Monday Night, April 14, 1975
Richmond, Virginia
Ministry given through Brother Stephen Kong
We will read a few portions from the Book of Numbers. Will you please turn to Numbers 23?
And he took up his parable, and said,
Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram,
Out of the mountains of the east:
Come, curse me Jacob,
And come, denounce Israel.How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed?
Or how shall I denounce, whom the Lord hath not denounced?For from the top of the rocks I see him,
And from the hills I behold him:
Lo, it is a people that dwell alone,
And shall not be reckoned among the nations.Who can count the dust of Jacob,
Or number the fourth part of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous,
And let my last end be like his!
And he took up his parable, and said,
Rise up, Balak, and hear;
Hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:God is not a man, that He should lie,
Neither the son of man, that He should repent:
Hath He said, and shall He not do it?
Or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?Behold, I have received commandment to bless:
And He hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it.He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob;
Neither hath He seen perverseness in Israel:
The Lord his God is with him,
And the shout of a king is among them.God bringeth them forth out of Egypt;
He hath as it were the strength of the wild-ox.Surely there is no enchantment with Jacob,
Neither is there any divination with Israel:
Now shall it be said of Jacob and of Israel,
What hath God wrought!Behold, the people riseth up as a lioness,
And as a lion doth he lift himself up:
He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey,
And drink the blood of the slain.
And he took up his parable, and said,
Balaam the son of Beor saith,
And the man whose eye was closed saith;
He saith, who heareth the words of God,
Who seeth the vision of the Almighty,
Falling down, and having his eyes open:How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob,
Thy tabernacles, O Israel!
As valleys are they spread forth,
As gardens by the river-side,
As lign-aloes which the Lord hath planted,
As cedar-trees beside the waters.Water shall flow from his buckets,
And his seed shall be in many waters,
And his king shall be higher than Agag,
And his kingdom shall be exalted.God bringeth him forth out of Egypt;
He hath as it were the strength of the wild-ox:
He shall eat up the nations his adversaries,
And shall break their bones in pieces,
And smite them through with his arrows.He couched, he lay down as a lion,
And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up?
Blessed be every one that blesseth thee,
And cursed be every one that curseth thee.
And he took up his parable, and said,
Balaam the son of Beor saith,
And the man whose eye was closed saith;
He saith, who heareth the words of God,
And knoweth the knowledge of the Most High,
Who seeth the vision of the Almighty,
Falling down, and having his eyes open:I see Him, but not now:
I behold Him, but not nigh:
There shall come forth a star out of Jacob,
And a sceptre shall rise out of Israel,
And shall smite through the corners of Moab,
And break down all the sons of tumult.And Edom shall be a possession,
Seir also shall be a possession, who were his enemies;
While Israel doeth valiantly.And out of Jacob shall one have dominion,
And shall destroy the remnant from the city.
Oh, heavenly Father, we do praise and thank Thee for Thy Word. We ask Thy Holy Spirit to quicken Thy Word to our hearts, to open our eyes that we may see what great things Thou hast wrought before us, that we may bow down and worship.
Deliver us out of ourselves into Thyself, that we truly may be one with Thee in all Thy purpose. We ask in Thy precious name. Amen.
Yesterday afternoon, when we fellowshiped together, we saw a very dark picture: the redeemed of the Lord, and yet, still, after having received so much during those days in the wilderness, they were proven to be unfaithful.
God gave them enough opportunities. God proved to them how faithful He was to them, and yet after forty years, they were proven to be unfaithful. A very dark picture: the flesh.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. No matter how much we have seen the Lord, it does not change the flesh.
You know, oftentimes we think that after we have believed in the Lord, after we have known the Lord, in many ways surely we have changed. Surely we are different. Surely we are much better than what we were before. Surely we are a different person now.
But lo and behold, when we are put into test, the flesh has not changed. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. And that flesh has to be exposed time and again until we cry out like Paul:
In me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing.
O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me out of the body of this death?
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
So, dear brothers and sisters, it is very ugly; it is very dark when our flesh is brought forth to the surface. But unless it is brought out to the surface, God has no chance to deal with it, and we will never be delivered out of it.
It can be hidden in us for years and years, but it is the same old thing. So, brothers and sisters, on the one hand, we would not like to see our flesh exposed; but on the other hand, we do thank God that He exposes us.
