Numbers 24:17a

I see him, but not now, I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a sceptre will rise out of Israel ~ Numbers 24: 17a

In Genesis God brought a man called Abram from the land of Ur and led him on a journey, eventually to stop in what we call the land of Israel. A covenant was made with this man when he was 75 years old, and though he did not yet have any offspring, God told him his following generations would be as numerous as the stars in the heavens. A very grand promise it was, but the problem was there were no children and his wife was past child-bearing years. But for God this was not a problem. God is the God of the impossible, and about 25 years later, Abram's very elderly wife conceived and bore a son. They named him Isaac, and Isaac was the father of Jacob. It was Jacob who was renamed "Israel", a name which has carried down to this day. The words of our Scripture, 'I see him' cannot be understood as seeing what is in front of the eyes of the nation of Israel at the present time. The one who spoke was speaking prophetically of a future time, as prophets were called "seers". A star and a sceptre are indications that the one seen, though not present, was a certainty in the future. A King was to rise out of Jacob. The star was a symbol of regal power and splendour! And so it was that the One born in a manger, though humble in circumstance, was born under a star which led many to fall down and worship him. And though that One's sceptre was a Shepherd's staff, He was a mighty King above all kings, and a Lord above all lords. He is Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, the One who rose out of Israel!
Devotion by Pastor Julia