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Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God’s Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Sharper Iron is underwritten by Lutheran Church Extension Fund, where your investments help support the work of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit lcef.org.
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As David flees from Saul, he flees to the LORD's presence. When he arrives before Ahimelech the priest, David requests nourishment for his men and himself. Ensuring the holiness of the men, recognizing the true purpose of the Sabbath, and looking forward to the coming greater Son of David, Ahimelech feeds David and his men with the bread of the Pre…
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Although Jonathan initially does not think his father still intends to kill David, Jonathan listens to his beloved friend loyally and agrees to participate in a plan to discern the king's true intentions. Saul irrationally expects David at the new moon feast, and Saul is enraged when he learns from Jonathan that David will not be coming. This serve…
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Four times King Saul attempts to kill David, and four times the LORD spares David's life. Saul's own son Jonathan successfully intercedes for David before Saul, who momentarily stops pursuing him. When war against the Philistines brings out Saul's murderous rage again, David flees from Saul's spear. David's wife and Saul's daughter Michal lies in o…
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After David’s defeat of Goliath, Jonathan joins himself to David in true friendship, despite any ramifications that may have for his potential to be king. When Saul realizes just how popular David is becoming, Saul eyes David with suspicion. Saul’s bad conscience before the LORD leads him to attempt to kill David both directly and indirectly. In ev…
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As the Philistine and Israelite armies line up against each other, the Philistine champion Goliath taunts Israel for forty days straight. Though his size and strength are impressive, his defining feature is his idolatrous mocking of the living God. Forgetting God’s promises, Saul and his army are fearful of this Philistine. Only David, the young sh…
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The LORD commands Samuel to go to the house of Jesse in Bethlehem to offer a sacrifice with Jesse’s family and anoint the next king from among his sons. As the sons of Jesse come before Samuel in the order of age, Samuel wrongly assumes that the oldest will be king. The LORD corrects His prophet; the LORD looks at the heart. No man, not even his ow…
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Samuel gives the Word of the LORD to Saul, telling the king to devote to destruction the idolatrous Amalekites. Saul faithfully spares the Kenites, who had previously attached themselves to Israel, but Saul unfaithfully spares the Amalekite king and the choicest animals. The LORD sends Samuel to tell Saul that Saul has been rejected as king. When S…
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Saul’s son Jonathan continues to show himself to be a faithful Israelite and a capable soldier. The LORD gives Jonathan and his armor-bearer the victory over a Philistine garrison, and then He gives a larger victory to the rest of the Israelite army through Saul. The growing victory is cut short, however, by Saul’s foolish vow that comes from his p…
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As Saul's reign as king is formally introduced, his weaknesses begin to show more clearly. Even as he takes credit for the victory won by his son Jonathan, the Philistines remain a formidable enemy who bring fear to Israel. Initially, Saul waits for Samuel as the prophet had instructed. However, as Saul's army dwindles, he takes matters into his ow…
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With Israel gathered together at Gilgal, Samuel takes the opportunity to give a farewell sermon as his time as judge comes to an end. He reminds the people of his faithful service to the LORD and to them. He recalls the faithful dealings of the LORD with Israel over their history, even when Israel was unfaithful. Now that Israel has a king, both th…
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When the Ammonites renew their enmity with Israel at Jabesh-gilead, the news eventually gets to King Saul, who is plowing with his oxen. The Spirit of God rushes upon Saul, and in anger, he calls Israel to come out and fight, lest they face his sword. The army musters at Saul's command, and he leads the people to victory over the Ammonites. Saul ri…
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Samuel anoints Saul as the first king of Israel and gives Saul signs to confirm this reality for him. Each of the signs comes to pass. When the Spirit of the LORD rushes upon Saul, he begins to prophesy, which surprises those who witness it. As Saul returns home, he does not trust the authority that God has given him as king over Israel. That conti…
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Although Saul has the outward appearance of a king, several warning signs are present, indicating that he may not serve the people as well as they would like. He is from the tribe of Benjamin rather than the tribe of Judah. He is unable to find lost donkeys; will he be able to lead men? The most concerning detail is Saul's ignorance of Samuel as th…
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As Samuel grows old, the elders of Israel rightly recognize the corruption of Samuel's sons, who are unfit to be judges in Samuel's place. However, the elders of Israel wrongly ask that Samuel set up a king over them so that they would be like the other nations. The LORD says that this request is a rejection of His reign, but He still tells Samuel …
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Samuel's faithful preaching to Israel called God's people to repentance for their idolatry, and Israel listened. As Samuel led the people in confession of their sins, the Philistines used the opportunity to attack. This time, Israel implored Samuel to pray for them and sought the LORD's counsel. After the LORD won the victory over the Philistines f…
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The Philistines were quite mistaken to think that their capture of the LORD's ark meant that their idol had defeated the LORD. The LORD shows the impotence of Dagon in its idolatrous shrine, and the LORD inflicts a plague upon the Philistines. The Philistines soon want nothing to do with the LORD's ark, and as they send it back to Israel, the LORD …