He will so arrange our environment, like the way He led the children of Israel. He will lead them to a point where there was no food. He will lead them to a point where there was no drink. He will lead them through different circumstances in order to show to them what was really within, that God, by His grace, may get rid of it.
But this evening, we are going to see a most glorious picture. There is nothing more glorious than what we are going to see tonight, and this is regarding the same people.
After forty years in the wilderness, finally God brought them to the land of rest. They could not go into the promised land from the south thirty-eight years ago. They should have entered into the promised land from the southern border, but because of their unbelief, they wandered in the wilderness for thirty-eight years.
But finally, God brought them to the eastern border of the promised land. And while they came to the eastern border, God gave to them two kings of the Amorites. They destroyed two kingdoms that belonged to the Amorites, and they were settled there on the eastern border, ready to enter into the promised land—a new generation ready to enter into the promised land.
But before they entered, there was the last conflict before they crossed the River Jordan. God did not allow them to touch the children of Esau. God did not allow them to touch the descendants of Lot. Therefore, you find the children of Israel went around them. They did not fight with them.
Yet Balak, the king of Moab, was frightened. He saw such a great company of people coming over, and he was afraid that they would come over into his land and even lick up all the dust.
He was so afraid. There was no strength in him. He knew he could not fight against the children of Israel. Therefore, he used a different way. He sent messengers to Balaam the prophet, asking Balaam to come and curse this people, because he knew that if this people were cursed, then he would be able to fight against them.
A very interesting story—most interesting. You know, Balaam is a very interesting character. He was a Midianite. He was not an Israelite; he was a Gentile. And yet he was a prophet.
God not only raised prophets among the children of Israel; God also had His Gentile prophet. How did this man come to know God? Well, we have no notice.
Probably he was a man who sought after power. He was a man seeking for power, and he searched for power. He discovered that the Lord, the God of the Israelites, has the highest and greatest power.
So, in his search for power, he came, in a sense, to give his life to God. In other words, his knowledge of God was limited to God’s power. He had no knowledge of God’s grace. He did not really know God as a Person. He only knew God as the great Power. He was attracted by God’s power.
Now, you know that among the Gentile nations there are people who are always looking for power. And wherever they can find a power greater than the power they know, they will worship that power. Probably in this way Balaam came to know God, and God used him as a prophet. He was a real prophet of God.
Perhaps he knew only God’s power. He did not know God as a Person. He had no knowledge of that.
The Bible mentions several things about him. For instance, in Numbers 31, it was the counsel of Balaam. God did not allow him to curse the children of Israel. After he failed to get the reward, he was still covetous. He still wanted that reward.
So he counseled Balak. He devised a plan, and by that plan Israel was ensnared. Think of it: a prophet counseling against the people of God.
And in the New Testament, you find in 2 Peter the way of Balaam. Balaam had a way. He walked a certain path, and that really was this: he was greedy for reward. He sold his gift for material things.
And in the Book of Jude, you find the error of Balaam. Where did Balaam err? Selling a God-given gift for personal gain.
And again, in Revelation 2, you find the doctrine of Balaam. Balaam developed a doctrine. Out of his counsel, a doctrine—a teaching—was developed. And the teaching was to entice God’s people to worship idols and to commit fornication.
In other words, the doctrine of Balaam is worldliness. So you find Balaam to be a very interesting character. He was a prophet of God, and yet he was such a man, such a character.
Now think of that. God could use even such a person. We would think that certainly a man like Balaam, God would never use such a person. But strangely, God did use him.
And, as a matter of fact, all those who try to study prophecies have to recognize that the prophecies of Balaam are considered among the greatest prophecies in the Bible.
God not only used him a little bit, but God used him to utter prophecies of the centuries—great prophecies. His prophecies cover the whole inquiry of God’s purpose.
We do not see that, do we? Our God is a great God. His ways are higher than our ways; His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.
But that does not mean because God used Balaam, and gave such prophecies to Balaam, that Balaam was a right person before God. In spite of the fact that God used Balaam so much, Balaam was not a right person. Finally, we remember, Balaam was killed.
Well, for the time being, probably we have to concentrate more on his prophecies. First of all, of course, when Balak sent messengers to Balaam and said, “You come. Here comes a people, such a crowd. They will lick up the dust of the land. You come and curse them, that we may fight them, and I will reward you.”
So Balaam said, “All right, you stay here. I will have to consult the Lord, and whatever God says, I will do.” So the messengers stayed with him through the night.
