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Balaam’s prophecy about Israel’s strength and future.
In the previous chapters, we recall that God had given Balam a very strong command not to follow along with the emissaries from Balak the King of Moab to curse the people of Israel. Of course, Baalam sent them away telling them it was God’s fault he couldn’t go with them. So they returned and again asked him to come and this time God told Baalam to go with them but God was very angry and irritated with Baalam at this point.
We know what God said to Baalam and of course, Balam was doing the opposite so God threatened him three times, scaring him half to death and threatening to kill him if he doesn’t conduct himself properly.
When Baalam gave his first oracle, he said what God told him to say but he did not yet have his eyes fully opened nor did he fully hear God’s words yet either.
When Baalam gave the second oracle, he simply repeats word for word what God tells him to say.
Now, in Numbers 24, Balam gives the third oracle, prefacing it saying,
“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, And the oracle of the man whose eye is opened; The oracle of him who hears the words of God, Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered,”
(Numbers 24:3-4 NAS95)
Prophetic visions of a future king and the destruction of Islam.
Baalam tells us that his eyes were closed before. Now God opened up his eyes and now he sees something; a vision different than just hearing the words. What did God actually let Baalam see? What did God allow him to hear?
“How fair are your tents, O Jacob, Your dwellings, O Israel!”
(Numbers 24:5 NAS95)
There’s a distinct difference between the name of Jacob and the name of Israel. When they wandered in the wilderness, they lived in tents, but when they entered the Promise land, they lived in dwellings.
““Like valleys that stretch out, Like gardens beside the river, Like aloes planted by the LORD, Like cedars beside the waters.”
(Numbers 24:6 NAS95)
The “valleys that stretch out” symbolize a rich diversity and abundance of produce. Baalam foresaw that Israel’s valleys would be brimming with crops. For those of us in California, the San Joaquin Valley epitomizes agricultural prosperity and fertility, capable of supporting a wide range of crops and feeding an entire nation.
““Water will flow from his buckets, And his seed will be by many waters,…”
(Numbers 24:7 NAS95)
He also saw that this valley will have constant access to water and there’s a seed that will flow through many waters.
“And his king shall be higher than Agag, And his kingdom shall be exalted.”
(Numbers 24:7 NAS95)
God is showing Baalam the deep, distant future. Baalam sees a critical point in Israel’s history. God gave Baalam a vision of a distant time when God rejected Saul as King of Israel and a new king was going to take Saul’s place, which was King David. God was replacing Saul with David because Saul did not obey God and did not respond to Him.
““God brings him out of Egypt, He is for him like the horns of the wild ox. He will devour the nations who are his adversaries, And will crush their bones in pieces, And shatter them with his arrows.”
(Numbers 24:8 NAS95)
Who is this king that God brings out of Egypt? The Messiah. He is the King who is greater than Agag. Agag’s people, the Amalekites, were the first people to go to war against the Israelites after they went through the Red Sea.
They were not the first in strength, might or power. They were simply the first nation who were arrogant enough to go to war against God’s anointed people. That story is recorded in the book of Exodus.
After Balak, the King of Moab rebukes Baalam for refusing to curse the people of Israel, Baalam gives the King of Moab a final oracle for free, so to speak, using similar terminology to the previous one. It is written that,
“He took up his discourse and said, “The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, And 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, yet having his eyes uncovered.” (Numbers 24:15-16 NAS95)
(Numbers 24:15-16 NAS95)
Baalam is saying that he is finally submitting himself 100% to the Almighty. At the end, it did cost Baalam his life, although that exact incident is not recorded here in Numbers, it’s recorded in Joshua 13 how Baalam met his demise.
Biblical prophecy and star signs related to Jesus’ return.
““I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; A star shall come forth from Jacob, A scepter shall rise from Israel, And shall crush through the forehead of Moab, And tear down all the sons of Sheth.”
(Numbers 24:17 NAS95)
Baalam is still talking about this king that he mentioned in Numbers 24:8. He is saying that this king that he sees in his vision is not born yet. He is not in the world yet. Baalam is saying that he received this knowledge from the Most High.
When Baalam says that he saw a star coming from Jacob, I didn’t learn until very recently that the stars actually move. From earth, they look like they are completely still but they are actually in motion and they are also finite. They are not eternal. When you look at a constellation long enough in time you may see a star appearing in the constellation and then maybe 20-50 years later, it disappears.
Now, we know that the Messiah’s birth was heralded by a star that was first observed by the Magi, but what was unique about this star? The star moved from the east to the west.
When the astronomers with their large telescopes take photos of the night sky, all the starts move except one, which is the star called “polaris” or the north star. It does not appear to move.
“For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day.”
(Luke 17:24 NAS95)
We know that in nature, that lightening doesn’t travel from east to west, but that light does travel from east to west.
When Baalam sees this king, this star, this scepter, what does it do? When Yeshua came to earth the first time, did He come with a battering ram to smash things up? No. Baalam sees a king with a rod who smacks Moab upside the head, right between the eyes.
““Edom shall be a possession, Seir, its enemies, also will be a possession, While Israel performs valiantly.
(Numbers 24:18-19 NAS95)
“One from Jacob shall have dominion, And will destroy the remnant from the city.””
Why are Edom and Seir listed here? Remember in the book of Genesis, God showed Rebecca a prophesy that her younger son will rule over the elder son, prophetically speaking. That’s we’re seeing here. This star, this king, comes from the younger son, not the older son. The star comes from Jacob, not from Esau.
We know that the Arab peoples in Saudi Arabia are descended from Esau and Ishmael and that modern day country of Jordan descends from Moab, but their royal family are Arabs from Saudi Arabia, too.
In our day, what do these nations have in common? They are Muslim countries. In Baalam’s prophesy, the Messiah will bring all of them to heel under His authority.
Numbers 24 is one of the most exciting chapters in the Torah, it’s one of the most far reaching prophecies recorded in the Scriptures.
“And he looked at Amalek and took up his discourse and said, “Amalek was the first of the nations, But his end shall be destruction.””
(Numbers 24:20 NAS95)
When we read this prophecy, we’re seeing way in the future. God showed Baalam and recorded for us this mystery of how at the end of days, Yeshua will destroy Amalek. Amalek was the first nation to try to destroy the people of Israel but they will be the last nation destroyed by Israel’s Messiah.
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