The Prophecy of Isaiah - Lesson 16: “Egypt and Cush” (Isaiah 19:1–20:6)

The Prophecy of IsaiahLesson 16: “Egypt and Cush” (Isaiah 19:1–20:6)
1. A Message concerning Egypt (19:1–25)
a. Judgment against Egypt and Its Leaders (19:1–15)
i. A Rebuke of Egypt’s Idols (19:1–4)
Isaiah 19:1–4 (NIV)
1 A prophecy against Egypt: See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before him, and the hearts of the Egyptians melt with fear. 2 “I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian— brother will fight against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. 3 The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will bring their plans to nothing; they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, the mediums and the spiritists. 4 I will hand the Egyptians over to the power of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them,” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
ii. A Rebuke to Egypt’s Ecology and Industry (19:5–10)
Isaiah 19:5–10 (NIV)
5 The waters of the river will dry up, and the riverbed will be parched and dry. 6 The canals will stink; the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up. The reeds and rushes will wither, 7 also the plants along the Nile, at the mouth of the river. Every sown field along the Nile will become parched, will blow away and be no more. 8 The fishermen will groan and lament, all who cast hooks into the Nile; those who throw nets on the water will pine away. 9 Those who work with combed flax will despair, the weavers of fine linen will lose hope. 10 The workers in cloth will be dejected, and all the wage earners will be sick at heart.
iii. A Rebuke to Egypt’s Leaders (19:11–15)
Isaiah 19:11–15 (NIV)
11 The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools; the wise counselors of Pharaoh give senseless advice. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am one of the wise men, a disciple of the ancient kings”? 12 Where are your wise men now? Let them show you and make known what the Lord Almighty has planned against Egypt. 13 The officials of Zoan have become fools, the leaders of Memphis are deceived; the cornerstones of her peoples have led Egypt astray. 14 The Lord has poured into them a spirit of dizziness; they make Egypt stagger in all that she does, as a drunkard staggers around in his vomit. 15 There is nothing Egypt can do— head or tail, palm branch or reed.
b. Egypt’s Submission and Restoration (19:16–25)
Isaiah 19:16–25 (NIV)
16 In that day the Egyptians will become weaklings. They will shudder with fear at the uplifted hand that the Lord Almighty raises against them. 17 And the land of Judah will bring terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom Judah is mentioned will be terrified, because of what the Lord Almighty is planning against them.
18 In that day five cities in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord Almighty. One of them will be called the City of the Sun. 
19 In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to the Lord at its border. 20 It will be a sign and witness to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them. 21 So the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge the Lord. They will worship with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them. 22 The Lord will strike Egypt with a plague; he will strike them and heal them. They will turn to the Lord, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them.
23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. 24 In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing  on the earth. 25 The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.”
2. Isaiah’s Sign against Egypt and Cush (20:1–6)
Isaiah 20:1–6 (NIV)
1In the year that the supreme commander, sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it—2at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz. He said to him, “Take off the sackcloth from your body and the sandals from your feet.” And he did so, going around stripped and barefoot. 3Then the Lord said, “Just as my servant Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years, as a sign and portent against Egypt and Cush, 4so the king of Assyria will lead away stripped and barefoot the Egyptian captives and Cushite exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared—to Egypt’s shame. 5Those who trusted in Cush and boasted in Egypt will be dismayed and put to shame. 6In that day the people who live on this coast will say, ‘See what has happened to those we relied on, those we fled to for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?’ ”
 **The outline for this lesson has been adapted from Bryan E. Beyer, Encountering the Book of Isaiah: A Historical and Theological Survey, Encountering Biblical Studies (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2007).

“A Holy Society” (Exodus 22:16–31)

“A Holy Society” (Exodus 22:16–31)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday PM, September 9, 2018
Exodus 22:16–31 (NIV)
16 “If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price, and she shall be his wife. 17 If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride-price for virgins.
18 “Do not allow a sorceress to live.
19 “Anyone who has sexual relations with an animal is to be put to death.
20 “Whoever sacrifices to any god other than the Lord must be destroyed. 
21 “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.
22 “Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. 23 If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. 24 My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.
25 “If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest. 26 If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, return it by sunset, 27 because that cloak is the only covering your neighbor has. What else can they sleep in? When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.
28 “Do not blaspheme God  or curse the ruler of your people.
29 “Do not hold back offerings from your granaries or your vats.
“You must give me the firstborn of your sons. 30 Do the same with your cattle and your sheep. Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but give them to me on the eighth day.
31 “You are to be my holy people. So do not eat the meat of an animal torn by wild beasts; throw it to the dogs.
 
Main Idea: God’s people should seek to live as members of a holy society, with proper love and respect for one another and full devotion to the Lord.
1. A member of God’s holy society should seek the long-term wellbeing of others, and so there can be no pleasure without responsibility (16–17).
2. A member of God’s holy society must respect God’s sovereignty and authority and not seek to manipulate people and the outcome of events through illegitimate means (18).
3. A member of God’s holy society must respect the created order and not seek self-pleasure through perverted means that result in the dehumanization of God’s image bearers (19).
4. A member of God’s holy society must worship God and God alone and not engage in false worship (20).
5. A member of God’s holy society must show appropriate care and compassion for the most vulnerable in society (21–27).
a. By treating foreigners with respect (21)b. By upholding true justice for widows and orphans (22–24)c. By showing compassion to the poor in the lending of money (25–27)
6. A member of God’s holy society must honor God and his appointed human representatives (28).
7. A member of God’s holy society must honor God by offering to him the firstfruits of all that God has graciously given (29–30).
8. A member of God’s holy society must respect the created order and the dignity of human beings by not eating like a wild scavenger (31).

