Turn in your Bibles please to
the chapter we read, to Numbers and chapter 24. I want to draw
your attention to a few verses we read from verse 15. Numbers
24 verse 15. where it says, And Balaam took
up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and
the man whose eyes are open hath said, he hath said which heard
the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the Most High, which
saw the vision of the Almighty falling into a trance, but having
his eyes open. I shall see him, but not now,
I shall behold him, but not nigh. There shall come a star out of
Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite
the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheph. And
Edom shall be a possession. Seir also shall be a possession
for his enemies, and Israel shall do valiantly. Out of Jacob shall
come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth
of the city. I shall see him, but not now. I shall behold him, but not nigh. There shall come a star out of
Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite
the corners of Moab and destroy the children of Sheph. In this
book, the Book of Numbers, we read the account of Israel's
journey through the wilderness, having been brought out of Egypt
by God through his servant Moses, led forth out of Egypt through
the Red Sea, to the giving of law at Sinai and then they journeyed
through the wilderness on their pilgrimage to that land which
God had promised them, to Canaan, a land flowing with milk and
honey and inheritance. A picture of course of that pathway
of the believer as he's brought out of the captivity and bondage
of this world, captive in sin. dead in trespasses and sins in
Egypt, the picture of this world, delivered from it through the
death of a lamb, a Passover lamb on his behalf, whose blood takes
away the judgment of the avenging angel. And as believers then
journey, having been brought to faith in Christ and his blood,
that people then journeys on a pilgrimage through this world,
on their way to that land, that inheritance that God has promised
them, where they will one day dwell with their saviour forevermore,
the other side of Jordan, as they pass from this world and
its trials and its difficulties. But in Numbers we read much of
the account of the journeying through the wilderness as it
were of this world that Israel was led on. And we read of the
different events that came their way, the different troubles,
the different battles. We read of their grumbling and
complaining, we read of their rebellion. For these people were
a wayward people, an unthankful people. with hearts which were
quick to complain, hearts which were slow to give thanks unto
their God, hearts which sought their own glory so often, and
not God's glory. They had fears, failures, doubts,
sins, rebellion, and complaints. And yet despite what they were,
And despite what we are, even as believers, God was long suffering
with them as he is with us. God never departed from his purpose
to bless his people Israel. And as they were in the figure,
so too with God's people is true Israel, no matter how rebellious
our flesh might be against the work of the Spirit within us,
no matter how unthankful we may be to our God, no matter how
much sin we may indulge in, no matter how many times we may
fall and stumble and grumble and complain, God's grace is
such His long-suffering goodness towards his people is such that
he has purpose to bless, and bless he does to the very end. Where sin have abounded, grace
have much more abounded. Not that we should ever sin that
grace should abound, God forbid, but though we sin, Though we
are frail, though we are weak, though we are so undeserving,
yet God's grace abounds, it abounds. And ultimately he blesses his
people and he brings them into that promised salvation, that
promised inheritance. And this people whom he led out
of Egypt, though many as a company should rebel, though some should
have died in the wilderness, though not all should actually
make it in the figure, still Israel as a nation was led out
of Egypt and Israel as a nation would be led into the Promised
Land. And it would be Joshua, Moses' successor, Joshua, a picture
of Jesus, the Saviour, Christ, who should lead them in. And
in chapter 24 of this account, we have read of Balaam, who earlier
in the chapters was called by Balak, the king of Moab, who
in fear of the Israelites called upon Balaam, this sorcerer, to
bring a curse upon the nation of Israel. Balak had heard of
the great successes that Israel had had and he feared them. He cried out, now that shall
this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox
licketh up the grass of the field. He thought that they would come
and destroy Moab. And he thought that they should
be cursed. So he called this sorcerer Balaam. And he asked him in chapter 22
and verse 6, come now therefore I pray thee, curse me this people. For they are too mighty for me.
Peradventure I shall prevail that we may smite them, and that
I may drive them out of the land. For I want that he whom thou
blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed. So he
turns to Balaam and says, you bless someone and they're blessed,
you curse someone and they're cursed. Curse this people and
they'll be overthrown. But God would have it otherwise.
