The Star from Jacob

A Star Shall Come

☐

Balaam looked far into the future and saw a coming King. The Bible shows that this Star points to Jesus, the light of the world.

The promise. “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel” (Numbers 24:17). Balaam knew the King was far in the future. Not now and not near means it would be a long time, but God's promise was sure.

A king's rod. A scepter is a rod a king holds. Long before, Jacob had said, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah” (Genesis 49:10). God was planning a King from Judah. Jesus was born into the family of Judah, from King David's line.

Wise men. “Wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?’” (Matthew 2:1-2). They were looking for a King. They traveled a long way because they wanted to find Him.

His star. “For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him” (Matthew 2:2). Balaam had come from the East too, and long before, he had spoken of a Star from Jacob.

Great joy. “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy” (Matthew 2:10). Finding Jesus brings joy. The wise men had traveled for many miles, and seeing the star again made their hearts glad.

The Morning Star. Jesus said, “I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16). The morning star shines just before sunrise. When you see it, you know that the long night is almost over.

Light in the dark. “The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:2). Isaiah promised light for a dark world. Sin makes the world dark, but Jesus brings light.

The light of the world. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). Following Jesus is like walking with a lamp on a dark path.

The Dayspring. Zacharias praised God for “the Dayspring from on high” who would “give light to those who sit in darkness” (Luke 1:78-79). Dayspring means sunrise. Zacharias was the father of John the Baptist.

In our hearts. Peter wrote about the day when “the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19).

God's word is sure. Peter called God's promises “a light that shines in a dark place” (2 Peter 1:19).

What we learn. Even a man like Balaam could not stop God's plan. God promised a King, and Jesus is that King.

What to do. This week, look at the stars or the morning sky and thank Jesus for being the light of the world.

Numbers 24:17 is one of the most quoted royal promises in the five books of Moses. Balaam's fourth oracle looks beyond his own time to a coming ruler.

Distance (24:17). “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near.” Balaam knew the fulfillment was far ahead. He was seeing a vision from God, not something in front of his eyes.

Star and Scepter. In the ancient Near East a star could symbolize a king or a god. The parallel with “Scepter” makes the royal meaning clear. Hebrew poetry often repeats one idea in two lines, so the second line explains the first.

Genesis 49:10. Jacob's blessing on Judah promised that “the scepter shall not depart from Judah.” Balaam's oracle continues the royal line of hope. Judah is the tribe of David and, later, of Jesus (Matthew 1:1-3).

A first fulfillment. David defeated Moab and Edom (2 Samuel 8:2, 14), so he was a first fulfillment of 24:17-18. Yet David's kingdom did not last forever, so God's people kept looking for a greater King.

Messianic hope. Before Jesus came, many Jews read this verse as a promise of the Messiah. Christians see it fulfilled in Jesus. One verse carried hope across many centuries.

Matthew 2:1-2. Wise men “from the East,” possibly from the region of Balaam's homeland, came following “His star.” Matthew does not quote Numbers, but the star they followed fits Balaam's promise well.

Matthew 2:10. The magi “rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.” Gentiles were among the first to honor the King of the Jews. The scene previews the gospel going to all nations (Matthew 28:19).

Revelation 22:16. Jesus calls Himself “the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” He is both David's source and David's son. Compare Jesus' question about David's Lord in Matthew 22:41-45.

2 Peter 1:19. Peter describes the prophetic word as a lamp “until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”

Isaiah 9:2. The light promised to those in darkness is fulfilled in Galilee, as Matthew 4:16 later notes.

John 8:12. Jesus claims to be “the light of the world” at the Feast of Tabernacles.

Luke 1:78-79. Zacharias's song speaks of “the Dayspring from on high,” using sunrise imagery for the Messiah. The Greek word anatole (say: ah-nah-toh-LAY) means a rising, and was used for the rising of the sun.

Application. Think about where your school, your home and your world need light. Ask Jesus to shine His light through you there this week.

Blessing, Not Curse

☐

King Balak paid Balaam to curse Israel, but every time Balaam opened his mouth, a blessing came out. The Bible shows why: God keeps His word.

An old promise. God told Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you” (Genesis 12:3). Balak was fighting God's promise. Nobody can win a fight against God's promises.

Cannot be undone. Balaam said, “He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it” (Numbers 23:20).

God does not lie. “God is not a man, that He should lie” (Numbers 23:19). People break promises; God never does. That is why we can trust every word in the Bible.

God does not change. “For I am the Lord, I do not change” (Malachi 3:6).

No shadow. God is “the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17). Variation means changing. The sun and moon move and change, but God stays the same.

Moses remembered. “The Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you” (Deuteronomy 23:5). Moses wanted the people never to forget how God protected them.

Joshua remembered. God said, “I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he continued to bless you” (Joshua 24:10).

Nehemiah remembered. “However, our God turned the curse into a blessing” (Nehemiah 13:2).

Jesus took the curse. “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13).

Blessing for everyone. He did it “that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:14). Gentiles means people who are not Jewish. That means God's blessing is for people from every nation, including us.

Every blessing. God “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).

All the promises. “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

What to do. This week, learn one promise of God by heart and thank Him that He always keeps His word.

Numbers 22-24 answers a big question: can God's blessing be undone? The answer comes through a hired diviner, and it is no. All of this happened on the hills above Israel's camp, and Israel did not even know. God was protecting them before they knew they needed it.

Genesis 12:3. God's promise to Abraham stands behind this whole story, and Balaam's third oracle quotes it (Numbers 24:9). God's word to Abraham still guided history hundreds of years later.

Numbers 23:20. “He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.” No person can overturn a blessing God has given. The Hebrew verb behind reverse means to turn back or bring back.

Numbers 23:19. God's word is unlike human words: He neither lies nor changes His mind. This contrast between God and humanity runs through Scripture (compare 1 Samuel 15:29).

Malachi 3:6. God's unchanging nature is the reason Jacob's sons are “not consumed.” His constancy is mercy. Israel survived not because it was faithful, but because God was.

James 1:17. “No variation or shadow of turning.” God is not like the shifting lights of the sky. James uses the language of the sky to describe God's steady goodness.

Hebrews 6:17-18. God confirmed His promise with an oath, “two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie.” Immutable means unchangeable. The writer applies this to believers “who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.”

Titus 1:2. Eternal life was promised by “God, who cannot lie… before time began.”

Deuteronomy 23:5. Moses explains the motive: “because the Lord your God loves you.” God's protection flows from His love. Love, not Israel's merit, is the reason given.

Joshua 24:9-10; Nehemiah 13:2. Later generations remembered Balaam as a lesson in God's faithfulness. Nehemiah even used the story to guide the community's choices after the exile.

Galatians 3:13-14. At the cross Christ absorbs the curse so that the blessing of Abraham reaches the nations.

Ephesians 1:3. Believers already possess “every spiritual blessing” in Christ.

A warning. Balaam heard and spoke God's word but loved money (2 Peter 2:15; Jude 11). Knowing truth is not the same as loving God.

Application. Which promise of God do you most need to trust this week? Write it down, and remember why you can trust it: God cannot lie.

📖

Complete all sections to finish!

Read each section and answer the questions correctly.