Thy Strong Word from KFUO Radio

The Rev. Roger Mullet, pastor of Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church in Churubusco, IN, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Esther 5. Queen Esther invites King Ahasuerus and Haman to a luxurious banquet, with the intention of addressing his edict against the Jews. However, she delays mentioning anything until the next day. Haman leaves the feast feeling proud of his high rank and the many privileg...

The Rev. Dr. Vernon Wendt, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Lexington, KY and Missionary-at-Large in Richmond, KY, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Esther 4. Mordecai reacts to Haman’s deadly plan to destroy all Jews. He turns to Queen Esther, and begs her to use her status to plead for her people before the king. But with a strict law forbidding anyone, including the queen, from ap...

The Rev. Doug Minton, pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Milford, IL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Esther 3. Esther is Queen, but King Ahasuerus has elevated one of his officials, Hamann, to prime minister and given him authority to rule over all the other officials. One of those officials, Mordecai, a Jew, and a cousin and father figure to Esther, refuses to bow down to Hamann as in...

The Rev. Steven Theiss, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells, MO, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Esther 2. Things took a dramatic turn in the previous chapter when the King deposed Queen Vashti when she refused to be paraded around for the entertainment of his guests. Now, the search for a new queen begins and Esther, a young Jewish woman, is chosen to be queen. But Esther must k...

The Rev. Thomas Eckstein, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Jamestown, ND, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Esther 1. The Book of Esther is the second of the only two books in the Bible named for women. It tells the story of a young Jewish woman named Esther who becomes the queen of Persia and uses her position to save her people from extermination. Notably, nowhere in the book is God me...

The Rev. Dustin Beck, pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Warda, TX, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study the Ruth 4. The book of Ruth closes with a shift from the unusual nature of Ruth’s proposal to Boaz to a more traditional approach to the matter. Boaz meets with the other eligible redeemer in the presence of ten elders, who serve as witnesses, to publicly settle who will redeem Elimelech...

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 Ruth 3. After Ruth’s encounter with Boaz, in this chapter Naomi, feeling the weight of her loss and her daughter-in-law's widowhood, devises a plan to secure a future for Ruth. She tells her to sneak into the threshing floor where the wealthy landowner Boaz is working late...

The Rev. James Stefanic, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Marshall, MN, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Ruth 2. Ruth followed her mother-in-law Naomi, into Israel. As a Moabite woman, one might question Ruth’s loyalty, but she proved that she is faithful not only to Naomi, but to YHWH—the one true God. In this chapter, we see Ruth gleaning grain from the crops left over to feed the...

The Rev. David Boisclair, pastor of Faith and Bethesda Lutheran Churches in Pine Lawn, MO, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Ruth 1. The events told in the book of Ruth are simple and beautiful, but they are made even more striking because of the chaotic and dangerous times in which they take place. In the opening chapter, we are introduced to Naomi who had lost her husband and two sons in a s...

The books of Ruth and Esther from the Old Testament are the only two books in the Bible named for women, and on Thy Strong Word, we delve deep into both. The book of Ruth is a story of a young Moabite widow’s faithfulness to mother-in-law and her God. In a time of famine and violence, God leads Ruth to meet and marry Boaz whose union brings about a child, Obed, who would become the grandfather of...

The Rev. Dr. Brian Kachelmeier, pastor of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in San Antonio, TX, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Exodus 40. We’ve arrived at the last chapter of Exodus. The Tabernacle, its furnishings, and all the accoutrements required for worship have been constructed. Now, God directs Moses to set it all up according to his divinely revealed pattern. As the chapter ends, the gl...

The Rev. Ryan Fehrmann, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Wausau, WI, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Exodus 39. Now comes the creation and adornment of the vestments to be worn by the priests of Israel when serving in the Tabernacle. This penultimate chapter begins with the crafting of the ephod worn by the high priest, which was made of fine linen and gold thread. It also describes the mak...

The Rev. John Shank, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Edwardsville, IL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Exodus 38. The courtyard around the Tabernacle was as much a place of worship as the holy of holies. In this sacred space was the altar, where burnt offerings and sacrifices were made to God. Chapter 38 describes the creation of the altar and the copper basin, a large vessel used for r...

