Rev. Steve Andrews, pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Lee’s Summit, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 18:1-14. Moses teaches Israel how to care for the Levites and priests. The Levites and priests have no inheritance of land among the people; the LORD is their inheritance. The people of Israel provide for the physical needs of these servants of the LORD through the offering of their firstfruits. Moses transitions to speaking about the office of prophet in Israel by ex...
Sep 02, 2022•56 min
Rev. Matt Ulmer, pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Bishop, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 17:8-20. The LORD’s concern for justice continues as He teaches His people how to handle difficult legal decisions. They must go to the place that the LORD will choose for the priests and judge to decide the matter based on the LORD’s Word. Because justice is tied to the LORD’s Word, the verdict must be followed exactly, lest anyone depart from the justice that God commands in Hi...
Sep 01, 2022•56 min
Rev. Joel Heckmann, pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Okarche, OK, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 16:18-17:7. The LORD tells His people of the importance of justice, which is found in His Word. Judges and officers in Israel must pursue such justice without partiality or desire for a bribe. Because justice is bound up in the LORD’s Word, idolatry perverts justice. Therefore, the people must not engage in the idolatrous practices of the Canaanites nor think that they can ...
Aug 31, 2022•57 min
Rev. Doug Griebenaw, mission advocate for KFUO Radio in St. Louis, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 16:1-17. Moses gives the LORD’s instructions for the three feasts when all Israel was to gather at the place where the LORD would choose. Even as they were spread throughout the Promised Land, the LORD provided for Israel to join together as His people to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths. The Feast of Unleavened Bread, or th...
Aug 30, 2022•56 min
Rev. David Boisclair, pastor at Bethesda and Faith Lutheran Churches in north St. Louis County, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 15:1-23. As the LORD provided rest for His people on the seventh day, so He instructed His people to give release to debts in the seventh year. Through this provision, the LORD teaches His people to show concern for the poor. The LORD knows their propensity for greed, so He seeks to give them a generous heart like His own. The same sort of concern...
Aug 29, 2022•55 min
Rev. Jacob Dandy, pastor at Zion Lutheran Church and School in Terra Bella, CA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 14:22-29. The LORD instructs His people to bring a tithe of their produce in order to provide for the priests and Levites and to care for the poor within their towns. Giving a tenth of the produce of the land was not intended as an onerous obligation; rather, it was an opportunity for joyous thanksgiving and worship to the LORD. The LORD had given all things to His p...
Aug 26, 2022•55 min
Rev. Jeremiah Johnson, pastor at Glory of Christ Lutheran Church in Plymouth, MN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 14:1-21. Israel’s status as sons of the LORD is the foundation for all that the LORD gives them to do. The LORD has made His people His children as a gift so that they are holy in the same way that He is holy. He has chosen them to be His treasured possession, completely by His grace. This reality leads Israel to live as God’s holy people in the matters of their mo...
Aug 25, 2022•57 min
Rev. Dr. Adam Koontz, pastor and evangelist at Trinity Lutheran Church in Denver, CO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 12:32-13:18. Moses again warns the people neither to add nor subtract from God’s Word, particularly with the danger of idolatry in mind. He gives instructions on how to handle three different cases in which idolatry might arise in Israel. In the case of a prophet or dreamer, Israel must test his words against the Word of God. Even if his signs come to pass, the...
Aug 24, 2022•56 min
Rev. Dr. Adam Filipek, pastor at Holy Cross and Immanuel Lutheran Churches in Lidgerwood, ND, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 12:1-31. Moses’ second sermon transitions to more concrete applications of the Decalogue; he starts with the Third Commandment concerning Israel’s worship in the Promised Land. They must destroy all idolatry in the land; they must not imitate any idolatrous practices or use any idolatrous places for their worship. Instead, they must go to the place the ...
Aug 23, 2022•56 min
Rev. Andy Wright, pastor at St. John Lutheran Church in Keystone, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 11:1-32. Moses tells Israel to love the LORD because He is their God. His discipline has taught them to trust in Him as He showed His might to save them from Egypt and as He showed His judgment against unbelief. The LORD gives His commands to Israel for their good; when they keep them, they will receive His blessing. The rain that He sends from heaven upon the Promised Land is...