And in the night God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these people?” And Balaam said, “They were sent by Balak, and they want me to go and curse them.” God said, “You cannot go, because this is the people blessed by Me. You cannot go.”
So the next morning Balaam said to these messengers, “I am sorry, I cannot go. God did not allow me to go.” And, of course, the way he talked probably gave the messengers some kind of impression that he wished to go.
So they went back and told Balak that Balaam did not come. The impression was probably that the reward was not great enough. So Balak sent more noble messengers with greater reward, and they came to Balaam and said, “Do not hesitate. I can give you everything you want. You would just come and curse these people.”
Even though Balaam said, “If you fill my house with silver and gold, if God does not want me to go, I cannot go,” yet he said, “All right, you stay, and let me ask God further.” In other words, he was hoping that God would change His mind.
God had told him clearly, “Do not go. This is the people blessed by Me.” Is that not clear? And yet Balaam, you know, was still hoping that God might change His mind and that he could still get his reward. A greedy prophet.
And because of that, God said, “You go.” As we have mentioned time and again, you find in the Scriptures that God is very flexible. God is not as rigid as sometimes we are. God does not insist. If we insist, He will give us what we insist upon.
And because Balaam, in a sense, really wanted to go—in a sense, he insisted that God should change His mind and let him go—God gave it to him and let him go. But He said, “Be careful. You can only say what I put in your mouth.”
He was very happy. He could go. So he got on his ass, you know, and he began to travel to the land of Moab. On the way, the angel of the Lord stood in the way with a drawn sword to kill this prophet. And he was so blind, he did not see.
But the ass—the animal—had more sense than the prophet. The ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with a drawn sword, so the ass ran off the road to the field to escape the sword.
And Balaam was angry. He beat the ass, beat the ass, to get back to the road. Godly treatment. The angel of the Lord stood in a narrow place of the road, with walls on two sides. There was no way of escape.
And when the ass came to that point and saw the angel of the Lord, what did the ass do? The ass leaned against the wall and, of course, hurt the leg of the prophet. So Balaam was very angry. Oh, he smote the ass. “Why did you do such a thing to me, you foolish ass?”
And God again repeated. Again the angel stood in the way where there was absolutely no escape. And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, the ass lay down. Balaam was so angry. Balaam said, “Why do you do such a thing to me? I am on my way to great reward, and now you are giving me trouble. If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you.”
God opened the mouth of the ass to Balaam. See the prophet! What a deposition, what a situation! The ass said, “Am I not your ass? Have you not ridden upon me for so many years since I belonged to you?”
Balaam said, “Yes.” The ass said, “Did I ever act like this?” “No, you have never acted like this.”
And suddenly his eyes were opened. He saw the angel of the Lord standing before him with a sword. Immediately he bowed down and said, “I have sinned. If You do not want me to go, then I will go back.”
He knew that he could not resist the power of God. He worshiped power. He could not resist the power of God. So he said, “If You want me to go back, all right, I will go back. If You do not like me to go on, I will go back.”
But God said, “You go. But be careful that you say everything that I put in your mouth—nothing more.” Why? Because God wanted to use this vessel, this poor vessel, to utter some of the greatest prophecies in the Bible.
So Balaam went. He arrived. And Balak said, “Why did you delay your coming? Do you not know that I can reward you richly?” And Balaam had to say, “I can only say what God says to me, and nothing more.”
First of all, you find that Balaam delivered four prophecies, and each prophecy is a parable. These prophecies are progressive, one after another.
Why do we say these prophecies are the prophecies of the centuries? Because these prophecies touch upon the eternal purpose of God concerning His people.
These prophecies show us God’s people in God’s thought and purpose, not God’s people in their present condition. For we have already seen the current condition of God’s people. What a dark picture! How weak, how stubborn, how stiff-necked the people were! So far as their condition was concerned, their condition was poor—bad.
But here you find in these prophecies, it is not the people’s condition; it is God’s purpose concerning them. It is not a people under law. The people under law broke the law time and again; every bit of the law they broke. But it is a people under grace. That is to say, what God has wrought for them and given them.
It is not Israel as a broken vessel. It is Israel in the hand of God as a mighty instrument in His hand. It is not Israel under chastisement; it is Israel in God’s purpose.
So, brothers and sisters, here you find an entirely different picture. Oh, how we praise and thank God!
When we look at ourselves, what do we see? In the light of God, what do we see of ourselves? We will be so discouraged, we will be so disappointed, we will throw up our hands and say, “Is there any hope? Will there be any hope for a bunch of people like we are? We can never arrive. We will never be able to.”
