A Star Out of Jacob, A Scepter Out of Israel

We discover in Numbers 24 an unexpected messenger delivering an extraordinary prophecy about the coming Messiah. Balaam, a pagan diviner hired to curse Israel, becomes an unwilling herald of God's greatest promise. His final oracle speaks of a distant but certain future when a star would come out of Jacob, and a scepter would rise out of Israel. This prophecy spans centuries, pointing us toward Christ—the bright morning star who arrived not in the expected form of earthly majesty, but as a vulnerable infant in a manger. What makes this passage so compelling is its reminder that God's greatest gift often comes wrapped in the most unexpected packaging. Just as Balaam encountered God face-to-face and could not deny what he saw, we, too, are invited to recognize Christ as the unmatched King whose first advent was marked by humility, but whose second coming will display unparalleled glory.