Thy Strong Word from KFUO Radio

The Rev. Luke Brown, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Ellsworth, Kansas, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Samuel 14:47-15:35. God commanded King Saul to destroy the Amalekites and all their possessions as a punishment for their attack on Israel when they left Egypt. Saul obeyed—but only partially. Contrary to God’s command, he spared their king Agag and the best of their animals. Samue...

The Rev. Robert Moeller, Jr., pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Pipestone, MN and Trinity Lutheran Church in Jaspar, MN, and St. John Lutheran Church, Trosky, MN joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Samuel 14:24-46. Saul makes a rash oath that no one should eat anything until he has avenged himself on his enemies. Jonathan, who did not hear the oath, ate some honey and felt refreshed. Sen...

The Rev. John Shank, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Edwardsville, IL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Samuel 14:1-23. Jonathan and his armor-bearer show great faith and courage by sneaking out of the Israelite camp and attacking the Philistine outpost. They trust God to help them and give them a sign to go up. The Philistines panic and start killing each other. Saul and his men join...

The Rev. Dan Grimmer, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Mitchell, SD, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Samuel 13. Saul faces a crisis as the Philistine army amasses to attack Israel. Samuel instructs Saul to wait for him to offer sacrifices to God before going into battle, but Saul grows impatient and offers the sacrifices himself. This angers God, and Samuel rebukes Saul for his disobedien...

The Rev. Nabil Nour, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Hartford, SD and fourth vice president of the LCMS, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Samuel 12. Samuel bids farewell to the Israelites and cautions them about the grave repercussions of disobeying God. He recounts their forefathers' past and reminds them of God's loyalty. The people admit their wrongdoings, and Samuel reassures them...

The Rev. Jason Bredeson, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Sacramento, CA, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Samuel 11. Saul is now King over Israel. His reign begins quite auspiciously when he must lead the army in battle against the Ammonite tyrant, Nahash. In exchange for peace, Nahash demands that all the Israelites have their right eye gouged out. Upon hearing this, YHWH empowers Kin...

The Rev. Dr. Curtis Deterding, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, FL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Samuel 10. Samuel pours oil on Saul’s head to anoint him as King and gives him three signs to prove that God has chosen him. Samuel then gathers the people of Israel and presents Saul as their king. The people rejoice and shout, “Long live the king!” But not everyone is happy wi...

The Rev. John Lukomski, co-host of Wrestling with the Basics on KFUO Radio, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Samuel 9. Find Wrestling with the Basics at kfuo.org/WrestlingWithTheBasics. In this chapter, we meet Saul, a young man from the tribe of Benjamin, who is looking for his father’s lost donkeys. Along the way, he meets Samuel, the prophet of Israel, who has a surprising message for hi...

The Rev. Ross Shaver, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church and School in Nampa, Idaho, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Samuel 8. The people of Israel have had enough of Samuel's sons, who twist justice and take bribes. They want a king to lead them, just like the other nations. But they are blind to the fact that they already have a King: YHWH himself! God commands Samuel to reveal to them the b...

The Rev. Sean Smith, pastor of Bethlehem Ev. Lutheran Church in Mason City, Iowa, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to discuss why pastors must sometimes refuse to officiate funerals. It has been said, “funerals are for the living, not the dead,” and that pastors should never refuse to officiate a funeral. In this special free-text episode, Pastor Sean Smith disagrees. He then takes us to the Scripture...

The Rev. James Uglum, pastor at Chapel of the Cross Lutheran Church in St. Peters, MO, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Samuel 7:3-17. Samuel told the Israelites if they ceased worshipping idols and followed God only, YHWH would rescue them from the Philistines. The Israelites agreed and met at Mizpah to fast and admit their sins. The Philistines came to attack them there, and God thundered...

The Rev. Roger Mullet, pastor of Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church in Churubusco, IN, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Samuel 6:1-7:2. The Philistines return the Ark of the Covenant to the Israelites with a guilt offering after the statue of their god is desecrated and after suffering from tumors wherever the Ark was taken. The Israelites then offered sacrifices to God, but some were struck...