Aug 22, 2022•55 min
Rev. James Preus, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Ottumwa, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 10:1-22. As Moses recounts the new stone tablets of the Decalogue, he reminds Israel that the LORD had listened to his intercessory prayer. By placing both tablets of the Decalogue into the ark, the LORD showed His people that He went with them and dwelled with them. Now, as Israel prepares to enter the Promised Land, Moses calls upon the people to fear the LORD, walk in His way...
Aug 19, 2022•54 min
Rev. Carl Roth, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Elgin, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 9:1-29. As Israel prepares to drive out peoples with great power and might, Moses assures them that the LORD will go before them to destroy their enemies for them. Israel must not let this turn to pride in their hearts, as if they have some kind of inherent righteousness. The LORD is punishing the Canaanites’ great wickedness; He is not rewarding a righteousness that Israel has done. ...
Aug 18, 2022•55 min
Rev. Zelwyn Heide, pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Hannover, ND and Zion Lutheran Church in New Salem, ND, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 8:1-20. Moses reminds Israel that the LORD sustained them in the wilderness; only by His grace did Israel not only survive, but even thrive, in a terribly difficult place to live. Though the Promised Land will be a far more fruitful environment, still Israel will only be sustained there by the LORD and His Word. The LORD disciplined ...
Aug 17, 2022•56 min
Rev. Shawn Linnell, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Blair, NE, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 7:1-26. Moses instructs Israel how to handle the nations already living in Canaan; these idolatrous nations are to be devoted to complete destruction. Such is God’s just judgment for their refusal to repent and His protection for His own people, lest they be led astray into idolatry. Israel dare not look upon the other nations in arrogance or pride, however. The LORD chose them ...
Aug 16, 2022•56 min
Rev. Dustin Beck, pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Warda, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 6:1-25. Moses begins an extended meditation on the First Commandment. In light of the LORD’s promise to be Israel’s God, their response is first and foremost to listen. They need to constantly listen that the LORD is their God and that He is the one true God. From this faith stems Israel’s love for God with their entire being. From this faith stems parents teaching their childr...
Aug 15, 2022•56 min
Rev. Dr. Ryan Tietz, Associate Professor of Exegetical Theology and Dean of Students at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 5:22-33. Moses recounts what happened after the LORD gave the Decalogue. He highlights the importance of the event by reminding Israel of the “thick darkness” on the mountain. This connects the theophany at Sinai to the day of the LORD when He sets all things right. The fact that the Decalogue was written furth...
Aug 12, 2022•55 min
Rev. Tim Koch, pastor at Zion Lutheran Church in Linn, KS, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 4:44-5:21. Moses begins his second sermon in Deuteronomy by echoing his exhortation at the end of the first: “Listen!” He reminds the people that the covenant the LORD made at Sinai was not simply for their fathers; it was for this generation as well. In the same way, God’s Word continues to be for Christians today. Moses had served as the mediator for the LORD’s Word to the people; Jesu...
Aug 11, 2022•55 min
Rev. Joel Haak, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Rochester, MN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 4:25-43. Moses brings his first sermon in Deuteronomy to a close. He warns the people against spiritual senility once they have entered into the Promised Land. The temptation to forget the LORD and turn toward idolatry will be great. If Israel falls in that way, heaven and earth stand as witnesses against them that they will not live long in the land and will be carried away int...
Aug 10, 2022•56 min
Rev. Doug Griebenaw, mission advocate for KFUO Radio in St. Louis, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 4:1-24. Moses makes a turn in his first sermon in Deuteronomy as he exhorts the people to listen. The Word of God defines their reality. Therefore, they must receive His Word without addition or subtraction, trusting that His Word is good and true. Following idols has never meant anything but death for Israel; Moses urges them toward life in the LORD, the true God. His Word i...
Aug 09, 2022•55 min
Rev. Philip Hoppe, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Colby, KS, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 3:12-29. Moses reminds the people how the LORD had already given and apportioned land to them on the east side of the Jordan River. The LORD gave that land to two-and-a-half tribes according to their need to care for their livestock. Though they had already received land, they were faithful to the whole people of Israel by going over the Jordan to fight with their brothers. Becau...
