Thy Strong Word from KFUO Radio

"Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites." In one of the most difficult chapters of Scripture, God commands Israel to execute judgment on Midian for leading them into idolatry and sexual immorality at Baal Peor. The war is total, the plunder is divided, and purification rites cleanse those who fought. This chapter confronts us with the holiness of God and the severity of sin. It also points...

"If a man vows a vow to the LORD, he shall not break his word." In this chapter, we encounter detailed legislation about vows, particularly concerning women under the authority of fathers or husbands. While the cultural context differs from our own, the underlying principle endures: our words matter to God. Jesus Himself taught that our yes should be yes and our no should be no. This chapter calls...

"On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation." The sacred calendar continues with the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Booths. The sheer number of sacrifices during Booths is staggering, reaching its climax on the seventh day before tapering on the eighth. In this chapter, we see Israel's entire year oriented around worship and atonement. Th...

"My offering, my food for my food offerings." God establishes the rhythm of Israel's worship through daily, weekly, monthly, and annual sacrifices. Each day, morning and evening, is framed with the aroma of burnt offerings. Sabbaths bring double portions and new moons mark the turning of months. In this chapter, we see that Israel's entire calendar was oriented around the worship of God. While the...

"Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son?" The five daughters of Zelophehad bring their case before Moses, and God Himself rules in their favor. Their father's inheritance will not be lost. Then Moses, having been told he cannot enter the land, requests a successor. Joshua is commissioned with the laying on of hands. In this chapter, we see God's care fo...

"Among these there was not one of those listed by Moses and Aaron the priest." A new census is taken, and the contrast with the first is sobering. The entire generation that left Egypt has perished in the wilderness, except for Joshua and Caleb. Yet God's purposes have not failed. A new generation stands ready to inherit the promises. In this chapter, we see that God's faithfulness outlasts human...

"Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel." What Balaam could not accomplish through curses, Moab achieves through seduction. Israel falls into sexual immorality and idolatry at Baal Peor, and a plague breaks out. Phinehas ends it with a single act of zealous judgment. In this dark chapter, we see both the devastating power of temptat...

"I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob." In his final oracles, Balaam's prophecy reaches far beyond Israel's immediate future. He speaks of a star and a scepter, a ruler who will crush the enemies of God's people. This messianic prophecy, spoken by a pagan prophet against his own will, points unmistakably to Christ. In this chapter, we see that God can...

"How can I curse whom God has not cursed?" Balaam, the for-profit prophet, tries again and again to curse Israel, but each time blessings pour forth instead. From three different vantage points overlooking Israel's camp, the reluctant prophet speaks only what God puts in his mouth. In this chapter, we discover that no weapon formed against God's people shall prosper. The enemies of the Church may...

"What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?" In one of Scripture's most unusual narratives, a donkey sees what a prophet cannot. Balak king of Moab hires Balaam to curse Israel, but God intervenes in spectacular fashion. The prophet's own animal rebukes him, and an angel bars the way. In this chapter, we encounter the danger of those who use religion for profit and the sur...

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up." When Israel once again grumbles against God, fiery serpents bring death into the camp. God then reveals a shocking, unexpected remedy: a bronze serpent lifted on a pole, and all who look upon it live. Jesus Himself points to this event as a picture of His crucifixion. In this chapter, we also see Israel be...

"Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land." At Meribah, the people quarrel again, and Moses strikes the rock instead of speaking to it as commanded. Water flows, but the cost is enormous: Moses will not enter the Promised Land. In this sobering chapter, we see that even the greatest servan...

"This is the statute of the law that the LORD has commanded." The ritual of the red heifer is one of the most mysterious in all of Scripture. A perfect, unblemished cow is slaughtered and burned entirely, and its ashes mixed with water create a purification solution for those contaminated by death. In this chapter, we encounter the pervasive problem of death's defilement and the need for cleansing...

"I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel." While the other tribes receive land, the Levites receive something far greater: the LORD Himself. They are sustained by the tithes and offerings of the people, set apart for sacred service. In this chapter, we see a beautiful picture of Gospel ministry. Those who serve at the altar live from the altar, and their true reward is no...

There is a time for peace and a time for war, according to God’s Word in Ecclesiastes. With American forces engaged in combat operations in Iran and many in our communities and congregations divided over the conflict, the question is unavoidable: Can war ever be just before God? Does He sanction the sword or merely tolerate it? And what about the Christian who puts on a uniform and picks up a rifl...

"The staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout." After Korah's rebellion, God confirms Aaron's priesthood through a miraculous sign. Twelve staffs are placed before the ark, and Aaron's alone buds, blossoms, and produces almonds overnight. Dead wood comes to life by God's power. In this chapter and the opening of the next, we see God establishing the priesthood that would serve until a greater P...

"You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them." Korah, Dathan, and Abiram lead a revolt against Moses and Aaron, claiming that all Israel is equally holy. The earth opens and swallows the rebels, and fire consumes those offering unauthorized incense. In this terrifying chapter, we see the danger of despising the offices God has established. The priesthood is not a...

"You shall have a tassel to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD." Following the catastrophe of unbelief, God graciously provides instructions for when Israel finally enters the land. Grain offerings, drink offerings, and sin offerings are detailed. A man who gathers sticks on the Sabbath is put to death, demonstrating the seriousness of God's commands. And tassels on garments ser...

"How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?" The people weep all night, wish they had died in Egypt, and even talk of choosing a new leader to take them back. God's wrath burns hot, and only Moses' intercession spares them from immediate destruction. Yet the sentence is severe: forty years in the wilderness...

"We seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them." Twelve spies enter the Promised Land and return with stunning evidence of its abundance. But ten see only giants and fortified cities, and their faithless report spreads like wildfire through the camp. Only Joshua and Caleb trust God's promise. In this chapter, we encounter the pivotal moment that condemned a generation to die i...

"Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?" Miriam and Aaron, Moses' own siblings, challenge his unique authority. They use his Cushite wife as a pretext, but their real complaint is against Moses' position. God Himself intervenes, and Miriam is struck with leprosy. In this chapter, we see that even family can become instruments of opposition to God's appoin...

"Would that all the LORD's people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!" The manna that sustained Israel in the wilderness becomes the object of complaint. The people weep for the meat of Egypt, and Moses buckles under the burden of leadership. God responds with quail and with His Spirit poured out on seventy elders. In this chapter, we see both the ugliness of ingratitude and...

"And whenever the ark set out, Moses said, 'Arise, O LORD, and let your enemies be scattered.'" Two silver trumpets are fashioned to summon the congregation and signal the march. Then, after nearly a year at Sinai, the cloud lifts, and Israel begins its journey toward the Promised Land. In this chapter, we witness the people of God finally on the move, led by the LORD Himself. The journey begins w...

"Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp." Israel celebrates its first Passover since leaving Egypt, and those who are unclean are given a second chance. Then the cloud of the LORD's presence descends upon the tabernacle, guiding Israel by day and fire by night. In this chapter, we see...

"Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the people of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine." Aaron lights the seven lamps of the golden lampstand, illuminating the holy place where priests serve. Then the Levites undergo an elaborate consecration, being waved as a living offering before the LORD. In this chapter, we see that those who serve God must themselves be made holy. The light of t...