Num 24:16+17, 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, yet having his eyes uncovered. "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; A star shall come forth from Jacob, And a scepter shall rise from Israel, And shall crush through the forehead of Moab, And tear down all the sons of Sheth. 
	In this morning’s reading, we have the continued account of the King of Moab, Balak, trying to get the pagan mantic, Balaam, to curse the Children of Israel. There is desperation in the demeanor of Balak, knowing that his country is not able to withstand the Hebrews militarily. Therefore, he was choosing to battle them with all the spiritual forces that he might array against them, thus using Balaam as the medium to bring a devastating curse upon the Jews. 
	However much Balaam wanted to pronounce that curse, because it would mean great wealth and an even greater reputation upon himself, he was unable to so speak against the Chosen Nation of God. The Lord would not allow that curse to be spoken. Each time Balak encouraged Balaam to pronounce that blight upon Israel and each time Balaam tried, only a blessing came forth from his mouth. Even as Balak moved Balaam around in order to view Israel from different vantage points, and performing the required sacrifices of the animals, there was nothing forthcoming but greater blessings upon the nation of God’s people. The only curse was upon any who would try to curse them, which included Balak and Balaam directly. 
	It is in the account of these blessings given by God as spoken through the mouth of this pagan prophet that we have our morning’s passage. This is such a marvelous example of the fact that God will make known His truth, even through the use of one who is not His own. So often we forget that God is Omnipotent. We think that He is unable or unwilling to use those who do not belong to Him to accomplish the totality of His full plan and purpose. Here we have Balaam, being used by God to declare the Christ Who will come forth from the Children of Israel and be their Savior and their King and their Victory and their Glory.
	The sad reality is, however, that as much as God opened Balaam’s eyes, and used his mouth, Balaam still did not truly see the Lord God Almighty as the only living and true God. He still tried to manipulate and to get around the fact that he could not control this God of the Jews. He never became one of God’s own, but ultimately found himself under the curse of all those who would seek to hinder the plan and purposes of the Lord God Jehovah!
	Despite his pagan philosophy and demonic manipulations, Balaam was still used by God to give a verbal account of the Christ of the Nation of Israel. When Balaam opened his mouth, under the direction and the control of the Holy Spirit, he announced the fact that there would come forth from Israel the One Who would rule as supremely ordained by God. 
	We want to relish this truth as we consider, in both the Old and the New Testament, this prophecy of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Our Savior. We will begin in one of the oldest books of the Old Testament, Job, and see how God showed this righteous man the truth of Whom he was serving. We have this foretold in Job 19:25-27. 
Job 19:25-27, "And as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth. "Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall see God; Whom I myself shall behold, And whom my eyes shall see and not another. My heart faints within me. 
This is one of the greatest declarations for us that is voiced in the assurance that God is the One in charge and that we have nothing to fear, no matter what we undergo on this earth. …And as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth… We are assured of our salvation because it is set in our Savior and not in ourselves. Even as we are at the end of our lives on this earth, we can rest in the peace that God has brought us through and that He is Our Redeemer for this age and for all of eternity.    
	The Prophet Isaiah, in Isaiah 53, fully details how the Christ, the suffering servant will come forth from the heart of God as the Savior of the people of God. It is fully documented how the Christ will be treated by man, and yet will receive the glory of God in His Saving work of humanity. Please open to the 53rd Chapter of Isaiah, so we can read this passage of how Jesus of Nazareth, the Only Begotten Son of God was to become our salvation. He is the Savior seen by Balaam through the vision given by God. 
	Isa 53. Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living, For the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth. But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors. Amen. 
The Prophet Zechariah, in Zech 12:10, as well gives voice to the fact that there will be a Redeemer Who will come forth from the lineage of David. He will suffer through all the torments that this age will foist upon Him and yet, in His acceptance of the worst that this humanity will do to Him, there will be poured out, through this prophesied first born of God, the Spirit of grace and of supplication. 	
Zech 12:10, "And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a first-born. 
	In Rev 1, verses 7+8, we have the culmination of the salvation of mankind through this Savior coming through the Children of Israel. While He was born of the lineage of David, He is the Christ of all those who will call upon Him. Rev 1:7+8, Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." 
	There are a couple of extremely interesting observations that were voiced by Balaam in the prophecy that he was given concerning the Christ to come from the tribes of Israel. The first is the statement "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; A star shall come forth from Jacob… This description of the Savior, the Mighty Warrior, the King Who would conquer and rule all as the star that will come forth from Jacob is carried forward throughout the scripture. It is especially recognizable at the birth of Christ.