The Rev. Kevin Parviz, pastor of Congregation Chai v’ Shalom in St. Louis, MO, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Samuel 4:12-5:12. The Israelites went to battle against the Philistines and brought the Ark of the Covenant with them. In the skirmish, the ark was captured, and the sons of Eli died in battle. In this chapter, the news of the battle and the death of Hophni and Phinehas reaches El...

The Rev. Thomas Eckstein, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Jamestown, ND, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Samuel 3:1-4:11. Samuel, still a young boy, hears God calling him in the night. At first, he thinks it’s the voice of the high priest Eli, but it soon becomes evident that YHWH himself is calling. God reveals his judgment against the corrupt priest, Eli, and his sons. This comes...

The Rev. Steven Theiss, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells, MO, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Samuel 2:12-36. This passage exposes the corruption and wickedness of Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas. The Bible describes them as “worthless men,” but they were also wretched priests. They used their position for personal gain and sullied their father’s reputation. Eli fails to dis...

The Rev. Dr. Michael Morehouse, pastor of Catalina Lutheran Church in Tucson, AZ, and Vicar Gabriel Strawn join the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to Study 1 Samuel 1:1-2:11. The Book of 1 Samuel opens with the unique birth of Samuel, a prophet and the last judge of Israel. We meet Hannah, a woman unable to have children, who pleads with God to give her a child. In return, she promises to dedicate her son to...

The Book of 1 Samuel beings with the unique birth of Samuel, the last judge of Israel. Soon, the people of Israel begin to press upon the aging prophet Samuel to anoint a king over them like the other nations. YHWH assures Samuel that the people are rejecting their God, not Samuel. He advises Samuel to give the people what they want. What follows is the rise and fall of King Saul, the eventual ano...

The Rev. Ben Dose, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Arcadia, IA, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Judges 21. After nearly wiping out the tribe of Benjamin in a civil war, the Israelites faced a dilemma: how to provide wives for the 600 surviving Benjamite men, without breaking their oath not to give them their daughters. Their solution was to attack another town that did not join them in the...

The Rev. Dustin Beck, pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Warda, TX, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study the Judges 20. In response to the horrific crimes committed by some Benjaminite men in Gibeah against his concubine, a Levite sends parts of her body to the twelve tribes of Israel calling for retribution and justice. The tribe of Benjamin refuses to hand over those responsible. This spar...

The Rev. Keith Lingsch, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Naples, FL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Judges 19. How far can a society sink into moral decay and violence? In this chapter is one of the most shocking and disturbing stories in the Bible. A Levite and his concubine traveled through the territory of Benjamin and stopped at a city called Gibeah. There, they were met with a mob of...

The Rev. David Boisclair, pastor of Faith and Bethesda Lutheran Churches in Pine Lawn, MO, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Judges 18. A landless tribe of Israelites, the Danites, sent out spies to find a land to conquer. They lodged with Micah, his family, and personal Levite priest. They induced the priest to come and serve their tribe, so he stole the idol and ephod Micah has made. The Dan...

The Rev. Terry Yahr, pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Chillicothe, OH, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Judges 17. This chapter introduces us to a man named Micah. Micah admits to his mother that he had stolen silver from her. His admission only comes because he found out that she had placed a curse on whoever took it. They then both hatch a plan to override the curse. They fashion an...

The Rev. Dr. Burnell Eckardt, pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Kewanee, IL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Judges 16. Samson’s physical strength is no match for his libido. In this chapter, he engages with a prostitute which gives the opportunity for the Gazites to attack and for Samson to demonstrate his supernatural strength. He then falls in love with a woman named Delilah, another...

The Rev. John Shank, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Edwardsville, IL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Judges 15. Samson returns to Timnah to see his Philistine wife, but he arrives to discover that her father had already married her off to another man. Samson unleashed his fury on the Philistines, setting their crops on fire with foxes and torches. When they retaliated by killing his w...

The Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne, MN and host of the program goes solo for this study of Judges 14. Samson eyes a beautiful Philistine girl and asks his parents to arrange his marriage to her. They disapprove but proceed with caution. Meanwhile, Samson demonstrates his holy strength against a lion and later eats honey from the lion’s carcass. Evidently, he foun...