But, dear brothers and sisters, it does not depend upon us. It depends upon God.
On the one hand, we must be shown what we are. We need that knowledge. However humbling, however humiliating it may be, we need to know. But, on the other hand, God will lift us out of ourselves to look up into Him, and to see His glorious purpose, to see His mighty hand, and to see that He cannot fail.
Oh, brothers and sisters, we shall also see this. If we only see our condition, we are discouraged. But if we also see God’s purpose, that gives us hope. We know what God has purposed, and we need that before God’s enemy. God just displays such a glorious picture of us. And that is what we are. Thank God for that.
Now we go into the four prophecies. The first one is in Numbers 22:41:
And it came to pass in the morning, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, and he saw from thence the utmost part of the people.
Balak took Balaam to the high places of Baal. Why? Because from that viewpoint he could only see the extremity of the camp. Now, that is strategy, because the extremity of the camp always manifests weakness.
We remember that when they started their journey through the wilderness, it was from the extremity of the camp that the murmuring came. If we follow the Lord very closely, we will see the Lord; and if you see the Lord, how can you murmur? You can only praise.
But if you linger away behind, you lose sight of the Lord, and you begin to realize your own environment and circumstance. How can you help but murmur? So you find murmuring always comes from the extremity of the camp.
If we follow afar, something will happen. Peter followed afar off. Now remember, Peter was much better than the other disciples. The others of the apostles just disappeared. And Peter disappeared for a while, but he continued. He came to follow afar off when the Lord was brought to the high priest.
When the Lord was inside being judged, Peter was in the outer court, warming himself over the fire with the servants of the high priest. As you know, what happened? Witness the weakness.
The extremity of the camp is, naturally speaking, where weakness lies. So you find Balak, being a king, knew strategy. He brought Balaam to the high place of Baal where he could see the extremity of the camp. That is to say, he hoped there might be some weakness there, some weak point that he could curse.
But what happened? Balak was looking for weakness. God said:
Lo, it is a people that shall dwell alone,
And shall not be reckoned among the nations.
Who can count the dust of Jacob,
Or number the fourth part of Israel?
Balaam was asked to curse Jacob, to curse Israel. But how shall I curse whom God hath not cursed? How shall I denounce whom the Lord hath not denounced? For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him. Lo, it is a people that dwell alone.
In other words, what he saw was a people of God. Out of the nations, God called a people unto Himself. And this people are separated from all the nations. They are not reckoned among the nations. And they dwell alone. Thank God.
Is it not true with us today? What is the church? The true Israel of God—the called-out people of God.
So far as we are concerned, we are no better than anybody else. And yet, out of every nation, every tribe, every tongue, and every people, God has called unto Himself a people. Called of God.
How does He call us? Why does He call us? Is it because we have some kind of virtue, some kind of good in us, that God sees and therefore calls us? No. It is according to the good pleasure of His will.
We are called not because of us. We are called because it just pleases Him. Even before the foundation of the world, He has chosen us in Christ.
Is that not wonderful? When the enemy tries to accuse us, God says, “This is a people called. I have chosen them.” We are chosen even before the foundation of the world.
What is the hope of our calling? He has called us out, and He has called us in—to what? What a blessed hope! It is an all-high calling. Whom He foreknew, He predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son. That is our calling.
He has called us that we may be conformed to the image of His Son. He has called us to sonship. He has called us that we may be holy and without blemish before Him in love. That is what we are called to, and it is all according to the good pleasure of His will—nothing to do with you, nothing to do with me.
Dear brothers and sisters, if things depend on us, there is no security. But thank God, this is the security of the saints: the calling of God. God has called us, and if He has called us, there is no repentance.
For the gifts and the calling of God are without repentance.
Lo, it is a people. They shall dwell alone and shall not be reckoned among the nations. What is the church? The church is the called-out ones gathered together. And because of that, it is separated.
You remember in John 17, the Lord said, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” We are called. We are separate. We are in the world, but we are not of the world.
And if we are separated, we are all blessed. So you find these three things run one into another: called, separated, and blessed. We are called; we are separated. How can we compromise? How can we conform to the world? How can we love the world? Why? Because He has separated us from the nations. We are a people belonging to Him. We are a people blessed by Him.
So this is the first prophecy: calling. That is the beginning.
