Thy Strong Word from KFUO Radio

Rev. Ingo Dutzmann, retired pastor and Director of Camp Winni on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 30. The Second Commandment demands that God’s name be kept holy, which means that vows by His name must be honored. When push comes to shove, however, God would rather keep marriage holy by having women honor their fathers and husbands. Such is God’s protective grace shown in Numbers 30... Read more

study Numbers 29. Why are people in Queens setting up tents in their backyards? That’s what Pastor Theiss wondered one October until he realized he was in the midst of a community observing the “Feast of Booths,” the Old Testament harvest festival commemorating God’s provision for Israel during their 40-year tent-and-Tabernacle sojourn in the wilderness. The pattern of “camping out” in preparation to receive God’s grace is a major... Read more

Rev. Matthew Wurm, pastor of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Brookings, South Dakota, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 28. Many of the offerings and sacrifices in ancient Israel were to be consumed by the priests, the Levites, and the broader community. These were a means of God’s provision for those who were not sustaining themselves through agriculture. Numbers 28 however describes a different kind of sacrifice: a b... Read more

Rev. Ben Maton, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 27. What’s in a name? Numbers 27 strikes modern readers as curious, since we can be so dismissive of names and “labels.” In the Bible though, a name is one of the most important things in life, and Zelophehad’s daughters demonstrate faithfulness to their family in their request to Moses. God shows abundant ... Read more

Rev. Nathan Meador, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Plymouth, Wisconsin, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 38. David is drowning in his sin, overwhelmed with sorrow over what he has done. Psalm 38 doesn’t speak to the exact circumstances, but David knows his state of serious injury is punishment from God, as if God Himself had fired the “arrows” into him. David’s friends have abandoned him, and his enemies seek to t... Read more

Rev. Paul Cain, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Sheridan, Wyoming, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 26. The tribe of Simeon has been decimated. After the Baal worship in Shittim, led in large part by the Simeonite chief Zimri the son of Salu, we observe in Numbers 26 that Simeon’s figure in the census has decreased by 37,100, a massive 63%. The “plague” seems to have mercifully spared the women and children, targ... Read more

Rev. Thomas Eckstein, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Jamestown, North Dakota, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 25. Why does God make such a big deal about sex? This is the reaction that many have to chapters like Numbers 25. The thing is, sex always means so much more than the physical act itself. In this case, Israel’s leaders had joined the people to Baal of Peor’s fertility cult, which threatened to totally ... Read more

Rev. John Shank, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Edwardsville, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 24. In Numbers 24, the pagan prophet finally perceives God’s unshakable and sovereign choice to bless Israel, His elect among the nations from before creation. Balaam’s Aramaisms and archaic language remind us that even Abraham was once Abram, “a wandering Aramean” until God graciously revealed Himself to him.... Read more

Rev. John Lukomski, retired pastor, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 23. Shrouded in religious mystery—a sevenfold sacrifice, a mountaintop encounter beyond the timberline—the pagan prophet Balaam performs a divination for his royal patron. In Numbers 23, Balaam then pronounces this divine wisdom-oracle, a message of timeless truth and God’s unalterable will. He does this not once, but twice, reaffirming that God’s min... Read more

Rev. Brian Kachelmeier, pastor of Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church in Los Alamos, New Mexico, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 22. After Israel’s stunning string of military victories, the Moabites fear they are next in line. Numbers 22 describes their steps to get an edge in the coming battle. Along the way, we are introduced to the prophet Balaam. He is a Midianite, but it turns out he knows Yahweh, the God of ... Read more

Rev. Dr. Alfonso Espinosa, pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Irvine, California, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 21. Israel is on the move! After settling in Kadesh and living there for a generation, Numbers 21 recounts the first incursions into border regions of the Promised Land. This new generation of Israelites goes into battle, and God gives them victory after victory with song and celebration. At times mod... Read more

Rev. Warren Woerth, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Arnold, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 20. Although the opening words of Numbers 20 are sparse, it appears that nearly forty years have passed. Now we are dealing with the younger generation that God has promised will inherit the Promised Land. They come to the wilderness of Zin, and the question is: will history repeat itself? Will they trust G... Read more

Rev. Jacob Heine, pastor of Christ the Rock Lutheran Church in Rockford, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 19. God deals with the problem of death head-on. Chapter 19 and its context are full of death: this chapter deals with cleansing from contact with death, Israelites died in previous chapters from profaning the Tabernacle, and Aaron and Miriam will die in the next chapter. A special animal is consecrated a... Read more

Rev. Curtis Deterding, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Ft. Myers, Florida, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 18. When God put down the rebellion against Moses and Aaron, Israel was filled with fear. They wanted nothing to do with the Tabernacle! God responds in Numbers 18 with gracious instruction: the priests will bear the sin against the Tabernacle, and the Levites will stand guard, so that the people of Israel will... Read more

Rev. Kevin Parviz, pastor of Congregation Chai v’Shalom in St. Louis, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 37. Don’t get worked up about it; the prosperity of the unbelievers won’t last. This is the lesson that David teaches us in this Hebrew acrostic poem, also known as an abecedarius. Every four lines of Psalm 37 are grouped together by successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet, imparting life lessons spoken from... Read more

Rev. Nabil Nour, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Hartford, South Dakota, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 17. God finally ends the rebellion in Numbers 17. He does so with a miracle, bringing Aaron’s staff back to life so that it even started growing fruit! Through this miracle, God affirms that Aaron is His sovereign choice for the priesthood. While it is true that the whole people of God function as priests of l... Read more

Rev. Chris Biernacki, pastor of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Florence, Alabama, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 16. The rebellion isn’t over. Numbers 16 records the final episode in a string of mutinous events, now led by Moses’s cousin: Korah the Kohathite. Korah gathers disgruntled Levites and Reubenites to his cause, and eventually the entire congregation of Israel. Is Korah so wrong? He sounds so democratic. I... Read more

Rev. Wayne Huebner, pastor of Salem Lutheran Church in Affton, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 15. The whole nation has rebelled, and God has pronounced judgment on the older generation of Israel. To add insult to injury, they charged into battle against God’s command even after their punishment was pronounced. Numbers 15 answers the questions that naturally arise: What would happen now? Would they still be... Read more

Rev. John Lukomski, retired pastor (currently) in Northfield, Minnesota, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 14. Moses has had his authority challenged time and again. Now in Numbers 14, the whole people of Israel joins together in mutiny, siding with the ten faithless spies out of fear of the Anakites. They try to stone him as they select a new leader to return to Egypt. Moses may not show effective leadership skills by ... Read more