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Although Samuel was preaching God's Word to all Israel, the people did not bother to consult him in their fights against the Philistines. After suffering a terrible defeat, the elders of Israel treat the ark of the LORD as a magic talisman in taking it out to battle faithlessly. Though the Philistines initially tremble, they fight nonetheless and r…
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When Samuel was a young man serving under Eli in the LORD's house, the LORD's Word rarely came as it had to Moses and Joshua. Yet the LORD was bringing about an increase in His Word through Samuel. He made Samuel, Eli, and all Israel certain of His call to Samuel as a prophet, even though it took some time for Eli and Samuel to catch on. Samuel's p…
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The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phineas, act wickedly in their service at the LORD's house, unlawfully taking parts of the sacrifices for themselves and committing adultery with temple servants. Although Eli speaks to his sons about these things, they do not listen, and he does not take decisive action against them. For this, the LORD sends a proph…
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As Hannah fulfills her promise to give her son Samuel into the LORD's service at the tabernacle, she prays with joy and thanksgiving at what the LORD has done for her. He has shown Himself to be holy and faithful, so that the prideful cannot speak or stand in His presence. He brings about great reversals, making low the mighty and raising up the hu…
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The book of 1 Samuel begins at a religious low point for Israel, when there was no king and everyone did what was right in his own eyes. The LORD began His work of calling His people back to Himself through the family of Elkanah. His wife Hannah suffered greatly from her barrenness, yet she prayed to the LORD for a child. Once Eli's initial assumpt…
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"A Kingdom Unlike All the Nations” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through 1-2 Samuel. This time in Israel's history has its highs and lows, but the LORD's faithfulness never wavers. He provides His Word to be proclaimed faithfully through prophets like Samuel and Nathan. Even as princes like Saul and David sit on an earthly throne, the LORD …
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When envoys from Babylon come to Hezekiah in Jerusalem, he gives neither thanks nor glory to the LORD for the blessings He has so freely bestowed on Hezekiah. Instead, the king shows the Babylonians all the wealth he has, as if he has won it for himself. Isaiah confronts Hezekiah, revealing that the consequences for the king's actions will be exile…
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When Hezekiah became sick to the point of death, the LORD's Word came to the King that he would die. Hezekiah responded by crying out to the LORD in prayer, and the LORD responded by mercifully extending Hezekiah's life for another fifteen years. This gracious promise not only spared Hezekiah,but also sustained the line of the promised Messiah for …
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King Hezekiah and his royal officials seek the Word of the LORD in the face of the Assyrian threat. After Isaiah delivers the LORD's promise of a miraculous rescue, the Rabshakeh continues to tempt the people of Judah to unbelief. Hezekiah responds by bringing the enemy's words to the LORD and asking that the LORD show Himself as the one true God. …
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Isaiah begins to recount the historical narrative of the LORD's deliverance of His people from the Assyrians. Although the might of the Assyrian army was great, the text focuses on the war of words waged by the Assyrian official, the Rabshakeh. His temptations are strong, using half-truths in order to draw the people away from their trust in the LO…
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Out of the devastation of the previous chapter, the LORD promises to bring restoration for His people and His creation. He will make the desert a garden, He will strengthen His people's weaknesses, and He will heal His people's diseases. In this, the LORD will show His glory and bring His salvation. He will bring His people back upon the way that l…
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The LORD calls upon all the nations to listen as He speaks His fury against all those who have set themselves against them. The judgment upon such unbelief is coming, and it will not be pretty. The LORD says that His sword will bring condemnation particularly upon Edom, which had a history of animosity toward the LORD and Israel. All such peoples w…
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When the LORD proclaims that Assyria will be destroyed, His people respond in prayer, asking that the LORD would bring His salvation for which they wait. They recognize the fear of Him as their true treasure and look for Him to arise. Those who do not fear the LORD, however, tremble at the news of His coming. The only one who can dwell with Him is …
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Isaiah proclaims the coming king who will reign in righteousness. Under His reign, the people of God will dwell safely with the true knowledge and worship of Him. Those who are foolish will be known as such, and those who are complacent will mourn over the judgment that the LORD will bring. Once the judgment is complete, the righteous King will pou…
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Isaiah tells the people of Judah that Egypt will be absolutely no help against Assyria. God's people would be foolish to put their trust in men rather than the LORD. He is the true God who comes down to protect His people, so that they can return to Him even after they revolted against Him by their idolatry. Although Egypt's help against Assyria is…
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The LORD calls His people rebellious children for desiring an alliance with Egypt, who will actually be no help to Judah at all. Because Judah despises the LORD's Word, His swift judgment will befall them. Yet He gives His promise. Their salvation will be found in returning to Him and resting in His Word, and He is waiting patiently to show that ve…
