Thy Strong Word From Kfuo Radio

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.

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 20. “Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. But if there is guilt in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?” David was Jonathan’s subordinate, and he comes to him in chapter 21 as a supplicant. Their “love” was like the love between God and His people: on the one side, blessing and protection. On the other side, obedience and submission. And yet both of them also prefigure the Lord Jesus: like Jonathan, as He emptied Himself of His rights and claims to elevate His servant, and like David, as He submitted Himself to His Father’s will before rising and ascending.

Rev. Robert Paul, pastor of Memorial Lutheran Church in Houston, Texas, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 19. “Let not the king sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you.” Jonathan and Michal both prove their love for David in chapter 19 as they risk their own lives to save his. Even as they do so however, they do not dishonor their king and father. They continue to show him respect, and in fact, they honor their father even as they steer him away from committing murder. They navigate their vocations amidst trying circumstances, and they with David prefigure the Lord Jesus Christ, who laid down His life for the ones He loved. Despite Saul’s ruthlessness, his actions cannot help but give glory to God and further the success of His Messiah.

Rev. Waldemar Vinovskis, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Macungie, Pennsylvania, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 18. “Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David.” Idol worship? Man crush? Not here. In chapter 18 Jonathan, prince of Israel, takes David under his wing and pledges his royal protection. Unlike mutual contracts of modern times, ancient covenants were more about superiors claiming a subordinate, who would then pledge their allegiance. Jonathan (“YHWH-given”) symbolized how David’s kingship came directly from heaven and not from Saul, and he prefigures Christ who makes us “more than conquerors” or kings with His white robe of baptism. By nature, David was no better than Saul—neither are we. But by the Spirit, we are like the Messiah, showing kindness even to our enemies.

Rev. Dr. Martin Noland, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in San Mateo, California, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 17. “So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him.” Who doesn’t love the story of David and Goliath? So many children’s Bibles prominently feature this story from 1 Samuel 17, a little clean-shaven shepherd boy defeating the big bearded bully. The thing is, David was not a plucky little boy. He had seen combat and had already served under King Saul for some time, even if he wasn’t a seasoned veteran like his older brothers. The point though is that David sees things differently because “the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon” him. His enemy is called “the Philistine” again and again because He points ahead to God’s ultimate victory in Christ, who will destroy all His enemies “that all the earth may know”—and bow before—the God of Israel.

Rev. John Lukomski, retired LCMS pastor, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 16. “And Samuel said, ‘How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.’ And the LORD said, ‘Take a heifer with you and say, “I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.” And invite Jesse to the sacrifice.’” Is God telling Samuel to lie? And does God send an evil spirit into Saul in the second half of chapter 16? It’s easy to misunderstand things amidst difficult times and power shifts. We are tempted to rationalize our own grief and outrage to excuse godless behavior, but are we more grieved and outraged at sin than God Himself? The God of love works blessing from all things, even the scariest and most unpleasant. He doesn’t command lies or demon-possession, but rather love’s brave discretion and simple acts of service, even as Christ washed His disciples’ feet and remained silent before His accusers—all out of love for us.

Rev. David Boisclair, pastor of Faith and Bethesda Lutheran Churches in North St. Louis County, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 57. “My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts— the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.” David had hoped he’d be safe in the cave from Saul, but his hideout became a lions’ den, a mouth ready to swallow him up. In Psalm 57 David asks that God would show him “grace” and “loyalty,” two things that his own father-in-law now withheld from him. Our nature resents those who don’t hold up their end of the bargain, but faith redirects our gaze to Christ, the ever-constant grace and loyalty of God. “When every earthly prop gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.” 

Rev. George Murdaugh, pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Douglasville, Georgia, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 15. “Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.” Chapter 15 pulls no punches. Saul truly was a good king who was filled with God’s Spirit, obeying in piety and humility. But towards the end of his reign, Saul became increasingly insecure about his power and status, and he eventually “feared the people” more than God. Even Moses pridefully struck the rock after 40 years in defense of his own authority—at the expense of God’s name. But God “is not a man, that he should have regret.” He ousts the kings we have asked for, who always disappoint even despite their faith, in order to establish His Christ, who listens to God and gives us more than we ever dared to ask.

Rev. Steven Theiss, retired LCMS pastor, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 14. “But he did not tell his father.” Unbeknownst to King Saul, his son Jonathan slips away to the Philistine garrison. But Jonathan, accompanied only by his armor bearer, has a different mindset than the rest of Israel in chapter 14: whether he is called to fight against long odds or to pass on a promising opportunity, he is submissive to YHWH’s will, come what may. Saul however shows how God’s people still at times set their hearts on selfish goals, come what may. But God shows mercy towards Saul through his own son who—as Christ did for our sake—said, “Here I am; I will die.”

Rev. Dr. Alfonso O. Espinosa, pastor of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Irvine, California, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 13. “The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.” This one act of disobedience in chapter 13 forever ends the line of Saul in favor of the House of David. Is this unfair to Saul? Like Adam & Eve in Eden, Moses at Meribah, or Nadab & Abihu in the Tent of Meeting, it rather fits a well-established pattern in Scripture of man’s impatience with God’s Word. It doesn’t make Saul any worse than Moses—even the best of us let our fears and desires get the better of us. Saul’s own reign came about the same way from Israel’s fearful impatience, and their king was like the sharpened plowshares they took into battle, man’s hasty improvisation. Only Christ possesses the patient heart of God, always willing to wait and submit, for our sake and our salvation.