And God intervened. And God approached unto Balaam. And God said unto Balaam, Thou
shalt not go with them. Thou shalt not curse the people,
for they are blessed. And God made truth known unto
Balaam. And God gave Balaam a prophecy
to declare unto Balak. And the things that Balaam told
Balak were not the cursing that Balak wanted to hear, but they
were the pronouncements of God's almighty blessing of Israel,
of his favor upon Israel, and of how God would preserve and
protect and bring victory to Israel. We have three pronouncements,
three parables, which Balaam declares of Israel. The fact
that God himself had not cursed them, but indeed as their one
and only King and Lord had delivered them out of Egypt and blessed
them. Balaam says that Israel is said to be like a lioness
and a lion who shall devour its prey. and Balaam prophesies that
Israel's king will be greater than Agag and her kingdom will
be exalted. Far from bringing cursing upon
Israel, Balaam speaks greatly of their blessing and of how
God would favour them. And in chapter 24, we read these
tremendous verses where Balaam speaks of a saviour to come. These words, in their immediate
sense, speak of the kingdom of David, of King David and his
rule. But he's the figure of the one
who should come later of Christ. Balaam says, I shall see him
but not now. I shall behold him but not nigh. There shall come a star out of
Jacob. And a scepter shall rise out
of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy
all the children of Shef. And Edom shall be a possession,
Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies. And Israel shall
do valiantly, valiantly, a star out of Jacob, a scepter rising
out of Israel, who shall conquer for them all their foes and cause
them to do valiantly. A saviour is promised. Though undeserved, though the
people themselves were no better than the nations around them,
no better than the Moabites, no better than any of these upon
whom they came naturally, Yet God had set his hand upon this
people, God had chosen them and God had said of them, these are
mine and I will bless them, I will have mercy upon whom, I will
have mercy. He chose himself for people,
he chose to deliver them out of bondage, he chose to bring
them unto salvation. And what was true in the figure
of Israel of old, is a picture of that great company that God
has chosen by grace throughout time, that people whom he leads
out of bondage, that people upon whom he will have mercy, that
people whom he will save with an everlasting salvation. As
Romans 9 tells us, for the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, from whom
the Israelites were saved. Even for this same purpose have
I raised thee up that I might show my power in thee and that
my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore have
he mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why
doth he yet find fault for who have resisted his will? Nay,
but, O man, who art thou that replyest against God? Shall a
thing form say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
Have not the potter power over the clay of the same lump to
make one vessel unto honour and another unto dishonour? What
if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known,
endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to
destruction, and that he might make known the riches of his
glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto
glory. He even asked whom he have called,
not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles, as he saith
also in Hosea, I will call them my people which were not my people,
and her beloved which was not beloved. And it shall come to
pass that in the place where it was said unto them, ye are
not my people, there shall they be called the children of the
living God. Yes, God chose a people in the
physical realm, He chose a nation called Israel, but they were
the picture of that people that God has spiritually chosen from
amongst all nations. He has chosen a people and in
His mercy, He has chosen to have mercy upon whom He will have
mercy and to harden those whom He will harden. The natural heart rebels against
this. It says, why does God find fault?
It's not fair. But as Paul says in Romans then,
who are we to question the mind of God? Who are we to say, as
clay to its potter, why hast thou made me thus? God is sovereign. He can make one vessel unto honour. and he can make another vessel
under dishonor. And the vessels he's made under
honor are taken of the same sort of clay as those that he destroys. They're just the same naturally. We're all sinners. We're all
deserving of destruction. We all rightly should be destroyed. We have all rebelled against
our Maker, but in mercy God has chosen to spare many the wrath
to come. He has chosen to bless them,
He has chosen to save them, He has chosen to wash their sins
and their corruptions away, and He washes them away through the
death of His own Son, who gave Himself a ransom for many, who
laid His life down in their place, taking their sin and their sins
upon Himself, that He should pay the price of judgment to
come, that He should drink the cup of God's wrath, that he should
suffer that they should live. Are you one of those for whom
he suffered? Did he die that you in particular
should live? Can you say unto God, I am a
sinner deserving of thy judgment and thy wrath, thou would be
right to send me to hell, I have earned it. But can you say in
overwhelming thankfulness, but I thank thee, Lord, that thou
hast made known unto me that Christ came in my stead. that
Christ came for me that he loved me that he loved me before this
world was made before I was born before I did right or wrong he
loved me and he came for me and he died for me and he shed his
blood for me and I know that that blood was shed for me and
I have bathed in it and washed in it and cleansed in it and
I am new I am clean I am righteous in him Thou hast loved me, though
I deserved it not. Thou hast loved me, though I
rebelled against Thee and hated Thee. Though I fought nothing
of Thee, though I shut my ears to the truth, though I cared
not for Thee, Thou loved me. O Lord, I praise and thank Thee
that Thou loved me when I hated Thee. Grace, the blessing of
God, is undeserved. We all deserve God's judgment
and wrath. And yet he's a God of grace.
