THROUGH THE BIBLE - Numbers..

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com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. So, beloved of Christ, brothers and sisters and friends with us today, let's read together Numbers chapter 24. We continue with the story of Balaam.

This is Numbers chapter 24. When Balaam saw that he pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times to look for almonds that set his face toward the wilderness. And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. And the Spirit of God came upon him, and he took up his discourse and said, The oracle of Balaam, the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is open, the oracle of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty falling down with his eyes uncovered. How lovely are your tents, O Jacob!

your encampments, O Israel, like palm groves that stretch afar, like gardens besides a river, like alloys that the Lord has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters. Water shall flow from his buckets, and his sea shall be in many waters. His king shall be higher than a duck, and his kingdom shall be exalted. God brings him out of Egypt. and is for him like the horns of the wild ox.

He shall eat up the nations, his adversaries, and shall break their bones in pieces and pierce them through with his arrows. He crouched, he lay down like a lion, like a lioness, who will rouse him up? Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you. And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, And he struck his hands together, and Balak said to Balaam, I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them three times, these three times. Therefore, now flee to your own place.

I said, I will certainly honor you, but the Lord has held you back from honor. And Balaam said to Balak, did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me? If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord to do either good or bad of my own will. What the Lord speaks, that will I speak. And now, behold, I am going to my people.

Come, I will let you know what these people will do to your people in the latter days. And he took up his discourse and said, The oracle of Balaam, the son of Beor, The oracle of the man whose eye is open, the oracle of him who hears the word of God and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty falling down with his eyes uncovered. I see him, but not now. I behold him, but not near. A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.

He shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheol. Edom shall be dispossessed. Seir also, his enemy, shall be dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly, and one from Jacob shall exercise dominion and destroy the survivors of Ctes. Then he looked on Amalek, and took up his discourse, and said, Amalek was the first among the nations, but its end is utter destruction.

And he looked on the Kenite, and took up his discourse, and said, Enduring is your dwelling place, and your nest is set in the rock. Nevertheless, Cain shall be burned when Asher takes you away captive. And he took up his discourse, and said, Alas! Who shall leave when God does this? A sheep shall come from Kittim and shall afflict Ashur and Eber, and he too shall come to utter destruction.

Then Balaam rose and went back to his place, and Balak also went his ways. Amen. That is the reading of the words of God, beloved brothers and sisters. We continue with this story of Balaam and the king of Moab, Balak. We know that this king of Moab was filled with fear when he saw that the Israelites were approaching.

And then he sent for this diviner, this man of enchantment, this Balaam. One of the things as we progress through this story is that we can sometimes be confused and not understand properly the nature of this Balaam, because we see him not only speaking on behalf of God, but seemingly following the will of the Lord as the Lord tells him to say something. And it's seemingly he obeys what the Lord requires. And he says what the Lord says that he's supposed to say to Balaam. The intention of this King of Moab was that the people of Israel will be cursed.

And as we said last week, the intention of the heart of Balaam, this prophet, was indeed to curse the people of Israel. Two times he approached the Lord with offerings and with sacrifices to see if the Lord changed his mind. And the result of it was two oracles of blessing for the people of Israel. Here in this chapter 24, we see that now the eyes of this prophet have been open and he knows that the disposition of the Lord God of Israel towards Israel is one of blessing and one of course, and that for that reason, he does not even go to God again, but he just simply opens his mouth to prophesy and to give one more blessing that we may not be confused with this bail and beloved of Christ. It seems that he's following the instruction of the Lord.

But this man is a wicked man. This man is a man that is driven by his passions. And actually, what we have here is the Lord using this man even against his will to bring blessing upon the people of Israel. He opens his mouth now the third time to utter a blessing on the people of Israel. And the result of it is that Balak, the king of Moab, is very upset.

I called you to curse these people, and now you have blessed them three times. And in the response of Balaam, we can see actually the wickedness and the reality of what is taking place here. Because if you put your eyes in verse 12 in that chapter 24, as Balaam is responding to the complaint of Balak we see in verse 12. And Balaam said to Balak, did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me? If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the words of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own will.

While the Lord speaks, that will I speak of my own will. This man, in a sense, was taken captive by the desire of God to bless the people of Israel. And even though deep in his heart and deep in his soul, Balaam desired to curse these people for the gain that he was going to receive, for the money that he was going to receive from the king of Moab, he was, in a sense, submitted to the will of God, who every time that he was going to come and open his mouth, perhaps he even had a curse in his heart. But then God would alter a blessing unto the people of Israel. Not only a third time, but then we're told that he took up his discourse and he continued to utter blessings upon the people of Israel.

A wicked man, this Balaam. A wicked man that we may not be confused, not only because of the testimony of the New Testament, but even what the Book of Numbers says about this Balaam confirms that this man is a wicked man. Very soon after this story in chapter 25, if you read there in verse 1, It says that while Israel, in verse one in chapter 25, it says, while Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. After this, the king of Moab, the daughters of Moab now went to Israel and the people of Israel started to prostitute themselves with the daughters of Moab. If you quickly go to chapter 31 of Numbers, we learn something very interesting there in chapter 31.

