Thy Strong Word From Kfuo Radio

Rev. Steven Theiss, pastor of Hanover Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Esther 7. “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated.” Queen Esther prefigures Jesus Christ Himself. Her selflessness enables her to be faithful both to God as well as to her pagan husband King Ahasuerus. Esther’s delays aren’t just for dramatic effect. By publicly raising the stakes, she allows her husband to save face when she makes her big revelation. Like Esther, we might feel stuck, unable to go to the Judah we long for. Yet in Christ we are kings and queens, and there’s no limit to how much good God can work—even through the least of us.

Rev. Doug Nicely, pastor of Jerusalem Lutheran Church in Collinsville, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Nehemiah 6 and 2:1-6. “Should such a man as I run away? And what man such as I could go into the temple and live? I will not go in.” Nehemiah humbly risks his safety time and again to ensure the wall’s completion. Why were Jerusalem’s walls so important? Cyrus and Nehemiah were the least-expected instruments: a pagan emperor and an unclean eunuch. And yet, God was commanding all things for the most unlikely re-establishment of Judah. Nehemiah’s humility made him bold, even as Jesus Christ’s own humility led Him to boldly establish the church with His own body. We too offer “arrow prayers,” boldly seeking God’s will even when we lack allies or prestige.

Rev. David Boisclair, pastor of Faith and Bethesda Lutheran Churches in North St. Louis County, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 2 Chronicles 34 and 36:1-6. “[Zedekiah] also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God.” Ever since Ahaz, the kings of Judah were in a difficult position: they had sworn allegiance to foreign powers as vassals, but God had prohibited such corrupting alliances. And yet, God tells Judah to serve out their terms of servitude in repentance. Young King Josiah heeds the words of Zephaniah to be faithful with what he’s been given, not unlike young Mary centuries later when faced with the news from Gabriel. The unconquerable Jesus Christ rules over His church today with life and forgiveness, always granting His church ways to be faithful—no matter who is in power among mortals.

Rev. Nathan Meador, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Plymouth, Wisconsin, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Zephaniah 2. “Seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD.” Like John the Baptist, Zephaniah prophesied that disaster was inevitable—God’s judgment was about to fall on Gentile and Judahite alike. Repentance can’t buy God off. And yet, when King Josiah heeded Zephaniah’s words, Judah enjoyed the gospel’s light as it re-discovered the Bible amidst the darkness. It was only for a short while, and it didn’t stop the Babylonians from coming, but God showed mercy to a generation that humbled itself. Zephaniah’s message foreshadows Jesus Christ, who was the Light amidst the darkness, founding the church amidst disaster in Judea, and showing grace to His “remnant” today.

Rev. Shawn Kumm, pastor of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Cody, Wyoming, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 101. “Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD.” For a psalm about mercy, we expected something more like “Morning by morning new mercies I see”! But Psalm 101 actually complements the hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness” as well as Exodus 16:21 “Morning by morning they gathered [the mana], each as much as he could eat.” The Catechism says that “good government” is included with “daily bread,” and also that God “breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose.” Government cannot be just without mercy, nor can it be merciful without justice. Although we are constantly tempted to complain, we have hope in the perfect administration of the new David in the new Jerusalem in Christ, where justice & mercy come together.

Host Rev. AJ Espinosa studies Habakkuk 1. “Is he then to keep on emptying his net and mercilessly killing nations forever?” Habakkuk boldly pours forth his complaint to God, but who is he talking about? It turns out that Habakkuk and Jonah have a lot in common: Jonah didn’t want God to give the Assyrians time to repent, and Habakkuk wants the Chaldeans to come overthrow the Assyrians right away. But God says “If it seems slow, wait for it. [...] The righteous shall live by his faith.” He assures Habakkuk that God’s righteous people—Israel—will not be wiped out; they will survive Assyrians. And in Jesus Christ, they do more than survive: they come back to life.

Rev. John Shank, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Edwardsville, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 2 Kings 16. “I am your servant and your son. Come up and rescue me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel.” When Judah makes a deal with the devil, they sign up for everybody’s gods. In 2 Kings 16 we see how Judah becomes even worse than Israel, effectively signing the North’s death warrant as Ahaz sacrifices his own son—to become Assyria’s son, instead of God’s son. There is no separating the religious and the political, the spiritual and the economic. But even if we have sacrificed family and faith for career and success, God still offers forgiveness, just as He did for Judah. Grace comes from Jesus Christ, not merely “King of the Jews,” but “King of kings.”

Rev. John Lukomski, retired LCMS pastor, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Kings 17 and 16:29-34. “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” We don’t even know it, but we are constantly being commanded by God, we along with everything around us. God’s Word is the powerful glue that holds everything together. God normally commands His people to feed widows and the fatherless—not the other way around. But here in 1 Kings 17 the Word shows His power, reversing the weather, reversing fortunes, and reversing death itself. When God’s people fail in their calling, the rest of the world suffers. But God’s Word is strong to raise up children for Abraham from the sea of the Gentiles, and to give Abraham’s children an even greater resurrection in Jesus Christ.

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.

Rev. David Boisclair, pastor of Faith and Bethesda Lutheran Churches in North St. Louis County, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Job 1. “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side?” Heaven’s courtroom hears the arguments of the Prosecutor General in Job 1. When he puts Job on trial, the most righteous man on earth, all of humanity is examined with him: Isn’t it the reward that motivates us? If God always rewards good behavior, how can we really be just? Then again, how can God be just if He doesn’t!  Such questions attempt to command God with His own law. Our pride must die in One even more righteous than Job. Jesus the Christ is the rest of the story, in whom God and man are both truly just.

Rev. Dennis McFadden, pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 2 Samuel 24. “Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them.” David was losing his grip on the North, and he wanted to remind them who was in charge. In chapter 24 God uses David’s sinful power play to bring His proud messiah and the whole nation to repentance. Whereas David tries to unite through power, God offers unity through grace and forgiveness at the new Jerusalem altar for all twelve tribes. As the ultimate once-and-for-all sacrifice, Jesus Christ offers unity for all the tribes of our human race.