He's a God of grace, he has a people whom he blesses. He blessed Israel. And he blesses spiritual Israel,
his elect, his people in Christ. That people for whom Christ died,
he blesses them all. Though their works, though their
efforts, though their merits deserve his judgment. Grace is
undeserved, unmerited. And grace does not wait until
we attain to some standard to earn it. Grace awaits no merit. If grace awaited us to attain
to some state or merit or to live in such a way as to be deserving
of it, If grace waits for us to become better, if grace waits
for us to do good, then grace will never come. But grace awaits
no merit. Grace waits not until we deserve
it, not until we're better. But grace comes to us in the
state in which we are, undeserving, wretched, rebellious, cold, lost,
poor and blind. That's our state by nature, that's
how we are, we are sinful, we've rebelled, and that's where grace
finds us. Grace can save the chief of sinners. Grace can save the worst of sinners. Grace can melt the hardest of
hearts. That's what we are when the gospel
comes to us, when it shows us what we are, and when it shows
us who Christ is and what he has done for his people. Christ
the Saviour, the one of whom Balaam speaks here when he says
that a star shall come out of Jacob, a scepter shall rise out
of Israel and he shall destroy her enemies and through him she
shall do valiantly. That star came for the undeserving. That king, that scepter, that
sovereign ruler, came to those that hated him and cared not
for him. But those whom he loved, those
whom he would bless, the men would curse them. And though
they themselves deserve to be cursed. This is not only the
state we're in by nature as unbelievers, but as believers we have that
flesh within us, that sinful flesh and that sinful flesh remains
warring against God, warring against the work of spirit in
the heart of believers. The flesh wars against it, we
sin daily. We moan, we groan, we complain,
we're unthankful to our God, even when we know Him, even when
we've received grace and blessing from His hands, we're so unthankful,
so uncaring, so cold and careless, and so easily led astray. And just as we, penniless and
pitiful, needed God by grace to find us in our lost estate
and quicken us unto life by his Gospel, by his Spirit, so we
as believers in the Church daily need His grace. We need Him to
come to us, though so undeserving. We need the Saviour to come. We need the star to rise up in
Jacob. We need the scepter to rise out
of Israel. We need to behold Him. We need
Him in our midst. Without Him, we are lost. Without
Him, the first battle that comes our way, we will lose. But when
he's in the midst, when he's in the midst, the church, his
people, the children of God, those vessels of mercy, the church
shall do valiantly, valiantly. How pitiful the people of Israel
are often seen to be here. and it counts in the book of
Numbers. How undeserving, how divided, how like the church
today. The church, even the true church
of God, true believers, they're so pitiful by themselves. There's so much of the flesh
in them and they're so divided. They spend all their time disputing
this and disputing that. Their gaze is not set upon Christ. So easily their gaze drops to
the earth and so easily confusion and dispute comes into the midst
of the people of God. So easily they war one with another. So easily they complain. Because
they don't have their gaze constantly set upon the only one. that can lead them aright. Callie writes in the following
hymn, By whom shall Jacob now arise? For Jacob's friends are
few, and, what should fill us with surprise, they seem divided
too. By whom shall Jacob now arise?
For Jacob's foes are strong, I read their triumph in their
eyes. They think he'll fail ere long. By whom shall Jacob now arise? Can any tell by whom? Say, shall
this branch that withered lies again revive and bloom? Lord, thou canst tell. The work is thine. The help of
man is vain. on Jacob now arise and shine,
and he shall live again. Yes, Jacob's help is from God
and God alone. Jacob's help, not Esau's. God's people's help. Israel,
the church, needs God by itself. It withers. By grace it revives
and blooms. The help of man is vain. We're so easily turned to men,
we so easily turn to our own strength. But it all comes to
nothing. Cease ye from man whose breath
is in his nostrils. Cease from the strength of man
your strength and the strength of others. Our strength is in
Christ alone. But God awaits no help from man. He does not wait for Jacob to
make himself ready, but he sends blessing upon Jacob. He sends
a saviour, he sends a star. That star, of course, as I've
mentioned, spake in the immediacy of the prophecy of the coming
of King David. but he was a figure of that star,
Christ, who should come for the salvation of his people. A star,
a light that shines in the darkness, a light by which we are led,
a light by which we are led forth by the right way. He who is our
light in the darkness, When Christ Jesus came into this world, when
the Son of God was made man, when he was born in Bethlehem,
born of a virgin, there was a star in the heavens which pointed
to the place where he was born. A star that led the wise men
from the east to the very place in which the child, the Lord
Jesus, was cradled. The star that led those men to
him pointed to who he was. for he is the star of Jacob. That babe born in Bethlehem was
the star of Jacob, prophesied here. The one who should bring
light to the people that sat in darkness. They that sat in
darkness have seen a great light. That great light is Christ, the
Saviour, the one who would bless the ungodly, the one who would
bless the undeserving, the one who would bless the blind and
deaf and lame, the one who would bless his people, sinners, children