The Prophecy of Isaiah - Lesson 15: “Messages against Syria, Israel, and Cush” (Isaiah 17:1-18:7)

The Prophecy of IsaiahLesson 15: “Messages against Syria, Israel, and Cush” (Isaiah 17:1-18:7)
1. A Message against Syria (17:1-3)
17 A prophecy against Damascus:
“See, Damascus will no longer be a city
but will become a heap of ruins.
2 The cities of Aroer will be deserted
and left to flocks, which will lie down,
with no one to make them afraid.
3 The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim,
and royal power from Damascus;
the remnant of Aram will be
like the glory of the Israelites,”
declares the Lord Almighty.
2. A Message against Israel (17:4-11)
A Time of Weakness for Israel (17:4-6)
4 “In that day the glory of Jacob will fade;
the fat of his body will waste away.
5 It will be as when reapers harvest the standing grain,
gathering the grain in their arms—
as when someone gleans heads of grain
in the Valley of Rephaim.
6 Yet some gleanings will remain,
as when an olive tree is beaten,
leaving two or three olives on the topmost branches,
four or five on the fruitful boughs,”
declares the Lord, the God of Israel.
Revival to Come to Israel (17:7-8)
7 In that day people will look to their Maker
and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.
8 They will not look to the altars,
the work of their hands,
and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles 
and the incense altars their fingers have made.
The Desolation to Come (17:9-11)
9 In that day their strong cities, which they left because of the Israelites, will be like places abandoned to thickets and undergrowth. And all will be desolation.
10 You have forgotten God your Savior;
you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress.
Therefore, though you set out the finest plants
and plant imported vines,
11 though on the day you set them out, you make them grow,
and on the morning when you plant them, you bring them to bud,
yet the harvest will be as nothing
in the day of disease and incurable pain.
3. A Message to the Nations (17:12-14)
12 Woe to the many nations that rage—
they rage like the raging sea!
Woe to the peoples who roar—
they roar like the roaring of great waters!
13 Although the peoples roar like the roar of surging waters,
when he rebukes them they flee far away,
driven before the wind like chaff on the hills,
like tumbleweed before a gale.
14 In the evening, sudden terror!
Before the morning, they are gone!
This is the portion of those who loot us,
the lot of those who plunder us.
4. A Message against Cush (18:1-7)
18 Woe to the land of whirring wings
along the rivers of Cush, 
2 which sends envoys by sea
in papyrus boats over the water.
Go, swift messengers,
to a people tall and smooth-skinned,
to a people feared far and wide,
an aggressive nation of strange speech,
whose land is divided by rivers.
3 All you people of the world,
you who live on the earth,
when a banner is raised on the mountains,
you will see it,
and when a trumpet sounds,
you will hear it.
4 This is what the Lord says to me:
“I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place,
like shimmering heat in the sunshine,
like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”
5 For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone
and the flower becomes a ripening grape,
he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives,
and cut down and take away the spreading branches.
6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey
and to the wild animals;
the birds will feed on them all summer,
the wild animals all winter.
7 At that time gifts will be brought to the Lord Almighty
from a people tall and smooth-skinned,
from a people feared far and wide,
an aggressive nation of strange speech,
whose land is divided by rivers—
the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty.

The Prophecy of Isaiah - Lesson 14: “Judgment on Assyria, Philistia, and Moab” (Isaiah 14:24-16:14)

The Prophecy of IsaiahLesson 14: “Judgment on Assyria, Philistia, and Moab” (Isaiah 14:24-16:14)
Outline1• Judgment on Assyria (14:24-27)• Judgment on Philistia (14:28-32)• Judgment on Moab (15:1-16:14)
Judgment on Assyria (14:24-27)
Isaiah 14:24–27 (NIV)
24 The Lord Almighty has sworn,
“Surely, as I have planned, so it will be,
and as I have purposed, so it will happen.
25 I will crush the Assyrian in my land;
on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke will be taken from my people,
and his burden removed from their shoulders.”
26 This is the plan determined for the whole world;
this is the hand stretched out over all nations.
27 For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?
His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?
Judgment on Philistia (14:28-32)
Isaiah 14:28–32 (NIV)
28 This prophecy came in the year King Ahaz died:
29 Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,
that the rod that struck you is broken;
from the root of that snake will spring up a viper,
its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.
30 The poorest of the poor will find pasture,
and the needy will lie down in safety.
But your root I will destroy by famine;
it will slay your survivors.
31 Wail, you gate! Howl, you city!
Melt away, all you Philistines!
A cloud of smoke comes from the north,
and there is not a straggler in its ranks.
32 What answer shall be given
to the envoys of that nation?
“The Lord has established Zion,
and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.”
Judgment on Moab (15:1-16:14)
Lament over Moab’s Condition (15:1-9)
Isaiah 15:1–9 (NIV)
A prophecy against Moab:
Ar in Moab is ruined,
destroyed in a night!
Kir in Moab is ruined,
destroyed in a night!
2 Dibon goes up to its temple,
to its high places to weep;
Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba.
Every head is shaved
and every beard cut off.
3 In the streets they wear sackcloth;
on the roofs and in the public squares
they all wail,
prostrate with weeping.
4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out,
their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz.
Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out,
and their hearts are faint.
5 My heart cries out over Moab;
her fugitives flee as far as Zoar,
as far as Eglath Shelishiyah.
They go up the hill to Luhith,
weeping as they go;
on the road to Horonaim
they lament their destruction.
6 The waters of Nimrim are dried up
and the grass is withered;
the vegetation is gone
and nothing green is left.
7 So the wealth they have acquired and stored up
they carry away over the Ravine of the Poplars.
8 Their outcry echoes along the border of Moab;
their wailing reaches as far as Eglaim,
their lamentation as far as Beer Elim.
9 The waters of Dimon are full of blood,
but I will bring still more upon Dimon—
a lion upon the fugitives of Moab
and upon those who remain in the land.
Moab’s Coming Judgment (16:1-14)
Moab’s Desperate Plea for Help (16:1-5)
Isaiah 16:1–5 (NIV)
Send lambs as tribute
to the ruler of the land,
from Sela, across the desert,
to the mount of Daughter Zion.
2 Like fluttering birds
pushed from the nest,
so are the women of Moab
at the fords of the Arnon.
3 “Make up your mind,” Moab says.
“Render a decision.
Make your shadow like night—
at high noon.
Hide the fugitives,
do not betray the refugees.
4 Let the Moabite fugitives stay with you;
be their shelter from the destroyer.”
The oppressor will come to an end,
and destruction will cease;
the aggressor will vanish from the land.
5 In love a throne will be established;
in faithfulness a man will sit on it—
one from the house of David—
one who in judging seeks justice
and speeds the cause of righteousness.
A Lament for Moab (16:6-14)
Isaiah 16:6–14 (NIV)
6 We have heard of Moab’s pride—
how great is her arrogance!—
of her conceit, her pride and her insolence;
but her boasts are empty.
7 Therefore the Moabites wail,
they wail together for Moab.
Lament and grieve
for the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth.
8 The fields of Heshbon wither,
the vines of Sibmah also.
The rulers of the nations
have trampled down the choicest vines,
which once reached Jazer
and spread toward the desert.
Their shoots spread out
and went as far as the sea. 
9 So I weep, as Jazer weeps,
for the vines of Sibmah.
Heshbon and Elealeh,
I drench you with tears!
The shouts of joy over your ripened fruit
and over your harvests have been stilled.
10 Joy and gladness are taken away from the orchards;
no one sings or shouts in the vineyards;
no one treads out wine at the presses,
for I have put an end to the shouting.
11 My heart laments for Moab like a harp,
my inmost being for Kir Hareseth.
12 When Moab appears at her high place,
she only wears herself out;
when she goes to her shrine to pray,
it is to no avail.
13 This is the word the Lord has already spoken concerning Moab. 14 But now the Lord says: “Within three years, as a servant bound by contract would count them, Moab’s splendor and all her many people will be despised, and her survivors will be very few and feeble.”
 1 The outline for this lesson was adapted from Bryan E. Beyer, Encountering the Book of Isaiah: A Historical and Theological Study, Encountering Biblical Studies (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2007).