    	The three wise men were led to Jesus by the star of Bethlehem as recounted in Matt 2:2-9. The star was the sign that He was born King of the Jews. 
Matt 2:2-9, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him." And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born. And they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet, 'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For out of you shall come forth a Ruler, Who will shepherd My people Israel.'" Then Herod secretly called the magi, and ascertained from them the time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, "Go and make careful search for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, that I too may come and worship Him." And having heard the king, they went their way; and lo, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them, until it came and stood over where the Child was. 
    	Jesus is the bright, morning star of scripture, shining the light of truth into the darkness of our sin and shame. As was foretold in Luke 1:76-79 concerning the prophetic ministry of John the Baptist, he would be the one to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus Who would visit mankind with the Sunrise from on high. 
Luke 1:76-79, "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins, Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high shall visit us, To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace." 
    	The Apostle Peter, in 2 Peter 1:19-21, carried forward the brilliant star-light that Jesus Christ is in the midst of all this world’s blackest depths. He shines the truth into the farthest crevices of man’s darkened souls, and illuminates the effective ministry of the declared Word of God about Himself. 
2 Peter 1:19-21, And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. 
    	Then, in Rev 22:16, we have the very word of Jesus Our Lord reiterating His standing as the foretold Savior, not only of the Jews, but of all those who believe upon Him. Rev 22:16, "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star." 
    	The second fascinating element of Balaam’s prophecy of the Christ is His absolute Sovereignty. …a scepter shall rise from Israel, And shall crush through the forehead of Moab, And tear down all the sons of Sheth. This description of supreme governance is as well held throughout the promises of scripture.
	The Psalmist had very much to say about the fact of the kingship and the eternal sovereignty of the Christ to come, as in Ps 45:6. Ps 45:6, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Thy kingdom. 
    	Then in Ps 110:1-4, there is the declaration of how mighty will be the Sovereignty of the Lord Jesus Christ. Ps 110:1-4, The Lord says to my Lord: "Sit at My right hand, Until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet." The Lord will stretch forth Thy strong scepter from Zion, saying, "Rule in the midst of Thine enemies." Thy people will volunteer freely in the day of Thy power; In holy array, from the womb of the dawn, Thy youth are to Thee as the dew. The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, "Thou art a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek." 
    	The Prophet Isaiah, in Isa 9:6+7, joins the chorus of the eternal scepter of the Christ in that wondrous proclamation of the fact that the Lord will make His kingdom a reality for all of the ages to come. This will solidify the peace of all His people. 
Isa 9:6+7, For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this. 
    	In Luke 1:30-33, the announcement of the angel to Mary, telling of the immaculate conception of Jesus included this very promise of the eternal dominion of the Christ-child. Luke 1:30-33, And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. "And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end." 
    	The Writer to the Hebrews as well joins in this refrain of the Lordship and the Sovereignty of the Only Begotten Son of God in Heb 1:7. Heb 1:7, But of the Son He says, "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever, And the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom. 
    	And finally, in this consideration of the scepter of Christ as was foretold by Balaam, we have the proclamation of the hosts of Heaven as recorded in Rev 11:15. This is the announcement of the rule of Christ over all the kingdoms of the earth. 
Rev 11:15, And the seventh angel sounded; and there arose loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever." 
    	As our concluding passage, Isa 46:9-13, will declare, The Lord God will do all that He has planned and ordained to be done. He used even the pagan Balaam to make known that the Nation of Israel would be the source of the Savior of not just the Jews, but of all those who would be gathered into His eternal kingdom. No one could curse that blessing of God and no one could thwart the surety of God’s saving grace and mercy in His Supreme action.
	Isa 46:9-13, "Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure'; Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it. "Listen to Me, you stubborn-minded, Who are far from righteousness. "I bring near My righteousness, it is not far off; And My salvation will not delay. And I will grant salvation in Zion, And My glory for Israel. So be it!
	"I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; A star shall come forth from Jacob, And a scepter shall rise from Israel, And shall crush through the forehead of Moab, And tear down all the sons of Sheth. Amen. 

												
This morning’s benediction is Hos 12:5+6. Even the Lord, the God of hosts; The Lord is His name. Therefore, return to your God, Observe kindness and justice, And wait for your God continually. Amen.