Go there quickly to chapter 31. The sons of Israel, of the people of Israel, prostitute themselves with the daughters of Moab. And when you go there to chapter 31 of Numbers, if you go there to verse 15, what happened there, that incident there that we read in Numbers chapter 25 is known as the incident of Peor. And there in Numbers chapter 31, verse 15, it says, Moses said to them, Have you let all the women alive or leave? Behold, this on Balaam's advice caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord in the incident of Peor.

And so the play came among the congregation of the Lord. After Balaam departed, unable to utter the course that he had in his heart, the advice that he left to the people of Israel or to the people of Moab was that they would send their daughters to corrupt the people of Israel. And indeed they did that. And then the plague of the Lord came to consume them. If you go back there to if you go to verse 18, chapter 31, we have the end of Balaam because of the corruption of his heart.

Numbers 31, verse eight, it says they kill. This is the Israelites. They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their of their slain. Ibai, Rekem, Sur, Hur and Ribah, the five kings of Midian. And they also killed Balaam, the son of Beor, with a sword.

That is the destiny, that is the outcome of a man who is wicked in his heart. But the interesting thing that we see here, beloved of Christ, is that the Lord has used this vessel to open the mouth and to utter the word of God, in this case, in many blessings to the people of Israel. And as we have said many times and in different places, Here we learn that the purity and the perfection of the Word of God is not derived from the person that communicates the message, but the perfection and the purity of the Word of God is because is the Word of God itself comes from his mouth and comes from his heart. The people of Israel were unaware of the things that were happening. But all of these things were written or happened with the purpose that they will be written.

Because even though the people of Israel were unaware of the things taking place, then the Lord will be in his desire will be that these things will be written down for the instruction, not only of the people of Israel, but also for the people of God in the new covenant. All of this story of Balaam was put down, written down by Moses. and by others, that it will become the written Word of God for the people of Israel." Imagine when they learned of this story. Imagine in time when the people of Israel learned of these doings of God, when they were unaware of how the Lord was protecting them and keeping them, and how even the Lord was using a wicked man to utter blessings upon them and to give them also the Word of God.

This is glorious, beloved of Christ, because even when we go through a scripture, we can see the faithfulness of the Lord in keeping His promise for His people throughout the ages, independently of the difficulties, independently of the circumstances, independently of the nature of the enemy. Then the Lord... God of Israel, the Triune God of this universe, is faithful in keeping His promise for His people. And not only that, but in encouraging His people through giving this promise in a written form. And what a way of having a written form in this chapter 24, beloved of Christ.

Because this man, a wicked man, Balaam, did not only spoke a blessing upon the people of Israel, but glorious prophecies will come out of his mouth, speaking not of Israel, but the glorious Jesus Christ, who is to come, the one who is the fulfillment of the Son of God, Israel, the one that is the one who will keep entirety of the law without any error, without any mistake, the one who will not deviate from the heart of God. There are so many things that Balaam says, and it's just so incredible to believe that these men said so many things about Jesus Christ that even some brothers think that this chapter 24 is the one that contains more prophecies about Jesus Christ in the whole New Old Testament in the mouth of a wicked man. So many things that we could say about the chapter. There's a couple of things that I want to point your attention to. The first one is found there in verse eight of chapter 20.

4, verse 8 of chapter 24, 8, 9 and 10. This Balaam, beloved of Christ, is going to speak of Israel as the rescued one, as the one who has been taken, rescued out of Egypt and the rescuing of Israel out of Egypt with the purpose of becoming dominant and powerful among the nations. Pay attention to what it says. Numbers 24, verse 8. God brings him out, speaking of Israel, speaking of Jacob.

God brings him out of Egypt and is for him like the horns of the wild ox. He shall eat up the nations, his adversaries, and shall break their bones in pieces, and pierce them through with his arrows. He crouched, he lay down like a lion, like a lioness, who will rouse him up? Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you. And then verse 10, and Balak's anger was kindled, and this when he refused.

If you go down to verse 15 and 16 in the fourth oracle and in the fourth blessing of Balaam in verse 15 and 16, it says, And he took up his discourse and said, The oracle of Balaam, the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is open. 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 with his eyes uncovered. Verse 17. I see him, but not now. He says, I see him, but not now.

I behold him, but not near. A star shall come out of Jacob. As a scepter shall rise out of Israel, it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheol." I hope that emotion allows me just to speak. Truly, beloved of Christ, here we have, in the Old Testament, we have these wicked men This wicked man who has been visited by the Spirit of God, the Spirit that belongs to the people of Israel, this man has opened his mouth.

to speak of Israel, the chosen of God, as one who is rescued out of Egypt, the slavery of Egypt, with the purpose of being king over the nations, with the purpose of being the one that follows the commands of the Lord, and being the one that crushes the nations and that establishes the kingdom of God. And if we did not have the continuation of the Old Testament, We will think that at some point, some mighty king is going to come, that some mighty man is going to come from Israel, and that this man is going to establish a government and a kingdom for the people of Israel, such that the people of Israel will indeed conquer the nations around, and that these people of Israel will be the ones that establishes the kingdom, and that establishes the nation, that establishes the will of God on earth. But it takes only the next chapter to see that the people that we have here, the people of Israel, are a people that are unfaithful. And that this promise that this Balaam is speaking of will never be fulfilled by flesh. will never be fulfilled by blood.