“Respecting Personal Property” (Exodus 22:1–15)

“Respecting Personal Property” (Exodus 22:1–15)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday PM, August 26, 2018
Exodus 22:1–15 (NIV)
22  “Whoever steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it must pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.
2 “If a thief is caught breaking in at night and is struck a fatal blow, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed; 3 but if it happens after sunrise, the defender is guilty of bloodshed.
“Anyone who steals must certainly make restitution, but if they have nothing, they must be sold to pay for their theft. 4 If the stolen animal is found alive in their possession—whether ox or donkey or sheep—they must pay back double.
5 “If anyone grazes their livestock in a field or vineyard and lets them stray and they graze in someone else’s field, the offender must make restitution from the best of their own field or vineyard.
6 “If a fire breaks out and spreads into thornbushes so that it burns shocks of grain or standing grain or the whole field, the one who started the fire must make restitution.
7 “If anyone gives a neighbor silver or goods for safekeeping and they are stolen from the neighbor’s house, the thief, if caught, must pay back double. 8 But if the thief is not found, the owner of the house must appear before the judges, and they must determine whether the owner of the house has laid hands on the other person’s property. 9 In all cases of illegal possession of an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any other lost property about which somebody says, ‘This is mine,’ both parties are to bring their cases before the judges.  The one whom the judges declare guilty must pay back double to the other.
10 “If anyone gives a donkey, an ox, a sheep or any other animal to their neighbor for safekeeping and it dies or is injured or is taken away while no one is looking, 11 the issue between them will be settled by the taking of an oath before the Lord that the neighbor did not lay hands on the other person’s property. The owner is to accept this, and no restitution is required. 12 But if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, restitution must be made to the owner. 13 If it was torn to pieces by a wild animal, the neighbor shall bring in the remains as evidence and shall not be required to pay for the torn animal.
14 “If anyone borrows an animal from their neighbor and it is injured or dies while the owner is not present, they must make restitution. 15 But if the owner is with the animal, the borrower will not have to pay. If the animal was hired, the money paid for the hire covers the loss.
1. Punishment for the Theft of Personal Property
5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this must die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity." (2 Sam. 12:5-6 NIV)
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." 9 Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. (Lk. 19:8-9 NIV)
2. Liability for the Destruction of Personal Property
3. Resolving Disputes over Personal Property
Several principles emerge from these laws that may be applied to our walk as Christians:
1. Theft is wrong and is incompatible with walking the Christian life.
Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. (Eph. 4:28 NIV)
2. The Bible advocates the principle of the ownership of personal property.
3. Personal property is to be respected as an expression of love of neighbor.
4. Stolen property was to be fully restored by the thief (plus double or even 4 or 5-fold). Nothing short of full restitution was accepted.
5. Proper care and diligence should be given when entrusted with the property of another. Carelessness or negligence that results in the loss or damage of another’s property means that the borrower is responsible for full restitution.
6. Property is never on par with human life. One may kill a thief if one reasonably feels endangered by the thief, but one may not kill a person for the sake of a stolen sheep. The defense of human life is the highest moral law, and it trumps lower laws.
7. When people live in society together there will be disputes and conflicts. As such, an equitable method for resolving property disputes is essential for society to function.
And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. (Matt. 5:40 NIV)
“If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people? Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church? I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? But instead, one brother takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers! The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters.” (1 Corinthians 6:1–8, NIV)

The Prophecy of Isaiah - Lesson 13: “God and the Nations: Babylon” (Isaiah 13:1-14:23)

The Prophecy of IsaiahLesson 13: “God and the Nations: Babylon” (Isaiah 13:1-14:23)
Structure of Isaiah 1-271
 
