Messianic Message Uttered by a Pagan Prophet

And he took up his discourse and said,

“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,

the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
the oracle of him who hears the words of God,

and knows the knowledge of the Most High,

who sees the vision of the Almighty,

 falling down with his eyes uncovered:
  I see him, but not now;

I behold him, but not near:

 a star shall come out of Jacob,

and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;

it shall crush the forehead  of Moab

and break down all the sons of Sheth.
Edom shall be dispossessed;

 Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed.

Israel is doing valiantly.
 And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion

and destroy the survivors of cities!”

                                                                                             Numbers 24:15-19

 The major theological theme of Numbers is reciprocal in nature: God has brought a people to Himself by covenant grace, but He expects of them a wholehearted devotion. Having accepted the terms of the Sinai Covenant, Israel had placed herself under obligation to obey them, a process that was to begin at once and not in some distant place and time (Exod. 19:8; 24:3). Proof of their loyalty began to be tested at the very beginning of their journey toward Canaan. Denied the food and other familiar benefits they had known in Egypt, the people complained against both the Lord and His servant Moses (for example, Num. 11:1-15; 12:1-8; 14:1-10; 16:1-14, 41-50). In this way they demonstrated their fickleness and faithlessness, but they also provided the occasion for God to display His gracious loyalty to His promises.

Nowhere is the latter more apparent than in the words of salvation uttered by the pagan prophet Balaam. Israel had already failed dismally in the desert and would continue to do so in the ages to come. Despite this, God would raise up from the remnant of the nation a Ruler who would at last bear and even become the message of reconciling grace. Of this one Balaam, overwhelmed by the Spirit of God, cried out in exultation: “a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel” (Num.24:17, ESV). It is a prophecy spoken by the Lord through Balaam. The message of the book is clear: Israel (and all of God’s people) would fail to be faithful to His covenant expectations, but He would remain true. He cannot deny Himself.

Star Out of Jacob and Scepter Out of Israel

The messianic title “a Star shall come out of Jacob and a scepter shall rise out of Israel” (Num. 24:17) was uttered by a shifty, halfhearted pagan prophet. A man named Balaam, who lived around 1450 B.C., had gained a reputation as a seer with supernatural powers. When the great crowd of Israelites whom Moses had freed from Egypt approached the lands of Moab and Midian, Balaam was hired to curse Israel. The people of that time believed that such a curse would sap the power of an enemy and thus make them easier to defeat.

Balak, a king who was hostile to Israel, had hired Balaam to curse the Jewish people. But every time Balaam opened his mouth to curse, blessings on the people came out instead. On one occasion he said, “A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. … A ruler will come out of Jacob and destroy the survivors of the city” (Num. 24:17, 19, NIV). This was a prophecy of Christ’s coming. In the same way the patriarch Jacob spoke of him while he was dying, saying, “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations if his” (Gen 49:10).

Balaam’s last four oracles (Num.24:15–24) really continue the third (Num.24:3–9). Verse 15 is like verses 3 and 4. This concerns the distant future as the latter days indicates. It may mean simply “the future” (Jer. 23:20), but also the “final days” (Isa. 2:2; Dan. 8:19). Primarily these oracles refer to the royal triumphs in the period of the early monarchy, but these victories prefigure the greater conquests of Christ at His first and second advents. A Star can be used metaphorically for a king (Rev. 22:16). That a king is meant is confirmed by a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, a scepter being part of the royal insignia (Gen. 49:10; Ps. 45:6; Amos 1:5, 8).  When a star led the wise men to the infant King (Matt. 2:1-12), Matthew did not explicitly refer to the fulfillment. The implied fulfillment, however, was made explicitly later in the Bible. The word corners in vv. 17 is best understood as “the head” or “skull” (Jer. 48:45 and Samaritan Pentateuch). Instead of “shall smite the corners of Moab”, ESV translated it as “shall crush the forehead of Moab”. The king of Israel would conquer the neighboring countries, Moab, Sheth (most likely Shut), Edom, Seir, Amalek, and the Kenites (vv. 20, 21). The royal figure about whom the pagan seer foretold would emerge as the Conqueror of Israel’s enemies. However, it would not be in Balaam’s day.

