alliance, and they muster a force of chariots and mounted warriors to confront Israel at Merom. God had spared them thus far, but now He finally answers their prayer with a “No” in order to grow their faith. This fits the pattern of Moses & Pharaoh, our Lord Jesus & the Judean authorities, and even us today. We however thank God that our Lord Jesus has bound Satan, and that the church need not engage the demons in battle as Joshua did. Even then however, God directed them not to trust in chariots and offensive might, but to defensively rely on the goodness of the Creator.

Rev. John Lukomski, retired LCMS pastor, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Joshua 10. “Thus the LORD will do to all your enemies!” With that, Joshua executed the five kings that had conspired against Israel. Joshua 10 seems like a brutal chapter of the Old Testament, but it’s important to understand that violence is not at the center of God’s purpose here. God wants there to be peace in the land, but that will only come through “devotion” to Him. Our Lord Jesus Christ devoted Himself to God by allowing Himself to be destroyed. Like the five kings, He was struck, hanged on a tree, and buried in a cave behind a great stone. But unlike them, the true king and the true Joshua did not stay dead, because God’s grace for all prevails over His wrath.

Rev. David Boisclair, pastor of Faith and Bethesda Lutheran Churches in North St. Louis County, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Joshua 9. Has the total destruction of Ai backfired? In chapter 9, the Canaanites unite in their refusal to make peace with Israel. That is, except for the Gibeonites. They dress up like poor foreigners from a distant land, and they fool Joshua into making a treaty with them so that they won’t get wiped out. We sympathize with the Gibeonites, who made the best of their situation, but is their deception justified? And was it really so bad for Israel to spare them? It’s in our nature to sweep sin under the rug, but God actually deals with it. Joshua prefigures our Lord Jesus as he demonstrates that God’s mercy is so abundant that even His curses and punishments are blessings.

Rev. Chris Matthis, pastor of Epiphany Lutheran Church in Castle Rock, Colorado, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Joshua 8. This time in chapter 8, Yahweh of Armies speaks the battle plan. Although the total destruction of Ai and Bethel seems ruthless, the plan shows signs of God’s mercy as He takes their sin and weakness into account. He protects His people from a hostile alliance and defends His holy name for the sake of the world. The whole of Israel’s army is involved in the fighting, and the entire people participates in the covenant renewal between Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal. The whole people must repent of their sin as a society, just as we must today. Behind the atrocities of others’ sins lie our own daily sins, but there is forgiveness in our Lord Jesus Christ who renews His covenant with us in His supper.

Rev. Ingo Dutzmann, LCEF Ambassador in Boston, Massachusetts, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Joshua 7. After six chapters of obedience to Yahweh, chapter seven begins, “But the people of Israel broke faith.” When his troops lose a battle they should have easily won, Joshua knows that there is a problem between them and God. In faith, he turns to God for the solution, acting as a priestly intercessor like Moses. When they discover that a man named Achon has lied and stolen from God, he and his family are punished. God is always ready to forgive the penitent, but the punishments of the left-hand kingdom must still be meted out for the sake of order. Instead of punishing one family on behalf of the people, our Lord Jesus had Himself punished on behalf of all humanity, ransoming our lives as God’s precious firstborn and only Son.

Rev. Mark Jasa, pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Pasadena, California, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Joshua 6. “Joshua fit the battle of Jericho, and the walls come a-tumbling down.” This folk song speaks to the popularity of this story from chapter 6. Although everyone remembers the horns blasting, the people shouting, and—yes—the walls tumbling down, the story isn’t really about terrorizing Jericho. This chapter continues Joshua’s encounter with Yahweh, who appeared in the form of a warrior. Yahweh reveals Himself through His Word, and His instructions to encircle the city seven times on the seventh day point back to creation. The God of all creation, not just a small region, is creating a nation for Himself by giving them Sabbath rest in the land of promise. Our Lord Jesus saves His church as He saved Rahab and all who would repent.

Rev. Dr. Mark Birkholz, pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Joshua 5. The situation was urgent. Israel had crossed into the land inhabited by the Amorites and Canaanites. But the problem wasn’t Israel’s enemies in Joshua chapter 5; the problem was the threat of sin and disobedience. God has them make flint knives and circumcise the new generation immediately. They celebrate the Passover even though they’re in the middle of nowhere. These things Passdidn’t make sense from a worldly perspective, but from a spiritual perspective, the only thing keeping them in the land was faith in God. Joshua then meets the true Joshua, the Lord Jesus in the form of a warrior. Our success only depends on Jesus Christ; may we prioritize the things of faith with urgency over all the rest.

Rev. David Boisclair, pastor of Faith and Bethesda Lutheran Churches in North St. Louis County, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 33. Psalm 33 has no title in Hebrew, no superscription saying who wrote it or what kind of psalm it is. While this a little uncommon by itself, it really stands out because Psalm 33 occurs in the middle of several “of David” psalms. And not only does Psalm 33 lack names like “David,” but it lacks names like “Israel,” “Judah,” “Moses”… In fact, there are no names in the psalm at all—except for one. That’s the point. The psalm points back to God both as the one who created the whole world and also as the one who chose Israel from among the nations of the world. We feel a tension being balanced throughout: God is the God of Israel, but He is also the God of the whole world. Many people recall verse 12: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!” What does it mean to be a God-fearing nation? What is the place of Israel? Who are we? What is our name? Jesus Christ fulfills this psalm because He is the true Israel, chosen from before the creation of the world.