 
Outline2⦁ Why the Oracles against Other Nations?⦁ God’s Judgment of Babylon (13:1-14:23)
Why Oracles against other Nations?⦁ Challenges to the Messianic Kingdom
⦁ The challenge of earthly kingdoms⦁ The challenge of other gods
⦁ Challenges to God’s Sovereignty
God’s Judgment of Babylon⦁ Why Begin with Babylon?⦁ Babylon’s Destruction (13:1-22)⦁ The Taunt Song against Babylon’s King (14:1-23)
Why Begin with Babylon?⦁ Assyria would seem to have been the most natural choice of where to begin. They posed the greatest threat at the moment.⦁ Isaiah knew Babylon’s eventual role in history and its threat to Judah. Assyria would invade Judah, but Babylon would succeed.
Babylon’s Destruction (13:1-22)⦁ The Work of Many Nations
⦁ Nations would form a coalition to bring Babylon down.⦁ Those who had suffered under Babylonian rule would have the joy of participating in ending it.
⦁ The Day of the Lord
⦁ Not a twenty-four-hour day but rather a period of time in which God works his purposes in a particularly distinctive way in the heavens and on earth.⦁ The Day of the Lord usually has one or more of these three key elements:
⦁ God’s judgment against unbelievers⦁ The cleansing and purging of God’s people⦁ The salvation of God’s people
Isaiah 13:1–22 (NIV)
13 A prophecy against Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:
2 Raise a banner on a bare hilltop,
shout to them;
beckon to them
to enter the gates of the nobles.
3 I have commanded those I prepared for battle;
I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath—
those who rejoice in my triumph.
4 Listen, a noise on the mountains,
like that of a great multitude!
Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms,
like nations massing together!
The Lord Almighty is mustering
an army for war.
5 They come from faraway lands,
from the ends of the heavens—
the Lord and the weapons of his wrath—
to destroy the whole country.
6 Wail, for the day of the Lord is near;
it will come like destruction from the Almighty. 
7 Because of this, all hands will go limp,
every heart will melt with fear.
8 Terror will seize them,
pain and anguish will grip them;
they will writhe like a woman in labor.
They will look aghast at each other,
their faces aflame.
9 See, the day of the Lord is coming
—a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—
to make the land desolate
and destroy the sinners within it.
10 The stars of heaven and their constellations
will not show their light.
The rising sun will be darkened
and the moon will not give its light.
11 I will punish the world for its evil,
the wicked for their sins.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty
and will humble the pride of the ruthless.
12 I will make people scarcer than pure gold,
more rare than the gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;
and the earth will shake from its place
at the wrath of the Lord Almighty,
in the day of his burning anger.
14 Like a hunted gazelle,
like sheep without a shepherd,
they will all return to their own people,
they will flee to their native land.
15 Whoever is captured will be thrust through;
all who are caught will fall by the sword.
16 Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
their houses will be looted and their wives violated.
17 See, I will stir up against them the Medes,
who do not care for silver
and have no delight in gold.
18 Their bows will strike down the young men;
they will have no mercy on infants,
nor will they look with compassion on children.
19 Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms,
the pride and glory of the Babylonians,
will be overthrown by God
like Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 She will never be inhabited
or lived in through all generations;
there no nomads will pitch their tents,
there no shepherds will rest their flocks.
21 But desert creatures will lie there,
jackals will fill her houses;
there the owls will dwell,
and there the wild goats will leap about.
22 Hyenas will inhabit her strongholds,
jackals her luxurious palaces.
Her time is at hand,
and her days will not be prolonged.
The Taunt Song against Babylon’s King (14:1-23)⦁ Good News for Judah (14:1-2)
Isaiah 14:1–2 (NIV)
The Lord will have compassion on Jacob;
once again he will choose Israel
and will settle them in their own land.
Foreigners will join them
and unite with the descendants of Jacob.
2 Nations will take them
and bring them to their own place.
And Israel will take possession of the nations
and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land.
They will make captives of their captors
and rule over their oppressors.
 ⦁ The Taunt Song (14:3-23)
Isaiah 14:3–23 (NIV)
3 On the day the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labor forced on you, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:
How the oppressor has come to an end!
How his fury has ended!
5 The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked,
the scepter of the rulers,
6 which in anger struck down peoples
with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued nations
with relentless aggression.
7 All the lands are at rest and at peace;
they break into singing.
8 Even the junipers and the cedars of Lebanon
gloat over you and say,
“Now that you have been laid low,
no one comes to cut us down.”
9 The realm of the dead below is all astir
to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you—
all those who were leaders in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones—
all those who were kings over the nations.
10 They will all respond,
they will say to you,
“You also have become weak, as we are;
you have become like us.”
11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,
along with the noise of your harps;
maggots are spread out beneath you
and worms cover you.
12 How you have fallen from heaven,
morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!
13 You said in your heart,
“I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.”
15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead,
to the depths of the pit.
16 Those who see you stare at you,
they ponder your fate:
“Is this the man who shook the earth
and made kingdoms tremble,
17 the man who made the world a wilderness,
who overthrew its cities
and would not let his captives go home?”
18 All the kings of the nations lie in state,
each in his own tomb.
19 But you are cast out of your tomb
like a rejected branch;
you are covered with the slain,
with those pierced by the sword,
those who descend to the stones of the pit.
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
20 you will not join them in burial,
for you have destroyed your land
and killed your people.
Let the offspring of the wicked
never be mentioned again.
21 Prepare a place to slaughter his children
for the sins of their ancestors;
they are not to rise to inherit the land
and cover the earth with their cities.
22 “I will rise up against them,”
declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will wipe out Babylon’s name and survivors,
her offspring and descendants,”
declares the Lord.
23 “I will turn her into a place for owls
and into swampland;
I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,”
declares the Lord Almighty.
⦁ Who is the object of this taunt? Who is the “Morning Star, Son of the Dawn” (vv. 12-14)?
Lessons from these Oracles to the Nations3⦁ God is opposed to the proud.⦁ God judges wickedness.⦁ God is sovereign over the nations.⦁ The LORD is the only true God.⦁ The LORD’s people should trust in him, because only he can deliver them.
                                                                                          
1 Taken from John Goldingay, Theology of Isaiah.2 Outline is from Bryan E. Beyer, Encountering Isaiah.3 Adapted from Raymond C. Ortlund, Jr., Isaiah: God Saves Sinners.

“An Eye for an Eye” (Exodus 21:12–36)