of wrath even as others, people like you and like me, wretched
fools. blind to the truth without understanding
and without strength yet he came to us who sat in darkness as
a star as the light of God shining forth in the darkness of this
world and how in our day and age which is darker than ever
it seems which gets darker and ever just like that time when
Christ came into this world when his people, when Israel was apostate,
when they had so turned from the truth. So turn to idolatry,
so turn from the right ways. In such an evil time Christ came
into this world, the light shone in darkness, and we live today
in days of apostasy, when the world around us rages against
the truth of the gospel, when the governments and the people
and the media bring about laws and evil ways and trample underfoot
the things of God, when to be a Christian is to speak out against
the great multitude of general popular opinion where it is to
stand up as a lone voice and say these things are not so. God have said and to have all
men say you can't say that and to cast us out and condemn us. We're in the dark and an evil
age and yet even now where the gospel is sounded, where Christ
is pleased to bless his people, however few, however scattered,
however alone they may be, he shines the light from the star
of Jacob far through the darkness to wherever they find themselves. they sit in a ditch sat in darkness
wondering from whence their help may come and they look up and
behold a star in the sky and that star shines forth light
which enters and penetrates their heart and that light is penetrating
their hearts because it shines forth from the gospel as Christ
declares his gospel unto their souls. Have you had that light
shine forth in your heart? Have you heard Christ in his
gospel speaking unto you? You a dead sinner, has he come
unto the graveside and spake unto you? Arise, come forth,
live! Has the light shone in your heart? And have you looked up? beheld
and seen a star of Jacob your Savior come to you in your desperate
state come to you in the darkness when you thought you'd never
escape it and there you see a light shining Well, He came, He came
in history and He comes today wherever the gospel is sounded.
If you hear the gospel today, if you hear the gospel at any
hour, and if it comes by the lips of Christ, by His Spirit,
through those He sends to preach His gospel, if it's His gospel,
then you hear and see the voice of Jesus Christ and the light
of Christ, the star of Jacob, your only hope, the sinner's
only hope, but all the sinner's hope, for the sinner needs no
more than that light and that star. Balaam goes on, a scepter shall
rise out of Israel, a scepter, and shall smite the corners of
Moab and destroy all the children of Shef. This scepter speaks
of the rule of a king. The rule of Christ, the King
of kings and Lord of lords. He has a scepter in his hand
and he rules. He's risen out of Israel, out
of its midst. Historically he was born a Jew,
of the line of prophecy as he was prophesied that Messiah should
come, of the lineage of David. Everything that was spoken of
him regarding his descent came about to the letter. to the letter,
he was the son, the seed of David, the son of God and seed of David,
he came of David's line, royal lineage. And yet David could
say of this greater son of his, that he was his Lord. The Lord
said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand, till I make thine
enemies my footstool. Psalm 110. The Lord said unto
my Lord, the Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of
Zion. Rule thou in the midst of thine
enemies. Thy people shall be willing in
the day of thy power in the beauties of holiness from the womb of
the morning. Thou hast the dew of thy youth.
The Lord have sworn and will not repent. Thou art a priest
forever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord at thy right hand shall
strike through kings in the day of his wrath, he shall judge
among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies,
he shall wound the heads over many countries, he shall drink
of the brook in the way, therefore shall he lift up the head. Yea,
a scepter shall rise out of Israel, the king of kings Christ who
shall rule in the midst of his enemies. He came, he was born,
he was born in the midst of those who despised and rejected him.
He came the light into this dark world, born the King of the Jews. The wise men came seeking this
King and King Herod at the time knew not that the King of Kings
should come and be born. and he hated him and sought to
put him to death. When he ruled that the firstborn
children should all be put to death, he tried to murder him.
God would preserve his son for that son had come and was the
rightful heir to the throne. He was the king of his people. He was the king when he was born.
He was the king when they nailed him to the tree. He was the king
when they cried out, crucify him. He was the king when they
spat upon him on the cross. He was the King when the light
went out and the light of the sun went out and when He was
made sin. He was the King when He suffered
for the sins of His people. He was the King when God poured
out the judgment against their sins upon Him. He was the King
when they laid Him in the grave. He was the King when He rose
from the grave. He was the King when He ascended
into glory above. he was the king when he sat down
victorious and he is the king today who reigns over all this
world and does all things according to his eternal purpose he wrought
a victory And by that victory he rules over all this world.
He has saved a people and through the preaching of this gospel
he shall gather that people in to be with him forevermore. He
has purpose to bless them. He has purpose to save them.
