Balaam sees Messiah

15 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,16 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:17 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... Israel is doing valiantly.19 And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion and destroy the survivors of cities!

This prophecy is recorded during Moses' time in the wilderness. Verses 17 - 19 are strong: yes, he's talking about King David, but even more so, about Jesus.

The star:
the star of David, a symbol of Israel, and the Star of Bethlehem, which pointed the way to the birth of the Savior.
The star is a symbol of divine prophetic fulfillment.

The scepter:
like a crown it shows authority, but the scepter is pointed at those it leads while a crown points to the One who gives the wearer the authority they wield. The scepter is a symbol of divine strength and judgement.

Israel is doing valiantly:
and
one from Jacob shall exercise dominion and destroy:
At this point Israel is a single nation, undivided. It speaks of the entire nation that has left Egypt and is on its way to the Promised Land. It is traveling a difficult road full of nations that do not want it to be a neighbour and some who want to either destroy it or enslave it. Balaam sees the proud Father, God, looking down on His love, Israel and not only blesses her, but is recording events at that point and in the future where He will bring down her enemies through a descendant, a son.

Her enemies are definitely Moab and the surrounding nations, but even more so, the evil spirits, fallen angels, demons, who desire that the elect, the chosen people of God, be destroyed and their connection to God severed.

--the Kirton Drawn Back -artistic outreach and Y.M.
www.kirtondrawnback.org

Created over 1 year ago