“An Eye for an Eye” (Exodus 21:12–36)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday PM, August 19, 2018
Exodus 21:12–36 (NIV)
12 “Anyone who strikes a person with a fatal blow is to be put to death. 13 However, if it is not done intentionally, but God lets it happen, they are to flee to a place I will designate. 14 But if anyone schemes and kills someone deliberately, that person is to be taken from my altar and put to death.
15 “Anyone who attacks their father or mother is to be put to death.
16 “Anyone who kidnaps someone is to be put to death, whether the victim has been sold or is still in the kidnapper’s possession.
17 “Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.
18 “If people quarrel and one person hits another with a stone or with their fist and the victim does not die but is confined to bed, 19 the one who struck the blow will not be held liable if the other can get up and walk around outside with a staff; however, the guilty party must pay the injured person for any loss of time and see that the victim is completely healed.
20 “Anyone who beats their male or female slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies as a direct result, 21 but they are not to be punished if the slave recovers after a day or two, since the slave is their property.
22 “If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. 23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
26 “An owner who hits a male or female slave in the eye and destroys it must let the slave go free to compensate for the eye. 27 And an owner who knocks out the tooth of a male or female slave must let the slave go free to compensate for the tooth.
28 “If a bull gores a man or woman to death, the bull is to be stoned to death, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be held responsible. 29 If, however, the bull has had the habit of goring and the owner has been warned but has not kept it penned up and it kills a man or woman, the bull is to be stoned and its owner also is to be put to death. 30 However, if payment is demanded, the owner may redeem his life by the payment of whatever is demanded. 31 This law also applies if the bull gores a son or daughter. 32 If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay thirty shekels  of silver to the master of the slave, and the bull is to be stoned to death.
33 “If anyone uncovers a pit or digs one and fails to cover it and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 34 the one who opened the pit must pay the owner for the loss and take the dead animal in exchange.
35 “If anyone’s bull injures someone else’s bull and it dies, the two parties are to sell the live one and divide both the money and the dead animal equally. 36 However, if it was known that the bull had the habit of goring, yet the owner did not keep it penned up, the owner must pay, animal for animal, and take the dead animal in exchange.
1. It is Morally Evil to Directly Harm or Injur Another Person, without Just Cause (21:12–27).
a. Certain Violent Acts Deserve the Death Penalty
i. Murder or Intentional Manslaughter (6th command) (12–14)
ii. Violent Acts or Curses against Parents (5th command/6th command) (15, 17)
iii. Kidnapping/Slave Trading (6th command/8th command) (16)
iv. Excessive Beating of a Slave that Results in Death (6th command) (20–21)
v. Manslaughter of an Unborn Child (6th command) (22–25)
b. Other Violent Acts that Result in Personal Injury May Receive Lesser Penalties.
i. Unintentional or Accidental Manslaughter (13)
ii. Fighting or Brawling that Results in Personal Injury (18–19)
iii. Punishment of a Slave that Results in Personal Injury (26–27)
2. It is Morally Evil to Indirectly Harm or Injur Another Person, Due to Negligence (21:28–36).
a. Willful Negligence that Results in the Death of Another Person is Equivalent to Manslaughter and Is Punishable by Death (28–29).
b. The Life of the One Guilty of Willful Negligent Manslaughter May be Redeemed by a Payment of Money and Damages (30–32).
c. In Cases of Willful Negligence that Result in Injury or Damage to Another Person’s Property, the One Who Suffered Loss Must Be Fully Compensated by the Negligent Party (33–36).
Main Idea: Love for One’s Neighbor Requires Valuing the Life, Personal Health and Welfare, and the Property of our Neighbor.
Principles:a. All human life is precious, from the youngest unborn child and the lowest class slave to the wealthy nobleman and privileged royalty.b. All punishment must be in accordance with the crime. The level of punishment should match the level of the crime. Too low a penalty, and the seriousness of the crime is devalued and victims become downtrodden. Society becomes violent and crime is running rampant, because evil is not punished with sufficient severity. Too harsh a penalty, and the justice system is filled with violent abuse, misused power, and the oppression of the vulnerable.c. We should respect the personal property of our neighbors and provide restitution when our actions (whether negligent or not) cause damage or injury.d. Gross disrespect for the dignity of a parent is so perverse that it warps the soul. Someone who does this will have no respect for any other person’s rights and will be a menace to society.e. God’s people should embrace an ethic of valuing human life and valuing one another’s property that is higher than the ethic of the surrounding culture.f. We must take appropriate care with our animals and property so that they do not endanger the life or wellbeing of another person.

The Prophecy of Isaiah - Lesson 12: “A Glorious Future” (Isaiah 11:1–12:6)

The Prophecy of IsaiahLesson 12: “A Glorious Future” (Isaiah 11:1–12:6)
Outline
A Future to Long for (11:1–16)
A Future to Sing about (12:1–6)
A Future to Long for (11:1–16)
A Future Messiah (11:1–5)
11 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— 3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
A Future Peace (11:6–10)
6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den, the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.
A Future Homecoming (11:11–16)
11 In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean. 12 He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth. 13 Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish, and Judah’s enemies will be destroyed; Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim. 14 They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia to the west; together they will plunder the people to the east. They will subdue Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be subject to them. 15 The Lord will dry up the gulf of the Egyptian sea; with a scorching wind he will sweep his hand over the Euphrates River. He will break it up into seven streams so that anyone can cross over in sandals. 16 There will be a highway for the remnant of his people that is left from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from Egypt.
A Future to Sing about (12:1–6)
A Song of Salvation (12:1–3)
12 In that day you will say: “I will praise you, Lord. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. 2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” 3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
A Song of Mission (12:4–6)
4 In that day you will say: “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. 5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. 6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”
**All Scripture quotations are from the NIV.

“Dignity for the Destitute” (Exodus 21:1–11)

“Dignity for the Destitute” (Exodus 21:1–11)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday PM, August 12, 2018
Exodus 21:1–11 (NIV) “These are the laws you are to set before them:        2 “If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything. 3 If he comes alone, he is to go free alone; but if he has a wife when he comes, she is to go with him. 4 If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free.        5 “But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ 6 then his master must take him before the judges.  He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.        7 “If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as male servants do. 8 If she does not please the master who has selected her for himself, he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has broken faith with her. 9 If he selects her for his son, he must grant her the rights of a daughter. 10 If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights. 11 If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free, without any payment of money.
1. The Dignity of Financial Responsibility (Repayment of a Debt).
2. The Dignity of Freedom
3. The Dignity of Family
4. The Dignity of Fealty
5. The Dignity of Faithful Support (or, Fulfilled Promises).
Main Idea: Even those in the most desperate and destitute of situations are to be afforded dignity. Christian love demands that we treat with respect and dignity all people, even those in the most lowly of ranks and situations.

The Prophecy of Isaiah - Lesson 11: “Destruction and Deliverance” (Isaiah 10:5–34)

