Wisdom for living, by Tope Banso

By Tope Banso
“I see him, but not in the present time. I perceive him, but far in the distant future. A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel. It will crush the foreheads of Moab’s people, cracking the skulls of the people of Sheth” (Num 24:17 New Living Translation).
It is amazing that God could use a magician, soothsayer or sorcerer to prophesy the birth of Jesus Christ long before it took place. He was just one of those used to prophesy his birth.
God is sovereign, and He can use anyone and anything to achieve his purpose (Job 42:2; Proverbs 16:4; Psalms 135:6, 97:9; Jeremiah 32:27, Matthew 19:26, Hebrews 4:13, Colossians 1:16-17). In the Bible, He used the most unlikely persons to fulfil His counsel.
Isaiah 46:10 says God declares the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure” (NKJV).
In our anchor scripture, a pagan, a sorcerer, Balaam, who was hired by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the Israelites but was unable to do so as much as he tried to because God wouldn’t permit him, brought this prophecy which is believed to be pointing to the birth of the Messiah in future.
Balaam saw a star rising from Jacob and a scepter emerging from Israel. He said what he saw would not happen soon but the star he saw would destroy the people of Moab and Sheth which in prophetic language referred to the enemy. The name Balak, king of Moab, actually means destroyer. The destroyer would be destroyed!
Centuries later the prophecy of this sorcerer came to pass. Wise men from the East came to Jerusalem saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him” (Matthew 2:2 NKJV).
The wise men saw the same star that the sorcerer had seen. They saw that the star was that of a king, a ruler, which agreed with what Balaam had seen – a scepter, which is a symbol of royal authority. He would use that authority to destroy the enemy. That was why Isaiah prophesied, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder” (Isaiah 9:6a NKJV). Government refers to authority or power.
Jesus was (is) empowered to destroy the enemy represented by the devil and his agents. Quoting from Isaiah 61, Jesus said the Spirit of the Lord was upon him (Luke 4:18). God anointed Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit and with power and he went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil because God was with him (Acts 10:38). This same Jesus is now highly exalted above every name and power (Philippians 2:9, Ephesians 1:20-22).
Have you confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior? It’s not enough to hear or read about Jesus. The same Balaam who saw the star of the Messiah continued in his perverse way (Numbers 22:32) and was killed by the Israelites along with their enemies (Numbers 31:8).
Are you saved? Are you following the teachings of Jesus?
This is wisdom for living, and it’s worth sharing.
(For more inspiring messages, visit: www.cedarministry.org)
T. O. Banso
Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria
cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
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