Balaam’s final prophecy which in content surpassed all the others for its profound depths and insights. It is an extraordinary word. Not only did Balaam become the mouthpiece of God to declare the divine purpose for the chosen people, but also the vehicle of revelation of His ultimate design in choosing them as His people, namely the preparation and coming forth of a Redeemer. One has only to read these verses, especially 17 and 19, to sense the high dignity and mystery of their message. The Star from Jacob and the Scepter from Israel point forward to Christ Himself, who is the fulfillment of these wonderful words. It is true that these prophecies received at least partial fulfillment in the time of the early monarchy, especially in the reign of David. However, as the later historical books (1 and 2 Sam.) make clear, these subjugations were temporary. Hence the repeated oracles in the preexilic prophets fore telling further doom for them. It is surely implicit in Balaam’s words that the divine kingdom which he foresaw would be realized in David only in its first and imperfect beginnings, and that its completion would not be attained until the coming of “great David’s greater Son,” the Messiah Himself who breaks in pieces all the enemies of Israel, and founds an everlasting kingdom, to which all the kingdoms and powers of this world are to be brought into subjection. One can only marvel that such clear vision should have come so anciently, and through such a man!

Those Who Miss or Find Jesus

With such a clear messianic message, along with dozens of other prophecies in the Old Testament, Jews should not miss the birth of Jesus. Because they had the Old Testament and they “diligently study the Scriptures”(John 5:39, NIV). When I read the Gospels, however, I was impressed with the large number of men who missed Christmas even though there was no real need for them to have missed it. The innkeeper was one. He was too busy. Herod was another. But by far the most interesting of all those who missed the birth of Jesus were the religious leaders, the chief priests and the scribes, who missed it even though they had the Old Testament and knew where Christ should be born. You remember the story. The wise men had come to Jerusalem. Herod inquired of the scribes. The scribes said that the Christ was to be born in Bethlehem. It was on their word that the wise men started out to Bethlehem where they found him. These men had the Scriptures. They knew them well enough to have the right answers. But they did not leave their own homes or the palace to investigate the Savior’s arrival.

What’s wrong with them? They must misuse the Scriptures. They must have no idea what is the purpose of the Scriptures.  We may have to say that the Bible was given by God to point a man to the Savior and that he must come to the Savior if he is to find life. This is necessary, for unless the life of God takes possession of our hearts even the Word of God will be incomprehensible.

On the other hand, the Christmas story also tells of some who did find Christmas. They were not the kings of this world. They were not the religious leaders. They were not the thousands who were entirely engrossed in the countless minutia of materialistic lives. They were just poor folk who were looking to God and to whom God came.

Who were they? Some were shepherds. They were not important in the social structure of the ancient east. Yet they saw the angels. The wise men also found Christmas. They were not even Jews. Yet they saw the star out of Jacob. Finally, there were the poor but saintly folk like Simeon and Anna. These could well have been discounted either because of their means or social position or age. Some would dismiss them. Yet they saw and even held God’s treasure. Why did these people find Jesus when the important of the world, as the world judges importance, so clearly missed him? There are two answers. First, they were honest enough to admit their need of a Savior. Second, they were humble enough to receive him personally when he came.

The Purpose of the Scriptures

What is the purpose of Scriptures? According to Jesus Christ the purpose of the Scriptures is to point to him and reveal him. Because Jesus said, “You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me” (John 5:39 RSV).

Just as I mentioned in the beginning, the message of the Numbers is clear: Israel (and all of God’s people) would fail to be faithful to His covenant expectations, but He would remain true. He cannot deny Himself.

Think, for instance, about the great themes of the Old Testament. One theme is the sin of man and man’s need. But the truth of our sin and need is expounded in the Bible not merely for the sake of expounding a truth but rather because at the same time it is able to point to Christ as the solution to the dilemma.

We get some idea of this aspect of the Bible’s witness by thinking of it as a doctor’s diagnosis. I am an oncologist. Here is a woman who goes to me complaining of some nodule in her breast.  I order some image work, blood test and biopsy, and diagnoses breast cancer. What is the purpose of my diagnosis? Is telling the truth the purpose? Well, yes, in a sense. That is one purpose, but it is not the ultimate purpose. Otherwise, she would remain desperate forever. Therefore, the ultimate purpose is to get the woman with breast cancer to the surgeon followed by a chemotherapy or hormone therapy in combination with acupuncture, so that the threat of death may be averted. In the same way, the Bible diagnoses the spiritual condition of the race so that individual men, women, and children might turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, since he is the only one who can cure their condition and bring healing. This is one way in which Jesus becomes the theme of the Old Testament. That is why we can see the messianic message uttered by a pagan prophet, “A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. … A ruler will come out of Jacob and destroy the survivors of the city” (Num. 24:17, 19).

Dozens of prophecies concern details of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. They occur in the prophetic books—especially Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, and Zechariah—but also elsewhere. Jesus deliberately submitted his life to the outline for it as revealed in such prophecies, and he fulfilled them in careful and specific detail. That he did do this is evidenced by his rebuke to Peter after Peter had tried to prevent his arrest in Gethsemane. Jesus said, “Put your sword back in its place. … Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” (Matt. 26:52–54).

