"I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob." In his final oracles, Balaam's prophecy reaches far beyond Israel's immediate future. He speaks of a star and a scepter, a ruler who will crush the enemies of God's people. This messianic prophecy, spoken by a pagan prophet against his own will, points unmistakably to Christ. In this chapter, we see that God can use even the most unlikely voices to proclaim His saving purposes.

The Rev. Stewart Crown, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Palo Alto, CA, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Numbers 24.

To learn more about Trinity in Palo Alto, visit trinitylutheranpaloalto.com.

The Book of Numbers is far more than an ancient census report. It is the story of a people learning to trust God in the wilderness, and failing, and finding grace anyway.

In this series, host Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors walk through the Old Testament book of Numbers chapter by chapter. We follow Israel from Sinai toward the Promised Land, through grumbling and rebellion, fiery serpents and a talking donkey, faithless spies and faithful priests. The journey is hard, the failures are many, and God remains faithful to a faithless people.

These ancient accounts point us to Christ. The bronze serpent lifted on a pole points to the cross. The rock struck for water points to the one struck for us. The high priest whose death frees the manslayer points to the Great High Priest whose death sets us free forever. Join us as we discover that the wilderness has more to teach us than we ever expected.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.

Numbers 24: A Star from Jacob and the End of Balaam