Aug 08, 2022•55 min
Rev. Dan Speckhard, pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church and School in North Judson, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 2:24-3:11. Moses’ first sermon in Deuteronomy now begins to recall events much closer to the present. Already on the east side of the Jordan River, the LORD had begun to give His people land as a foretaste of the fulfillment of the Promised Land. Sihon, king of Heshbon, had an opportunity to have peace with Israel. However, he rejected Moses’ offer, and Sihon...
Aug 05, 2022•55 min
Rev. Ryan Ogrodowicz, associate pastor and headmaster at Grace Lutheran Church and School in Brenham, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 2:1-23. Moses recounts the wilderness wanderings of Israel. The LORD directed them around land that belonged to their relatives, Edom, Moab, and Ammon. The LORD is the One who owns all territory and apportions it according to His gracious will. While they wandered in the wilderness, all of the Israelite men of war perished, according to the ...
Aug 04, 2022•55 min
Rev. Tim Storck, pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Chesterfield Township, MI, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 1:26-46. As Moses continues his first sermon in Deuteronomy, he reminds the people how their initial journey toward the Promised Land was quickly derailed by their unfaithfulness. Despite Moses’ reassurance that the LORD had not failed them in the past and He would surely keep His promise yet again, the people did not believe the LORD. When they refused to go ...
Aug 03, 2022•56 min
Rev. Stephen Preus, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Vinton, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 1:6-25. Moses begins his first sermon in Deuteronomy by rewinding the clock forty years, to the time when the LORD told His people to leave Sinai. He sent them toward the land He had promised to their fathers. According to the LORD’s promise to Abraham, the nation had grown extensively. Even as Moses prayed in thanksgiving and for such continued multiplication, he recognized hi...
Aug 02, 2022•56 min
Rev. Adolph Harstad, Professor of Exegetical Theology at Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary in Mankato, MN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 1:1-5. The book of Deuteronomy may not have action in the same sense as the book of Genesis, but the Word of God spoken by Moses in his farewell addresses to Israel is living and active, bringing repentance and faith to those who listen. Deuteronomy takes place on the plains of Moab in 1406 BC as the people of Israel are about to enter ...
Aug 01, 2022•56 min
“The Law of God is Good and Wise” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Deuteronomy. Though Moses’ lengthy sermons in Deuteronomy may be tempting to skip, this influential book is essential reading for Christians. As Moses strengthened Israel on the plains of Moab before the people entered the Promised Land, so the book of Deuteronomy still strengthens the Church as we prepare to enter the Resurrection with Christ, the Prophet greater than Moses. Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. ...
Aug 01, 2022•3 min
Rev. Peter Ill, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Millstadt, IL, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Psalm 146. Psalm 146 is one of the five Hallelujah Psalms that close the Psalter, directing us to praise the LORD in our entire lives. This is a reminder of the resurrection, for the praises we sing now are the praises we will sing for all eternity. Our trust belongs in the LORD and not in any princes, for princes in all their planning still die. Only the LORD gives life eternally. Those wh...
Jul 29, 2022•55 min
Rev. Andrew Preus, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in New Haven, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Psalm 145. The structure of Psalm 145 as an acrostic poem serves to underline the complete nature of God’s reign as King over all. His Kingdom is eternal, calling forth praise from all people. Doxology and doctrine go hand-in-hand as one generation tells the next of who God is and what He has done. The greatness of God’s kingdom is His righteousness, given by grace for Christ’s sake. For...
Jul 28, 2022•55 min
Rev. Mark Barz, pastor at Crown of Life Lutheran Church in San Antonio, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Psalm 118. Psalm 118 begins and ends with a familiar refrain of thanksgiving to the LORD for His enduring steadfast love. All people are invited to join in singing in a procession leading to the temple. The psalmist has confidence in the LORD in the midst of danger. The LORD is the place of refuge when all human help fails. Even when the psalmist is surrounded by enemies, the LORD r...
Jul 27, 2022•56 min
Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing, Professor of Theology and Ministry, Director of the Pre-Seminary Program, and Director of the Center for Biblical Studies at Concordia University in St. Paul, MN, and associate pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Eagan, MN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Psalm 110. Psalm 110 is the most-quoted and referenced psalm in the New Testament. In Psalm 110, David writes prophetically concerning the Messiah. First, the conversation between the Father and the Son shows that...
Jul 26, 2022•55 min