The Rev. Thomas Eckstein, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Jamestown, ND, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Exodus 37. Construction of the Tabernacle and its furnishings, as ordained by God on Mt. Sinai, is underway! Bezalel and Oholiab, esteemed master craftsmen, are leading the charge and ensuring that every detail is meticulously followed. This section delves into the creation of the...

The Rev. Amadeus Gandy, U.S. Air Force Chaplain at Eielson AFB, Alaska, and pastor of St. Martin of Tours Mission to the Armed Forces Lutheran Parish, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study the Wisdom of Solomon in the Liturgy. Most people know that our beloved liturgy is really nothing more than hearing God speak to us through his word, while we respond in prayer and praise—also through his word!...

The Rev. Dan Eddy, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Beloit, WI, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Exodus 36. It's been a long time coming, but the moment we've all been waiting for is finally here - the construction of the Tabernacle and its furnishings has begun! And who better to lead this holy endeavor than the esteemed master craftsmen, Bezalel and Oholiab? These skilled laborers, bles...

The Rev. Dr. Curtis Deterding, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, FL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Exodus 35. After a brief emphasis on the importance of the Sabbath, God calls upon those with generous hearts to gather materials for the construction of the Tabernacle. The time to construct this special place of worship was near. They were to provide gold, silver, bronze, and va...

The Rev. John Lukomski, co-host of Wrestling with the Basics on KFUO Radio, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Exodus 34. Find Wrestling with the Basics at kfuo.org/WrestlingWithTheBasics. Having broken the previous tablets upon which God wrote the Ten Commandments, Moses now receives them for a second time. When he returns from Sinai, Moses' face was radiant with the glory of God, which fright...

The Rev. Brady Finnern, President of the Minnesota North District and host of Concord Matters on KFUO Radio, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe in this special 100th episode to study Exodus 33. Find Concord Matters at kfuo.org/concordmatters. YHWH describes the Israelites as a "stiff-necked" people, referring to their stubbornness and disobedience, in the wake of their worship of the golden calf. In res...

The Rev. William Orr, pastor of Hope Lutheran Church in St. Ann, MO, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Exodus 32. The people felt as though Moses was taking a long time to come down from Mount Sinai. What was YHWH saying to him? Had he even survived his encounter with the God who brought the plagues upon the Egyptians? Would he ever return? Their doubts led them to apostasy, and, in an act of...

The Rev. Nathanial Brown, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Correll, MN; Trinity Lutheran Church in Bellingham, MN; and Trinity Lutheran Church in Odessa, MN, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Exodus 31. YHWH reveals to Moses who he has chosen to construct the tabernacle. Men to whom God has given the skill to be craftsmen. Then the importance of keeping the Sabbath, first ordained during cre...

The Rev. Brandt Hoffman, pastor of Christ Lutheran Church and School in Coos Bay, OR, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Exodus 30. God gives Moses detailed instructions for the construction of the altar of incense, which will go inside the tabernacle; the bronze basin just outside the tent; and rules concerning incense and anointing oil. It’s also in this section that God commands a census tax...

The Rev. John Shank, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Edwardsville, IL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Exodus 29. Turning from the detailed description of the vestments in the last chapter, God now reveals to Moses his will for how Aaron and the priests will be consecrated and ordained for their vocation. God commands that every person and thing used in worship of him is to be set apart...

The Rev. David Duke, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Newfane, NY and adjunct professor of Old Testament at Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary in St. Catherines, ON, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Exodus 28. With the tabernacle’s design established, God’s instructions now focus on the adornment of the priests. Aaron and his sons are appointed as priests and this chapter details t...

The Rev. David Boisclair, pastor of Faith and Bethesda Lutheran Churches in Pine Lawn, MO, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Exodus 27. God continues to give his instructions to Moses regarding the construction of the Tabernacle. Our attention shifts from the holy of holies to the bronze altar and outer courtyard where the altar of sacrifice was located. This section ends with God’s command th...