Jesus Foretold: Balaam's Donkey (MP 60)

O Israel! How can you complain of mites,
When, unseen, your God is clearing ahead?
Baal’s prophet, paid to curse the Israelites,
Was forced by God to give blessings instead!
The angel of the Lord stood in the way,
And Balaam’s donkey kept turning aside;
“Why beat me?” Balaam heard the donkey say;
Then he knew that God was on Israel’s side!
Therefore, Balaam’s curse was not that at all—
‘Out of Jacob’s tribe a star would appear,
A ruler, who caused many nations fall’;
Balaam ‘beheld him, but he was not near!’
False gods for themselves men have ever made,
But through them all is God’s power displayed!

Scripture Quoted (NIV) [Brackets added]
Prophecy Made: Numbers 24:17-19—“ ‘I [Balaam] see him [Jesus], but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter [David or Jesus] will rise out of Israel… A ruler will come out of Jacob and crush the survivors of the city.’ “ (Written in the 14th century B.C.)

Prophecy Fulfilled: Matthew 2:1-2—“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi [Wise Men] from the east [the Orient] came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east [or ‘when it rose’] and have come to worship him.’ “ (Written in the 1st century A.D.)

Commentary on: “Jesus Foretold: Balaam’s Donkey”
Balaam, a worshiper of Baal, was a seer, a diviner in black arts, who charged fees for telling people oracles about the future. When the Israelites approached Canaan prior to invading the Promised Land, they made camp in the plains of Moab, just across the Jordan River. When their camp, which was an awesome sight with row upon row of tents occupying about 30 square miles, was completely made, the Moabites were terrified, assuming Israel was preparing to conquer them. Balak, king of Moab, sent messengers with money to Balaam, asking him to come and put a curse on the Israelites, hoping to save his nation from conquest. Now Balaam knew about God and His power, but he only used Him as another source of power and fount of information to send messages concerning whatever his clients were inquiring about. When Balaam received Balak’s request, God told him in a dream not to put a curse on Israel for they were under His (God’s) protection. This account is found in Numbers 22-24 of the Bible.

Balak didn’t give up; he sent three delegations; finally Balaam agreed and set out for Moab on his donkey. The angel of the Lord stood in the road with drawn sword in front of Balaam, unseen by him, but seen by the donkey. Three times Balaam was diverted by the shying by his donkey off the road; three times Balaam beat the donkey. Then God caused the donkey to talk, and the donkey asked Balaam why he was being beaten. The soothsayer finally saw the Lord, and he fell on his face before Him. God told Balaam he could go to Balak, but that he must say only what God told him to say.

Following God’s instructions, Balaam spoke only what he was prompted to say, and everything he said was a blessing to Israel. However, in Balaam’s fourth oracle was included a prophecy about the coming of God as the man Jesus to earth. Balaam said he could see “him”, but not “now” and not “near”. In fact Jesus of Nazareth was born 1400 years later, as Matthew 2 reports; the “star out of Jacob” could be a reference to the star that appeared the night Jesus was born. The “Wise Men” from the Orient followed the star to Bethlehem, a small town near Jerusalem where King David was also born in 1030 B.C. The military victories included in the prophecy must refer to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, for He came as a meek and mild Savior the first coming. The “scepter”, signifying a king, may refer to the birth of David; it could also refer to the millenial reign of Christ when He returns.

God uses non-believers to accomplish the purposes of His pre-made Master Plan as well as believers.

“For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life,” (John 3:16)

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)