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The LORD speaks to His people Jerusalem about the coming destruction that Assyria will bring, according to the will and work of the LORD. When the LORD also promises that He will work a miraculous deliverance on His people's behalf, the people fail to believe His promise. Their faithless worship has left the blind and deaf, yet the LORD promises th…
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Having addressed many foreign nations and the entire earth, the LORD turns once more to His people, Israel and Judah. Though the leaders of Ephraim are proud, they are no match for the LORD's might. He alone is the crown of glory. The priests and prophets have failed and fallen into the same drunken stupor, and so the LORD will bring His Word upon …
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The day of the LORD is a day of victory over all His enemies, even Leviathan. By speaking about the LORD's victory in this way, Isaiah shows that the LORD alone is the true God over all idols, and no powers of evil will win the victory over Him. Having defeated His people's enemies, He will plant His people as His fruitful vineyard and keep them sa…
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In response to the LORD's feast of victory, His people sing His praises. He has given them a strong city in which He keeps His people secure with a double portion of peace. He makes His people walk upon the level path of His righteousness, while His enemies are consumed. When the LORD's people cried out to Him under His discipline, there was no del…
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Even after the judgment spoken in the previous chapter, Isaiah now turns to praise the LORD as his God. The LORD has done wonderful things in faithfulness to His promises made long ago. He is a stronghold for His people, providing shelter from the storm and shade from the heat. On His mountain, He prepares His feast for His people because He has sw…
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After speaking ten oracles of judgment to specific nations, the LORD now addresses the whole earth. No one will escape the desolation that His wrath brings. The once mighty and mirthful city will be brought low with great sorrow. The LORD's destruction will be great so that repentance before Him is the only option, even as a remnant remains to prai…
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Isaiah brings this section with ten burdens upon the nations to a conclusion with a burden concerning Tyre. As an economic center of the ancient world, the judgment that is coming upon Tyre wreaks havoc upon all the nations. No amount of economic success can be a true refuge from the day of the LORD, for He will bring all the glory of man down. As …
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In the midst of His Word to other nations, the LORD has not forgotten His own people. In this chapter, Isaiah addresses the people of Jerusalem by speaking to "the valley of vision." Such a title is ironic because the people of Jerusalem do not have the eyes to see the LORD and His work. The judgment that the LORD will bring upon Jerusalem is enact…
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The Word of the LORD comes to Babylon again. The city is addressed as "the wilderness of the sea," a reference to the Euphrates River that was so key to Babylonian success and a reminder that Babylon in Holy Scripture also often refers to all the enemies of God and His people. The LORD sets His watchman to look for the deliverance of His people ove…
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Isaiah speaks the burden concerning Egypt because the LORD desires His people to know that looking to Egypt for help is futile. Egypt's idolatry is useless. Egypt depends on the Nile River, and yet, the Nile is under the LORD's command. Egypt's wisdom is foolish. To show the reality of the judgment coming upon Egypt, God commands Isaiah to preach n…
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Isaiah speaks the burden concerning Damascus, the capital of Syria. Although Syria had allied itself with Ephraim, the glory of these two nations will be brought low together. Such judgment points to the reality that idols are worthless; only the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, is the Rock in whom there is help. As the LORD spoke, so Assyria c…
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As the prophet Isaiah speaks the burden concerning Moab, the prophet weeps and laments their coming judgment. This is likely due to the family connection to Moab, particularly in the lineage of King David. In the midst of the LORD's judgment, the only place for refuge is found in the throne that the LORD will establish in His faithfulness in the ho…
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The LORD's judgment of Babylon's pride means salvation for God's people. No longer will they be slaves, but they will rule with the LORD. For that reason, Isaiah invites the people of God to join in the song of victory over Babylon. The power that thought itself more mighty than the LORD has been slain, never to rise again, for the LORD has spoken.…
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With chapter 13, Isaiah's book begins a section of ten burdens, or oracles, against various nations. The fact that the majority of these oracles are directed toward nations other than Israel reminds us that the LORD is the God over all the earth. The first burden is given to Babylon. Although it was not a mighty empire in Isaiah's day, it was a sig…
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As the people of God once praised God for His deliverance from slavery in Egypt, so the people of God again praise Him for the greater exodus He gives through the promised Messiah. Both individually and together as the whole Church, Christians sing in thanksgiving that God has turned His anger to comfort for the sake of Jesus. He is our salvation, …
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Although the house of David has been unfaithful, the LORD will keep His promise to send the Savior. Though Jesse’s line is only a stump, the LORD will bring forth His Christ as a shoot from that root. As the One who bears the Spirit, the Christ will come in the true fear of the LORD to bring justice and righteousness for all people. The Christ is t…
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The LORD proclaims that mighty Assyria is the rod of anger in His hands. However, while the LORD does His work of bringing wrath against His own people through Assyria, Assyria becomes proud, as if they are the rulers of the world. The LORD laughs at Assyria’s haughtiness and promises that they too will be brought low for their wicked idolatry. Eve…
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