Animated by His Might

Reading:   Numbers 24:10-24

Balaam continues to see visions and prophesies of Jesus...

NUMBERS 24:17-19

17    I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.

18    And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly.

19    Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.

I'm going to break this prophesy down to better explain the various points...

VERSE 17

1. I shall see him [Jesus], but not now...
1. The birth of Jesus would not occur for another 1500 years so Balaam would see him in the vision but not as flesh and blood.
2. I shall behold him, but not nigh...
1. Balaam would stand before Jesus at the pleasing bar of God but not in this life.
3. There shall come a star out of Jacob...
1. This is meant in the literal sense in that the birth of Jesus was manifest by a new star in the heavens.  A star that could be seen by people in both hemispheres of the earth and prophesied of for centuries.
2. Jesus was a literal descendant of the house of Jacob, an Israelite.
4. And a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel...
1. Again, "out of Israel" means "of the house of Israel" or born from descendants of Israel (Jacob), and Jesus was of the the house of Israel.
2. A Scepter is:
1. A staff or baton borne by a sovereign as an emblem of authority
3. Jesus is the personification of the envisioned scepter.  A ruling authority that embodied two definitions of a scepter.
1. An emblom of authority.
2. A staff used to enforce authority.
5. And shall smite the corners of Moab...
1. This prophesy is realized in the victories of David and his conquering of Moab.
1. Yes, the life of David was indeed prior to the birth of Jesus but his actions were still governed by the God of Israel and subject to the much prophesied belief in a coming Messiah.
6. And destroy all the children of Seth.
1. This bit is a little more confusing but I tend to believe it refers to all those descendant of Adam (Seth being of his loins) to encompass all man, not just those adjacent to or with knowledge of the Israelites.
2. In regards to the word "destroy" I'm not sure it is meant literally because there were many, like Balaam, who were not of Israel and yet believed in God and were righteous men (more so than many of the murmurring Israelites).   I think it is defined more as a destruction of foreign Gods and unrighteous leaders than a destruction of all.

VERSE 18

1. And Edom shall be a possession...
1. Also achieved in the victories of King David
2. Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies...
1. "Seir" refers to "Mount Seir" on the historical border of Egypt and Canaan but could also mean the land of Seir which was primarily inhabited by the Edomites who were conquered by King David.
3. And Israel shall do valiantly.
1. Here is the inspiration for today's blog title, where Matthew Henry describes the Israelites doing valiantly as...
1. ..."The subjects of Christ, animated by his might, shall maintain a spiritual war with the powers of darkness, and be more than conquerors."

VERSE 19

1. Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion...
1. He being Jesus, a descendant of Jacob, a scepter unto God, the ministry of which will set the guiding statutes and commandments by which all man will be judged - the "dominion" part.
2. And shall destroy him that remaineth of the city...
1. Here is a distinct reference to the carnality of man in that a "city" wholly represents a structure built up of man, by the hands and designs of man, where man is the architect - not of God.  So then, "to remain in the city" would be an act of defiance unto God where the designs of man are more pleasing than the celestial designs of God.
2. Those who remain in the city shall, literally this time, be destroyed.

I hope my line-by-line explanation of these three verses was helpful.  I found it very enlightening and quite enjoyed the process of both fleshing out the verses for myself and in relaying my understanding through this blog.  I actually discovered more in my writing of the blog than I did in researching the verses.  I guess putting the words on the page opened some avenues that I had not taken during the research process.  Teaching is indeed the best tool for learning!

~Kipling