Rev. Darrin Sheek, pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Anaheim, California, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 12. “You shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking for yourselves a king.” Saul’s been anointed messiah, proclaimed king, and installed in a grand covenant renewal ceremony. There’s no taking it back, but Samuel in chapter 12 pleads with Israel to admit they were wrong to ask for a king. Why bother? As the 1st Commandment shows, it’s not that anything in God’s creation is evil in itself—not even kingship—but it’s how we get these things. Israel faithlessly feared the Ammonites more than God Himself, so they asked (“Sauled” in Hebrew) for a king instead of listening to God (“Samuel”). But as Christ our king shows us, there is forgiveness even for the sins we can’t take back, and He works good and blessings in our lives even from our failures.

Rev. David Andrus, pastor of Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in St. Louis and Not-Alone.net Ministries, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 11. Why is the king of Israel working in the field with his oxen? Even though Saul was proclaimed heir to Israel’s throne in the previous chapter, Saul doesn’t actually ascend to kingship until he leads the tribes to a crucial victory in chapter 11. When Saul heard of the Ammonite incursion, the Spirit of God “rushed upon” him and sent him into a rage. The point is not that he didn’t ‘already have’ the Spirit, nor is it that God’s faithful are called to lives of zealous anger. Rather, like Christ cleansing the Temple, God gave Saul a special burst of energy to carry out this task and to deliver a message to His people: “Join or die.” In the end, Saul’s mercy points ahead to the humility of Christ, who desired not even the death of His detractors, but that His people would be one as He and the Father are one.

Rev. Scott Adle, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Collinsville, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 10.  “What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” Saul’s anointing as messiah in chapter 10 is met with skepticism and even scorn. As it would be with the Lord Jesus, the mockers unwittingly testify to God’s truth: Saul is not merely the “son of Kish,” but the “son of God.” God “gave him another heart,” he “turned into another man,” and “the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul.” We are like Saul, deeply flawed sinners who for fleeting moments shine with the glory of God—only by the power of the Spirit, who makes us “sons.” Saul however is not a tragic character, but the first installment which promises something better still to come. He is a type of Jesus Christ, who also had a “hidden” messiahship. Amidst the casting of lots and the human rejection of God as king, the good and gracious will of God was mercifully done nonetheless.

Rev. Thomas Eckstein, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Jamestown, North Dakota, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 9. Underwriter of Thy Strong Word “See, what was kept is set before you. Eat, because it was kept for you until the hour appointed, that you might eat with the guests.” No one except Samuel knows that God has chosen Saul to be Israel’s king—not even Saul! Chapter 9 is full of dramatic irony as we see connections to Joseph, David, St. Paul, and especially Jesus Christ. God takes a humble man from the humblest tribe of Benjamin and sets him on the Messiah’s path, just as Christ poured Himself out and became nothing before He ascended as Lord of all. In Christ, the mysteries of God kept “hidden for ages and generations” are revealed to us, “those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

Rev. John Shank, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Edwardsville, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 8. “Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.” Chapter 8 tragically begins with history repeating itself, Samuel’s sons falling the way of Eli’s sons before him. Top that off with the powerful enemy forces all around, and Israel’s request for a king—a general to direct their various armies as one force—seemed so reasonable. Yet our hearts are often far from God in our most “reasonable” moments, proudly insisting on our own impatient baby-out-with-the-bathwater solutions rather than respectfully inquiring of God with humble openness to His will, even when it doesn’t seem best to us. A king wasn’t a good idea, but God mercifully sent Christ to enter into the best aspects of kingship and to pull us out of our messy addiction to power.

Rev. John Lukomski, retired LCMS pastor, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 7. “So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the LORD only.” Although chapter 7 narrates everything so simply, these are massive transitions that took place over years. The Ark stays in Kiriath-jearim for 20 years before the people are ready to get rid of their pantheon of foreign gods and goddesses, and Samuel’s work as a reformer would occupy the rest of his life. His time as judge wasn’t perfect, but what he exemplified—a humble heart ready to repent and rely on God—is the perfect disposition for all who might occupy a position of power, inside or outside the church. Samuel’s “Ebenezer” contrasts with Beth-shemesh’s “great stone,” pointing ahead to Christ the humble king and rock of God’s people.

Rev. Christopher Maronde, pastor of St. John-Bingen in Decatur, Indiana, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 113. “Who is like Yahweh our God, who condescends to us from on high!” … Pardon? The old sense of condescension, referring to a superior graciously coming down to help a subordinate, captures the middle of Psalm 113, which says that God “looks far down on the heavens and the earth.” The great mystery is that the true God is infinitely higher than all our false idols, and yet He still cares about “the poor” and “the needy” like Hannah and Mary, going from infinitely far to infinitely close, God in Mary’s very womb, her precious little baby boy. We can only meditate on God’s Word because the Word first came down to our level in Christ’s incarnation, to rise and shine on us like the dawn, showing mercy and showing the way.

Rev. Robert Paul, pastor of Memorial Lutheran Church & School in Houston, Texas, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 6. Why would God let the Philistines literally cart around His holy ark like some kind of magical plague box? The Philistines made a “box” with images of the mice and buboes sent from God, possibly sculpted into the box itself. So they sent this box of their own design alongside the Ark of the Covenant—not one box, but two—just to be sure that it wasn’t all “by coincidence.” But the Israelites also failed to humble themselves before the presence of God, putting both boxes together on a “great stone” in Beth-shemesh like some public spectacle. God strikes them too, before the Ark is sent away again. Humanity’s selfish impenitence just wants to get rid of God when He’s inconvenient, but like Joseph in Egypt and Christ in Judea, God uses mankind’s evil misunderstandings to move His blessings to the ends of the earth.