And then when Balak saw that Balaam did not curse them but blessed them instead, of course he was very upset. So he said, “All right, I will give you another chance.” He took him to another place, to the top of Pisgah, hoping that there would be some weakness.
And you know what happened:
God is not a man, that He should lie;
Neither the son of man, that He should repent:
Hath He said, and shall He not do it?
Or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?Behold, I have received commandment to bless:
And He hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it.He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob;
Neither hath He seen perverseness in Israel.
Whom He has called, He has justified. The calling of God knows no repentance. God has chosen us, and after God has chosen us, He is the One who justifies us.
Look at Israel. So far as the condition of Israel was concerned, they were full of iniquities. Rebellion is as the sin of divination, and self-will is as iniquity and idolatry. And how self-willed they were!
Surely it did not take long to find out the iniquity of the people. It was obvious everywhere. And yet God could honestly say to the enemy, “He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob; neither hath He seen perverseness in Israel.” How can you reconcile it?
Not because God’s eyes were closed, trying not to see. The eyes of God are like a flame of fire. God’s eyes see through and through. And if we can see some iniquity, certainly God sees it all.
And yet He said, “He hath not beheld iniquity. He hath not seen any perverseness. There is nothing wrong with Israel.” Why? Everything is under the blood—under the blood.
Oh, brothers and sisters, how are we justified? Thank God, in spite of all our wrongs, all our iniquities, the precious blood of the Lamb washes all away, so that today God can look upon us, even before His enemy, and say, “I do not see any iniquity. I do not see any wrong.” Honestly, nothing. Everything is under the blood, just as if we had never sinned.
The Lord his God is with him,
And the shout of a king is among them.
Because God does not behold any iniquity, therefore He can dwell among them. How can a holy God dwell among an unholy people? The blood—the blood.
Brothers and sisters, we need to know the meaning of justification. Sometimes, you know, we do not fully understand. We know that He has forgiven us, but somehow a sense of guilt lingers with us. But the Lord says, “I do not see it anymore.”
And because He does not see it anymore, therefore He can dwell among us. The King is among them. The Lord is the King in His church.
Now shall it be said of Jacob and of Israel,
What hath God wrought!
It is not something that man is able to do, but it is something that God has wrought—the great thing He has done for us. So here you find, in the second prophecy, Balaam goes on from calling to justification.
Then, of course, Balak was very much disturbed. But he said, “All right, try it again.” So again, in Numbers 24, he took Balaam to the desert.
You know, the children of Israel encamped on the eastern border of the promised land. And, of course, some of the tents touched the desert. So Balaam was taken to the desert. He could see the desert. In other words, if he could not find anything in them, probably he could find something around them. Environment has much to do, you know.
So he took him there and tried to curse. But you know what happened. As he looked over the camp of the children of Israel in the desert, he said:
How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob,
Thy tabernacles, O Israel!
As valleys are they spread forth,
As gardens by the river-side,
As lign-aloes which the Lord hath planted,
As cedar-trees beside the waters.
Instead of the desert influencing the camp, the camp influenced the desert. “How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel!”
Now, we must remember that when the children of Israel encamped, in the center of the camp was the tent of God—the tabernacle. And they encamped around the tabernacle on the four sides.
And because they encamped around the tabernacle, when Balaam looked at the camp, he saw the whole camp. All the tents were as goodly as the tabernacle. All the tabernacles were as beautiful as the tabernacle of God.
We know that the tabernacle of God is the most beautiful thing. Even though the covers were made of goats’ hair, rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins—rough and ugly—yet you find the tabernacle itself was exquisite.
Because the curtains were made with fine linen, with blue, with purple, with scarlet, with gold, with the embroidered cherubim. In other words, the beauty of the Lord.
Now the beauty of the Lord has become the beauty of the Lord’s people. That is sanctification. Whom He has justified, He has sanctified.
Now, brothers and sisters, what is sanctification? Sanctification is a word that probably does not give us too much meaning, because the word means “set aside.” Sanctify means set aside for God.
But when we are set aside for God, a transformation happens. In other words, we are being transformed and conformed to His image. So you find the beauty of the sanctuary of God has now become the beauty of all the tents of the children of Israel. They are sanctified.
As the Lord is, so are we. As we behold Him with unveiled face, we are transformed from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.
So here you find it is not only justification, but it is sanctification. “How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel!” Because this is the tabernacle of God.
That is what the church is. The church is set apart for God. The church is to exhibit all the beauties of Christ, because it is Christ. It is the corporate expression of Christ.