The Prophecy of IsaiahLesson 11: “Destruction and Deliverance” (Isaiah 10:5–34)
Introduction
Outline⦁ Destruction for the Enemies of God (Assyria) (10:5–19)⦁ Deliverance for the Elect of God (the Remnant of Israel) (10:20–34)
1. Destruction for the Enemies of God (Assyria) (10:5–19)
Isaiah 10:5–19 (NIV)
5 “Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger,
in whose hand is the club of my wrath!
6 I send him against a godless nation,
I dispatch him against a people who anger me,
to seize loot and snatch plunder,
and to trample them down like mud in the streets.
7 But this is not what he intends,
this is not what he has in mind;
his purpose is to destroy,
to put an end to many nations.
8 ‘Are not my commanders all kings?’ he says.
9 ‘Has not Kalno fared like Carchemish?
Is not Hamath like Arpad,
and Samaria like Damascus?
10 As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols,
kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria—
11 shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images
as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?’ ”
12 When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes. 13 For he says:
“ ‘By the strength of my hand I have done this,
and by my wisdom, because I have understanding.
I removed the boundaries of nations,
I plundered their treasures;
like a mighty one I subdued their kings.
14 As one reaches into a nest,
so my hand reached for the wealth of the nations;
as people gather abandoned eggs,
so I gathered all the countries;
not one flapped a wing,
or opened its mouth to chirp.’ ”
15 Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it,
or the saw boast against the one who uses it?
As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up,
or a club brandish the one who is not wood!
16 Therefore, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
will send a wasting disease upon his sturdy warriors;
under his pomp a fire will be kindled
like a blazing flame.
17 The Light of Israel will become a fire,
their Holy One a flame;
in a single day it will burn and consume
his thorns and his briers.
18 The splendor of his forests and fertile fields
it will completely destroy,
as when a sick person wastes away.
19 And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few
that a child could write them down.
2. Deliverance for the People of God (the Remnant of Israel) (10:20–34)
Isaiah 10:20–34 (NIV)
20 In that day the remnant of Israel,
the survivors of Jacob,
will no longer rely on him
who struck them down
but will truly rely on the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel.
21 A remnant will return,  a remnant of Jacob
will return to the Mighty God.
22 Though your people be like the sand by the sea, Israel,
only a remnant will return.
Destruction has been decreed,
overwhelming and righteous.
23 The Lord, the Lord Almighty, will carry out
the destruction decreed upon the whole land.
24 Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says:
“My people who live in Zion,
do not be afraid of the Assyrians,
who beat you with a rod
and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did.
25 Very soon my anger against you will end
and my wrath will be directed to their destruction.”
26 The Lord Almighty will lash them with a whip,
as when he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb;
and he will raise his staff over the waters,
as he did in Egypt.
27 In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders,
their yoke from your neck;
the yoke will be broken
because you have grown so fat.
28 They enter Aiath;
they pass through Migron;
they store supplies at Mikmash.
29 They go over the pass, and say,
“We will camp overnight at Geba.”
Ramah trembles;
Gibeah of Saul flees.
30 Cry out, Daughter Gallim!
Listen, Laishah!
Poor Anathoth!
31 Madmenah is in flight;
the people of Gebim take cover.
32 This day they will halt at Nob;
they will shake their fist
at the mount of Daughter Zion,
at the hill of Jerusalem.
33 See, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
will lop off the boughs with great power.
The lofty trees will be felled,
the tall ones will be brought low.
34 He will cut down the forest thickets with an ax;
Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One.

“Fear God and Honor His Name” (Exodus 20:18–26)

“Fear God and Honor His Name” (Exodus 20:18–26)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday PM, August 5, 2018
Exodus 20:18–26 (NIV) 18 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” 21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. 22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven: 23 Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold. 24 “‘Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you. 25 If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it. 26 And do not go up to my altar on steps, or your private parts may be exposed.’
1. Don’t be afraid but fear (18–21).
a. In recognition of the Lord’s awesome power and holiness, the people respond with a natural fear and trepidation (18–19).
b. Instead of a natural fear and trepidation at the sights and sounds of God’s presence, the people were to have a genuine and lasting fear of God that fueled reverence and obedience.
2. Don't worship gods but worship the LORD as God (22–28).
a. Worship of the true God is governed by his Word.
b. Worship of the true God is exclusive.
c. Worship of the true God requires single-minded devotion and simplicity.
d. Worship of the true God requires atoning sacrifice.
e. Worship of the true God requires the honor and reverence of his name.
Main Idea: In worship, the Holy Lord is to be reverenced and honored in obedience to his Word in such a way that He and He alone is the focus, not any other gods or any other human achievements.

The Prophecy of Isaiah - Lesson 10: "The Lord's Anger against Israel" (Isaiah 9:8-10:4)

The Prophecy of IsaiahLesson 10: “The Lord’s Anger against Israel” (Isaiah 9:8–10:4)
Introduction
Israel and Judah should have been paying attention to their relation to God and what he expected of them as his covenant partners.
Instead, they were more concerned about the threat from Assyria (which was God’s judgment on their disobedience).
Isaiah 9:8–10:4 is composed of four parallel sections.
Each section ends with the refrain: “Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.” (9:12, 17, 21; 10:4)
This repeated refrain communicates the fact that God’s anger against sin cannot be easily assuaged.His wrath will fall in multiple stages on Israel, because of their disobedience.
Outline
The Lord’s Anger at Human Pride (9:8–12)
The Lord’s Anger at Wicked Leaders (9:13–17)
The Lord’s Anger at Internal Strife (9:18–21)
The Lord’s Anger at Social Injustice (10:1–4)
The Lord’s Anger at Human Pride (9:8–12)
The Lord’s warning to Israel has been clear (8–9a).
The Lord has sent a message against Jacob; it will fall on Israel. All the people will know it–– Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria–– who say with pride and arrogance of heart, (Isa. 9:8–9 NIV)
The Lord is angry with Israel because of their self-dependent pride (9b–10).
All the people will know it–– Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria–– who say with pride and arrogance of heart, "The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars." (Isa. 9:9–10 NIV)
The Lord’s wrath is coming and will not be quickly extinguished (11–12).
But the LORD has strengthened Rezin's foes against them and has spurred their enemies on. Arameans from the east and Philistines from the west have devoured Israel with open mouth. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. (Isa. 9:11–12 NIV)
The Lord’s Anger at Wicked Leaders (9:13–17)
Stubbornly unrepentant, even after the Lord’s judgments (13).
But the people have not returned to him who struck them, nor have they sought the LORD Almighty. (Isa. 9:13 NIV)
The Lord’s anger directed at the leaders and prophets who have failed to guide the people to repentance (14–16).
So the LORD will cut off from Israel both head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day; the elders and dignitaries are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail. Those who guide this people mislead them, and those who are guided are led astray. (Isa. 9:14–16 NIV)
The Lord’s anger will be all-inclusive and unrelenting (17).
Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men, nor will he pity the fatherless and widows, for everyone is ungodly and wicked, every mouth speaks folly. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. (Isa. 9:17 NIV)
The Lord’s Anger at Internal Strife (9:18–21)
Wickedness has devastating and far-reaching consequences (18).
Surely wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns, it sets the forest thickets ablaze, so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke. (Isa. 9:18 NIV)
The tribes of Israel were full of internal strife and division. They selfishly looked out for the good of their own tribe above the good of the nation. Now, that internal strife was magnified by the devastation of war (19–21).
By the wrath of the LORD Almighty the land will be scorched and the people will be fuel for the fire; they will not spare one another. On the right they will devour, but still be hungry; on the left they will eat, but not be satisfied. Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring: Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh; together they will turn against Judah. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. (Isa. 9:19–21 NIV)
The Lord’s Anger at Social Injustice (10:1–4)
The Lord’s holy wrath was particularly directed against those who distorted justice and took advantage of the weak (1–2).
Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, 2 to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. (Isa. 10:1–2 NIV)
There will be no hiding from the Lord’s wrath against wickedness (3–4).
What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches? Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives or fall among the slain. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. (Isa. 10:3–4 NIV)