God has not cursed that people, but has blessed them. That people
is said to be a lioness, a lion who devours its prey. she shall
do valiantly because of her king and his kingdom which shall be
exalted though the world today derides the kingdom of God though
it derides Christianity and the people of God and the followers
of Jesus Christ though it scoffs at his gospel and seeks to stamp
it out stamp out the sound of the gospel from this world and
destroy all the followers of Christ that they can they cannot
because his kingdom will be exalted. And the last Christian that they
seek to put to death, if they got to the point of killing us
all off, that day would usher in the end of this world, when
that king would come back in almighty vengeance and power,
and destroy his enemies, and destroy all those who oppose
him and his gospel, and all of his people. And he would bring
in the end. And in their destruction and
opposition of his people, all they do is hasten, their own
destruction and judgment and hasten that day when that poor
beleaguered, scorned, derided and hated people whom he loves
but whom they hate, they hasten that day when that people shall
go to be with him forevermore and reign with him in his glory.
Oh how wonderful that he rules! today that He rules, when the
world rages against Him, when the enemy has come in like a
flood, and when we cry out in our poverty and helplessness,
when we cry and mourn that we are so few and so weak, without
strength, how wonderful that He rules. Child of God, fear
not, He rules. The scepter shall rise out of
Israel, the King is on His throne. And why? He's there because He
has sat down victorious. He wrought that victory upon
His cross. He has conquered all His enemies,
every one. Sin, death, Satan, everything
that is against Him and against His people, He crushed upon the
cross. When Satan sought to bruise his
heel, when the serpent bruised his heel, he crushed that serpent's
head. He destroyed him. He took away
the accusation. The accuser came alongside God's
people and said, but they are guilty. They have broken thy
law. They have sinned. They have transgressed.
Judge them. And he said unto that accuser,
I will take their judgment. And the people were judged, and
their sins were judged, and their sin was destroyed, but not in
them, but in Him. And Satan's arguments were ripped
out of his hands, he had nothing more he could do. Who is he that
condemneth? It is God that justifieth. Satan would condemn them all,
Yet praise God, God found a way of justifying them whilst judging
their sins, of blessing them whilst being true to his justice,
of showing mercy whilst being true to his righteousness. Righteousness
and mercy have kissed one another. He's blessed them. Balak sought
to curse them. Yet who is he that condemneth
Balak? It is God that justifieth. Who
is He that condemneth? It is God that justifieth, because
He loved that people for whom He gave His Son. And having wrought
a victory, that Son rules awaiting that day when all His enemies
should become His footstool, simply waiting for the process
of time to take its course, for the Gospel to go forth, for every
sinner for whom He died to hear and to be brought to life by
the Spirit of God, to be brought into the fold, waiting for that
day when all things should be concluded, and all his people
should be with him, and all his enemies should be made his footstool. He wrought a victory outside
the city, on a hill, on a cross, in the place of execution, through
his death as the substitute. of that people whom he loved. He shed his blood that they should
live. He died that in them they should
have eternal life. Have you gone to that place outside
the city and beheld the Saviour, the Star of Jacob, the Scepter
rising out of Israel, the King of Kings dying for you? Did he? Did he? Because if he did, and if his
love and his blessing is set upon you, then you shall do valiantly. Israel shall do valiantly. He shall smite for them Moab,
and the children of Sheph and Edom shall be a possession. Seir
also shall be a possession for his enemies. He shall destroy
all his people's enemies. He shall win for them every battle. And in Him and through Him, you
and I, if we are His, shall do valiantly, tremendously. There is no opposition, no foe,
nothing that can come our way that can conquer us. For we are
more than conquerors through Jesus Christ, our Saviour. More than conquerors. He is our
King, our Lord. our Saviour. Whatever the trials, whatever
men may do or say against us, however great the enemy, and
however noisy and confusing the battles, in Christ, in Christ
we shall do valiantly, because He is our King, our Star. the sceptre is in his hands.
What shall we say then to these things? If God be for us, who
can be against us? He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It
is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even
at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for
us. Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress
or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword As it is written,
for thy sake we are killed all the day long. We are accounted
as sheep for the slaughter. No. Nevertheless, despite that,
despite the persecution and opposition, nevertheless, in all these things,
in the persecution, though we're slain all day long, though famine
come our way, though persecution, though nakedness, peril and sorrow,
though all men rage against us, nevertheless, even in all these
things, we are more than conquerors for him that loved us. For I
am persuaded, Paul says, that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor
things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord. None of them shall separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. The star of Jacob, the scepter
which arose out of Israel. First coat on there.