And how goodly are the brethren who dwell together in unity! How pleasant and how good.
“Like valleys”—valleys speak of humility. It is a people characterized by humility. “Like gardens by the riverside”—a garden always speaks of pleasure, the pleasure of the Lord.
“Like lign-aloes which the Lord hath planted”—lign-aloes speak of fragrance, the fragrance of Christ. “Like cedars beside the waters”—cedars always speak of stature. We are to come into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
“Water shall flow out of his buckets.” Of course, water speaks of the Spirit of God. “His seed shall be in many waters” speaks of spiritual increase. “His king shall be higher than Agag”—victory.
Brothers and sisters, all these descriptions are the descriptions of a sanctified people: the fragrance of Christ, the beauty of Christ, the strength of Christ. Everything that is of Christ is now being reproduced and expressed in the corporate Body.
And because the church is such:
Blessed be every one that blesseth thee,
And cursed be every one that curseth thee.
The church is to be a blessing to the world, but it can also be a curse. In other words, it can also bring judgment. Just like Paul says, we carry with us the fragrance of Christ; and to those who are dead, it is a savor from death unto death; to those who are unto life, it is life unto life.
You know, Balak was completely frustrated. He was so angry. He said, “You go home. Your God does not allow you to get a reward.”
But before Balaam returned, he gave another prophecy, and that is the greatest of all his prophecies. It begins with Numbers 24:17:
I see Him, but not now:
I behold Him, but not nigh:
There shall come forth a star out of Jacob,
And a sceptre shall rise out of Israel,
And shall smite through the corners of Moab,
And break down all the sons of tumult.
What is that? That is glorification.
Whom He foreknew, He predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son. Whom He foreknew, He called; whom He called, He justified; whom He justified, He glorified. So here you find glorification—not only sanctification, but glorification.
And this is a prophecy not only concerning the present, but concerning the future. “I shall see Him, but not now. I shall behold Him, but not nigh.” Now, who is that?
He was looking forward to the coming of Christ. As he saw these people, he saw beyond the people to the end of days.
And the end of days, of course, always speaks of the days of the Messiah. He could see the Messiah coming.
“There shall come forth a star out of Jacob.” Now, of course, when Christ came, there was a star. The wise men in the east saw His star, so they traveled from the east to Jerusalem and said, “Where is He that is born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east.”
Only the star—no sceptre. At the first coming of Christ, you see the star, but no sceptre. Why? He came to enlighten the world, but He did not come yet to rule.
But the prophecy of Balaam is a star and a sceptre—not only a star, but a star and a sceptre. Now, what is the sceptre? The royal sceptre signifies the symbol of authority, of rule, of dominion.
So we know today that the Messiah will come again—the second coming of Christ. But, of course, the Old Testament prophets did not have this knowledge. To the Old Testament prophets, they did not see the two comings of Christ. All they could see was the coming of the Messiah.
They mixed His first and His second coming. Why? Because in between these two comings there is a mystery that has been hidden through the ages and is only revealed by the Spirit to the apostles and prophets. It is the mystery of the church. They did not have this knowledge.
So when Balaam was prophesying, he said, “I saw a star coming out of Jacob, and a sceptre arising out of Israel.”
And, of course, if we want to know the sceptre, we go to Psalm 2 and see the sceptre there.
I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said unto me, Thou art My Son;
This day have I begotten Thee.Ask of Me, and I will give Thee the nations for Thine inheritance,
And the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession.Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron;
Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
One day our Lord Jesus will come back, and He shall rule the earth with a sceptre of iron. He shall establish His kingdom on this earth.
And, of course, if you turn to Revelation 19, you find the same description.
And out of His mouth proceedeth a sharp sword,
That with it He should smite the nations:
And He shall rule them with a rod of iron.
So, dear brothers and sisters, here you find in this prophecy Balaam, as it were, was dropped forward through the centuries.
How many centuries to today? Thirty-four centuries—about 3,400 years. This age is going on, not only to see a star out of Jacob, but a sceptre out of Israel. And when that should happen, He will smite through the corners of Moab.
Now Moab, in the Scripture, represents the pride of man—the pride of the flesh.
Why? Because if you read Isaiah 16:6:
We have heard of the pride of Moab, that he is very proud;
Even of his arrogancy, and his pride, and his wrath;
His boastings are nought.
Moab is known for her arrogance. And in Jeremiah 48, you find the same thing.