The Prophecy of Isaiah - Lesson 9: "Darkness to Light" (Isaiah 8:19-9:7)

The Prophecy of IsaiahLesson 9: “Darkness to Light” (Isaiah 8:19–9:7)
1. A Land of Darkness and Gloom (8:19–22)
a. Living in Spiritual Darkness and Confusion (8:19–20)
When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 Consult God's instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. (Isa. 8:19-20 NIV)
b. Living under the Chastening Hand of the Lord in Despair (8:21–22)
Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. 22 Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness. (Isa. 8:21-22 NIV)
2. Darkness Turned to Light (9:1–5)
a. Humility Turned to Honor (9:1)
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan-- (Isa. 9:1 NIV)
b. Darkness Turned to Light (9:2)
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. (Isa. 9:2 NIV)
c. Sorrow Turned to Joy (9:3)
You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. (Isa. 9:3 NIV)
d. Slavery Turned to Freedom (9:4)
For as in the day of Midian's defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. (Isa. 9:4 NIV)
e. War Turned to Peace (9:5)
Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. (Isa. 9:5 NIV)
3. The Light of the Messiah (9:6–7)
a. The Birth of the Messiah (9:6a)
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. (Isa. 9:6a NIV)
b. The Names of the Messiah (9:6b)
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isa. 9:6b NIV)
c. The Reign of the Messiah (9:7)
Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. (Isa. 9:7 NIV)

"Coveting and Idolatry" (Exodus 20:17)

"Coveting and Idolatry" (Exodus 20:17)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday PM, July 22, 2018
Exodus 20:17, NIV"You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
1. The Background and Uniqueness of the Command
2. The Meaning of the Command
3. The Command on Display throughout Scripture
4. The Application of the Command
Main Idea: God's people should be marked by contentment and thanksgiving to God, not greed and coveting, which reveal the idolatry of the heart.

The Prophecy of Isaiah - Lesson 8: "The Coming Assyrian Invasion" (Isaiah 7:17-8:22)

The Prophecy of Isaiah
“The Coming Assyrian Invasion” (Isaiah 7:17-8:22)1
Outline
The Destruction of the Land (7:17-25)
The Birth of Maher-Shalal-Hash- Baz (8:1-4)
The Judgment of the People (8:5-22)
Destruction of the Land
Isaiah 7:17-25
Punishment for trusting in Assyria for protection rather than the Lord.
Assyria will remove the threat of the Syria-Israel alliance, but Assyria will also subjugate Judah.
The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah-- he will bring the king of Assyria." (Isa. 7:17 NIV)
Flies & Bees: No place to hide (7:18-19)
In that day the LORD will whistle for flies from the Nile delta in Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria. They will all come and settle in the steep ravines and in the crevices in the rocks, on all the thornbushes and at all the water holes. (Isa. 7:18-19 NIV)
Shaved & Shamed: No more dignity (7:20)
In that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River-- the king of Assyria-- to shave your head and private parts, and to cut off your beard also. (Isa. 7:20 NIV)
1 Cow & 2 Sheep: No one to inhabit the land (7:21-22)
In that day, a person will keep alive a young cow and two goats. And because of the abundance of the milk they give, there will be curds to eat. All who remain in the land will eat curds and honey. (Isa. 7:21-22 NIV)
Briers & Thorns: No harvest to bring in (7:23-25)
In that day, in every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels, there will be only briers and thorns. Hunters will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers and thorns. As for all the hills once cultivated by the hoe, you will no longer go there for fear of the briers and thorns; they will become places where cattle are turned loose and where sheep run. (Isa. 7:23-25 NIV)
The Birth of Maher-Shalal-Hash- Baz (8:1-4)
The LORD said to me, "Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz." (Isa. 8:1 NIV)
Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz“Swift is the plunder; speedy is the prey.” – Bryan Beyer
“Speeding is booty; hastening is plunder.” – John Mackay
“The spoil of the two kings will quickly be taken.” – Willem VanGemeren
So I called in Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah as reliable witnesses for me. Then I made love to the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the LORD said to me, "Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. For before the boy knows how to say 'My father' or 'My mother,' the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria." (Isa. 8:2-4 NIV)
The Judgment of the People (8:5-22)
Assyrian Invasion (8:5-10)
The LORD spoke to me again: 6 "Because this people has rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah and rejoices over Rezin and the son of Remaliah, therefore the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates-- the king of Assyria with all his pomp. It will overflow all its channels, run over all its banks and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck. Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, Immanuel!" (Isa. 8:5-8 NIV)
Raise the war cry, you nations, and be shattered! Listen, all you distant lands. Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us. (Isa. 8:9-10 NIV)
Waiting for Yahweh (8:11-22) 
Assessing the Options (8:11-15)
This is what the LORD says to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people: "Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread. He will be a holy place; for both Israel and Judah he will be a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken, they will be snared and captured." (Isa. 8:11-15 NIV)
Divinely Given Hope (8:16-18)
Bind up this testimony of warning and seal up God's instruction among my disciples. I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my trust in him. Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion. (Isa. 8:16-18 NIV)
The False Alternative (8:19-22)
When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? Consult God's instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness. (Isa. 8:19-22 NIV)
1 The outline for this lesson was based on Bryan E. Beyer, Encountering the Book of Isaiah and John L. Mackay, A Study Commentary on Isaiah, Volume 1: Chapters 1-39 (Ep Study Commentary).