Although in John 5:30-47 Jesus does speak of Moses as having been responsible for part of the Bible (vv. 45–47), he nevertheless begins with the statement that the Scriptures in their entirety are God’s witness to his messianic claims. This is the course of the argument in that chapter. God bears witness to Jesus (vv. 30-32). He does so through the witness of John the Baptist (vv. 33-35).  He does so through Christ’s miracles (v. 36). Above all, however, he does so through the Bible (vv. 37-47). We may sum up Christ’s teaching in that chapter by saying that according to Jesus: 1) the Bible is given by God, 2) the purpose of the Bible is to point to himself, and 3) to use the Bible in any other way is ultimately to misunderstand it and pervert its intention, which happened to those Jews who missed the star out of Jacob. Have you seen this truth?

Misuse of the Scriptures

Jesus said to Jews “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life…...I do not accept praise from men, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?” (John 5:39-44, NIV), we can see that there was at least one point of agreement and two points of disagreement between the Lord Jesus Christ and Jewish leaders of his day concerning the Scriptures. The point on which both Jesus and the Jewish rulers agreed was that the Scriptures had a divine origin. Many would disagree today, of course. But in Christ’s day all recognized that the Scriptures of the Old Testament came from God. The points on which they disagreed were these: first, the purpose of the Scriptures, as I mentioned above, and, second, the use of the Scriptures. Jesus spoke of second error in John 5:39-44.

We must begin by asking the questions: How did the Jews misuse the Scriptures? Can we misuse them in the same way? The first answer, according to these words of Jesus, is obviously that the Jews misused Scripture by treating the words of Scripture as an end in themselves rather than allowing them to do their primary work, which is to point to Jesus. They searched the Scriptures, but they did not come to Christ. We err along the same lines whenever we allow Bible study to become academic and, as a result, do not allow ourselves to be drawn closer to God because of it.

No one could really fault the Jews of Christ’s day for their meticulous study of the Scriptures. This was an acknowledged fact. The Jews did study the Scriptures. The Jews prized the Scriptures. The difficulty did not lie there. The difficulty lay in the fact that in their high regard for the Bible they easily passed over its intention. As a result, although they gained honor from men for their detailed knowledge of the Bible, they did not gain salvation.

The first error that the Jews of Christ’s day made, then, was the error of regarding Scripture as an end in itself. But this was not their only error. There was a second error also—that of becoming so preoccupied with the details of Scripture that they missed the truths contained there.

We may summarize this by saying that the Bible was given by God to point a man to the Savior and that he must come to the Savior if he is to find life. This is necessary, for unless the life of God takes possession of our hearts even the Word of God will be incomprehensible.

Open Book, Open Mind

 We should not think that a prophetic utterance from a pagan seer thousands years ago as irrelevant to us. Because we have same failure in our daily family struggle as Israel had in Moses’ day and we have the same need of a Savior as they did. The history has been under God’s providence and “all Scripture is breathed out by God” (2Tim. 3:16).  We must treat the Old Testament as the inspired Word of God. With God’s providence, even a shifty, halfhearted pagan prophet can become the mouthpiece of God. Therefore, we need to keep the Scripture open, our eyes open and our mind open, the three great openings which Jesus did to two of his disciples (Luke 24:25-32). All three need to be reproduced in the life of every growing Christian. To have Scriptures open in the right way is to open the eyes to Christ. This in turn opens eyes in a new way to the Scriptures. In reporting their encounter with Jesus, the two disciples said, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”(Luke 24:32). I hope today’ sermon would give you such a blessed spiritual heartburn. We must strive to find and enjoy Jesus in the Old Testament. We need to try reading the Bible to find Christ in every page. Find him as the seed of the woman and of Abraham. Discover him prefigured in the life of Joseph. Recognize him as the Passover Lamb. See him as the rock in the wilderness. Learn about him as the cloud who guides his people in the years of their wandering. Perceive him as the Righteous One of Deuteronomy. Carry through the pages of the Old Testament to Malachi where he is portrayed as the Sun of righteousness risen with healing in his wings.  Recognize, of course, him as a star out of Jacob and a scepter out of Israel of Numbers after you listen to this sermon. If this happens for you, the Bible will cease to be a book to be handled only and instead will become a tool to be looked through. It will become a telescope that will bring you close to Jesus.

The Bible calls for this honest confession of sin and this humble commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. You have to admit that you had failed to be faithful to God's covenant expectations just as Israel failed in Moses' day. You can read the Bible as the leaders of Israel did in Christ’s day. You can misuse it out of pride. You can miss the birth of Jesus even you read “a star shall rise from Jacob” (Num. 24:17) as the leaders of Israel in Christ’s day did.  Or you can use it properly, find Jesus in every page of the Bible and come yourself to the Savior.  Will you come in a spirit of humility?