Moab hath been at ease from his youth,
And he hath settled on his lees,
And hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel,
Neither hath he gone into captivity:
Therefore his taste remaineth in him,
And his scent is not changed.
Moab has such an easy life. He has never changed. That is the flesh. The flesh never changes, never changes. Its original flavor is always there.
The pride, the arrogance of Moab—when the Lord shall come, He will break in pieces the corners of Moab and destroy the sons of tumult. And, of course, there are other nations involved, and all these nations represent an aspect of man.
Because when Christ shall come, He shall establish His kingdom. And these four are the prophecies of Balaam.
So far as the children of Israel are concerned, we can say it is progressive. Calling speaks of their coming out of Egypt. Justification speaks of their time crossing the Red Sea. And the sanctification process goes on through the wilderness. Finally, glorification is entry into the promised land.
But so far as we are concerned, brothers and sisters, in spite of us, God has brought us in Christ Jesus. That is what we are in His eternal purpose. That is what we are as His workmanship. That is what we are in eternity. And what a glorious sight!
So we do need to worship and thank the Lord. Whenever, brothers and sisters, you are discouraged, remember the prophecies of Balaam.
Our heavenly Father, how our hearts do rejoice before Thee that, after all, it does not depend upon us; it depends upon Thyself.
Oh, how we praise and thank Thee for Thy eternal purpose that Thou hast purposed for us in Christ Jesus. How we praise and thank Thee that Thou hast wrought great things for us. How we praise and thank Thee that Thou dost never change.
Thou who hast said, Thou wilt surely perform it. Oh, may we be to the praise of Thy glory.
Our heavenly Father, do remind us whenever we are low, whenever we are depressed, whenever we find there is no hope in ourselves. Lord, we pray that Thy Spirit would raise our hearts to look up to Thee, that we may praise Thy name, because Thou art God, greatly to be praised.
We ask in Thy precious name. Amen.
So, dear brothers and sisters, here you find in this prophecy Balaam, as it were, was dropped forward through the centuries. From that century to today, thirty-four centuries—about 3,400 years.
This age is going on, not only to see a star out of Jacob, but a sceptre out of Israel. And when that should happen, He will smite through the corners of Moab.
Now Moab, in the Scripture, represents the pride of man—the pride of the flesh.
Why? Because if you read Isaiah 16:6:
We have heard of the pride of Moab, that he is very proud;
Even of his arrogancy, and his pride, and his wrath;
His boastings are nought.
Moab is known for her arrogance. And in Jeremiah 48, you find the same thing.
Moab hath been at ease from his youth,
And hath settled on his lees,
And hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel,
Neither hath he gone into captivity:
Therefore his taste remaineth in him,
And his scent is not changed.
Moab has such an easy life. He has never changed. That is the flesh. The flesh never changes. Its original flavor is always there.
The pride, the arrogance of Moab—when the Lord shall come, He will break in pieces the corners of Moab and destroy the sons of tumult. And, of course, there are other nations involved, and all these nations represent an aspect of man.
Because when Christ shall come, He shall establish His kingdom. And these four are the prophecies of Balaam.
So far as the children of Israel are concerned, we can say it is progressive. Calling speaks of their coming out of Egypt. Justification speaks of their time crossing the Red Sea. And the sanctification process goes on through the wilderness. Finally, glorification is entry into the promised land.
But so far as we are concerned, brothers and sisters, in spite of us, God has brought us in Christ Jesus. That is what we are in His eternal purpose. That is what we are as His workmanship. That is what we are because of it. And what a glorious sight!
So we do need to worship and thank the Lord. Whenever, brothers and sisters, you are discouraged, remember the prophecies of Balaam.
Our heavenly Father, how our hearts do rejoice before Thee that, after all, it does not depend upon us; it depends upon Thyself.
Oh, how we praise and thank Thee for Thy eternal purpose that Thou hast purposed for us in Christ Jesus. How we praise and thank Thee that Thou hast wrought great things for us. How we praise and thank Thee that Thou dost never change.
Thou who hast said, Thou wilt surely perform it. Oh, may we be to the praise of Thy glory.
Oh, heavenly Father, do remind us whenever we are low, whenever we are depressed, whenever we find there is no hope in ourselves. Lord, we pray that Thy Spirit would raise our hearts to look up to Thee, that we may praise Thy name, because Thou art God, greatly to be praised.
We ask in Thy precious name. Amen.