“Truth and Justice” (Exodus 20:16)

“Truth and Justice” (Exodus 20:16)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday PM, July 15, 2018
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” (Exo 20:16 NIV)
1. Ancient Background of the Command2. Meaning of the Command3. The Command in its OT Context4. The Command in its NT Context5. Applications of the Command

The Prophecy of Isaiah - Lesson 7: "The Sign of Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:1–17)

The Prophecy of IsaiahLesson 7: "The Sign of Immanuel" (7:1–17)
The Historical Setting (7:1–9)1
Time of National Crisis for Judah
Threat of Israel and Syria Alliance
Syro-Ephraimite War, 735-734 BC
Key Figures:Tiglath-Pileser III (Assyria)
Rezin (Syria)
Pekah (Israel)
Ahaz (Judah)
       1When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it.        2Now the house of David was told, “Aram has allied itself with Ephraim”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.        3Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field. 4Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood—because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. 5Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s son have plotted your ruin, saying, 6“Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.” 7Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘It will not take place,      it will not happen, 8for the head of Aram is Damascus,      and the head of Damascus is only Rezin. Within sixty-five years      Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people. 9The head of Ephraim is Samaria,      and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son. If you do not stand firm in your faith,      you will not stand at all.’” (Isaiah 7:1–9, NIV)
The Sign Offered, Refused, and Given (7:10–17)
The Sign Offered and Refused (7:10–13)
10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”     12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.”     13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? (Isaiah 7:10–13, NIV)
The Lord’s Sign: The Birth of Immanuel (7:14–16)
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin  will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.  15 He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 16 for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. (Isaiah 7:14–16, NIV)
The Repurcussions for Judah (7:17)
17 The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria.” (Isaiah 7:17, NIV)
Interpretations of Isaiah 7:14
The Meaning of ‘AlmahView 1: Isaiah’s Words Find Their Fulfillment Only in Jesus
View 2: The Prophecies of Isaiah 7 and 8 Are Linked
View 3: The Woman Is Already Pregnant
Conclusion: Isaiah 7:14 and the New Testament
1 This outline is drawn from Bryan E. Beyer, Encountering the Book of Isaiah.

"Honoring One Another's Property" (Exodus 20:15)

“Honoring One Another’s Property” (Exodus 20:15)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday PM, July 8, 2018
“You shall not steal.” (Exo 20:15, NIV)
The Ancient Background of the Command
The Meaning of the Command
The Application of the Command in the Old Testament
The Application of the Command in the New Testament
The Modern Application of the Command

“The Sanctity of Marriage” (Exodus 20:14)

“The Sanctity of Marriage” (Exodus 20:14)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday PM, July 1, 2018
“Do Not Commit Adultery” (Exod. 20:14)
1. What is the historical and cultural background for this command?
2. What is adultery?
a. Adultery is fundamentally a breach or violation of covenantal obligations. It is a breach of the marriage covenant, particularly by engaging in sexual relations with someone other than your spouse.b. Other forms of inappropriate sexual actions (homosexuality, fornication, bestiality, pornography, self-gratification) would all be considered sexual sins in the OT, but they are not technically adultery. c. Adultery is treated with special significance in the Scriptures, because it involves the severing of a covenantal marriage agreement between two individuals. It is considered a crime against people, the family, society, and against God.d. In the Hebrew Bible, the prohibition against adultery is fundamentally designed to protect the sanctity of the family, which serves as the foundation for all of society.
3. How is this command applied in the Old Testament?
a. Adultery was a capital offense in OT Israel. Lev 20:10; Deut 22:22b. Consensual sex between a betrothed woman and a man that she was not betrothed to was considered adultery and carried the death penalty (Deut 22:23–24).c. Examples of adultery: David/Bathsheba in 2 Sam 11.d. Adultery in wisdom literature: Proverbs carries repeated warnings about engaging in adultery and the lure of the adulterous woman.e. Adultery is used metaphorically to refer to Israel’s unfaithful violation of their covenant with Yahweh. Their worship of false gods is typically referred to as an act of whoredom/adultery. It is a covenant breach where the covenant involved an exclusive, permanent relationship between two parties.
4. How is the command applied in the New Testament?
a. Little change in terms of ethics from OT to NT.b. Adultery include sins of the heart (Matt 5:27–28; cf. Matthew 15:17–20). c. Illegitimate divorce is considered adultery. Also, marrying someone who was illegitimately divorced is also considered adultery (Matt 5:31–32; Matt 19:1–9).d. Adultery is also used metaphorically to represent idolatry/false worship in the NT. (James 4:4)
5. Conclusion
a. Adultery is a violation of life’s most important relationship. b. Adultery is the destruction of a marriage, which results in the destruction of a family, which inevitably will erode the foundation of a society.c. Adultery is a demonstration of a lack of faithfulness to one’s commitments and to the well-being of his or her closest human relationship. Unfaithfulness in the closest of relationships destroys faithfulness and integrity in all relationships.d. It is a sin against God himself and a violation of his holy purity. It should never be named among God’s holy people.

The Prophecy of Isaiah - Lesson 6: "Isaiah's Vision and Call" (Isaiah 6:1-13)

The Prophecy of Isaiah
“Isaiah’s Vision and Call” – Isaiah 6:1-13
Isaiah 6:1–13 (NIV)
6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
9 He said, “Go and tell this people:
“ ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
10 Make the heart of this people calloused;
make their ears dull
and close their eyes. 
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”
11 Then I said, “For how long, Lord?”
And he answered:
“Until the cities lie ruined
and without inhabitant,
until the houses are left deserted
and the fields ruined and ravaged,
12 until the Lord has sent everyone far away
and the land is utterly forsaken.
13 And though a tenth remains in the land,
it will again be laid waste.
But as the terebinth and oak
leave stumps when they are cut down,
so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.”
 
Outline of Isaiah 6
“I Saw the Lord” – Isaiah’s Vision (verses 1-7)
“I Heard the Lord” – Isaiah’s Call and Commission” (verses 8-13)
“I Saw the Lord”
“I Saw the Lord” – Isaiah’s Vision (verses 1-7)Isaiah’s Vision of God (1-4)The Sovereignty of God (1-2)
The Holiness of God (3)
The Worship of God (4)
Isaiah’s Response to the Presence of God (5-7)Conviction of Sin (5)
Cleansing from Sin (6-7)
“I Heard the Lord”
“I Heard the Lord” – Isaiah’s Call and Commission (verses 8–13)The Lord’s Call (8)
Isaiah’s Obedient Response (8)
The People’s Callousness Hardened by the Word (9–10)
The People’s Judgment Confirmed (11-12)
Mercy in Judgment: A Remnant Will Remain (13)