Because even when the prophets will speak and remember the things that took place with the people of Israel, they will say that this is the Son of God that was rescued out of Egypt. And after they speak about the rescuing of the people of Israel out of Egypt, they have to say that after that they departed from the ways of the Lord. Every time that the Lord will give them blessing, every time that the Lord will manifest His favor to the people of Israel, the result will be that these people will turn away. Yet the promise of the Lord is that these people will rule the nations, that these people will crush the nations, that the heathens, that the Gentiles will be crushed and utterly destroyed. Even as a brother read there in Isaiah chapter 65, Who is this man?

Who is the one that is going to come to fulfill this promise given to the people of Israel? Who is the one who is going to be able to satisfy the requirements of the Lord? Who is the one that is going to be able to carry the will of the Lord on earth? Who is the one that is going to be able to destroy the enemies of the Lord? Not the Moabites, not the Kenites, not the Canaanites, not the hidden, but rather the powers that are working behind them.

Satan, sin and death. King David will come to establish something that seems to be a glorious kingdom. Only 40 years it will be destroyed. Solomon seems to have peace for the people of Israel. Only 40 years it will be taken.

Who is the one that will bring the kingdom of God? Who is the one that will bring peace to the nations? Beloved of Christ, that name, Jesus Christ, the one that was born. in Israel, the one that was born and sent to Egypt, so that it will be fulfilled, that out of Egypt I called my Son, the one who will receive the fullness of the Spirit, the one that will have the words of God, the one who will be God Himself in the flesh, the one who came to destroy the enemies of God, not with a sword, not with power, and not with might, but with His life, When this glorious Lord Jesus Christ went upon the cross, He destroyed, as I've said to you many times, death and sin. The one that was ruling behind the hidden, Satan destroyed, and the works of Satan destroyed upon the cross.

So that these powers, these principalities, these authorities that rule behind the nations will be utterly destroyed. So that this King of Glory will say, lift it up, all you ancient doors. and come in this glory, this glorious Lord Jesus Christ, the one who comes to the throne and takes the seals of the scroll from the hand of the Father to open the seals. No one able to open the scroll. No man on earth or heaven, no man has the ability to fulfill the requirements of the Lord so that the providential decree of God will be fulfilled.

Only the majestic Lord Jesus Christ. The one who died upon the cross to establish a kingdom, not a kingdom of this world, but a kingdom of spirit, not a kingdom that is established upon material, physical things, but a kingdom that is established in the heart of everyone who by grace through faith believes in him. Beloved of Christ, that is the kingdom of Christ, the kingdom that is either present or not in your heart. The kingdom that it is either abiding or not in your heart. The kingdom that is not built with might and power and precious stones and with money and with things and with religion.

The kingdom that is not established with the power of men, but the kingdom that is established upon and founded upon the love of the Triune God. who, when we did not deserve, sent His only begotten Son to die upon that cross, that by dying upon that cross we will be rescued from sin and death, and we will be made a kingdom of priests unto God in Jesus Christ, rescued by the blood of the Savior, to reign with Him in eternity, not David, not Solomon, nor any kingdom of this world, but the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is why the ones whose eyes have been opened to this truth will only utter from their hearts, Worthy is the Lamb! Worthy is the Lamb! who died upon the cross, that rescued my soul, that apart from his work I will be on my way to hell, that apart from his passion and love unto me, I will still be in the kingdom of darkness, that Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the begotten of the Father, the Son of the Father, in truth and love, the one who has given his life so that we will live in the resurrected life of Jesus Christ.

A false prophet in the Old Testament was taken captive by the Father to open his mouth and to tell to future generations that there is hope. that when you place your eyes in the people of Israel and you see the many failures, and even as they continue with the judges and the kings, and if you see the many failures of the people of Israel, there is still hope, because there's one that comes. that will conquer and will conquer until the end. One who comes victorious with victory until the end. The one who will rise, not now, but far.

The one, the star that will rise, not in the world, but in the heart of each one of those who receive him by grace through faith. The name of that person, beloved of Christ, brother and sister and friend, is Jesus Christ. Is he enthroned in your heart? Is he enthroned in your heart? Have you decided to follow Jesus?

Have you decided to follow Jesus and to leave everything behind? Is Jesus Christ the king of your heart? Is he enthroned in your heart? Do you despise the things of this world for his name, for Christ? That is the kingdom of Christ.

comes to us, takes us captive, rescues us from darkness, and gives us freedom, not a freedom that is obtained with money or power or through human ways, a freedom that points our eyes upon Him and just gives us one hope, I will be with Him in eternity as my King and as my Lord. Amen.