I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.
Balaam came to curse Israel, but standing over their camp he described a Person still far off — a Star out of Jacob, a Sceptre out of Israel. Three questions follow: who is this coming One, when does He come, and why did the man who saw Him gain nothing?
A curse God turned into a promise
The whole scene is a failed attack. One writer sets the two wills side by side:
W. W. FeredayNever was Satan more determined to curse; never was God more determined to bless! Satan never had a more willing servant. And no man was ever more powerless than Balaam once the Almighty took hold of him!
What came out instead reached far beyond the moment on the hilltop:
William KellySo the curse Balaam intended became the most magnificent statement of blessing ever pronounced on the people of God. It reaches down to the last days, when Israel will be exalted under the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth.
Two images, two meanings
The Star and the Sceptre are not decoration. Each carries its own idea:
George BellThe star is for watchers. We must be up early in the morning if we wish to see the early star. The sceptre speaks of authority and rule.
Another writer names each one in a word: "The Star speaks of hope, and the Sceptre speaks of rule and government. Where is our hope? We answer, In the Lord Jesus Christ" (F. B. Hole).
A Person, not a nation
Balaam's earlier speeches looked at the whole nation. This one narrows to one Person:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinWe recall his first parable. From the top of the rocks he said in the same way, "I see him and from the hills I behold him." There it was the nation; here it is a person — the King of Israel whose shout he had heard before among the wonderful people. The description of this coming King is glorious. He sees Him first as a star coming out of Jacob. Then he calls Him a sceptre risen out of Israel, striking through the sides of Moab and turning all the sons of tumult against each other.
When the Star rises
Commentators differ over how much of this has already happened. One writer sees it fulfilled twice — once in David, and once still to come: "As a fulfilled prophecy, this star is David; and, as a prophecy yet to be fulfilled, this star is Christ, David's Son" (H. L. Rossier). Others place the whole weight in the future. Gaebelein calls it "a very pronounced Messianic prophecy relating to the time when the kingdom is to be restored to Israel." He says many teachers have made a mistake by applying it to Christ's first coming. Kelly, weighing nation after nation, reaches the same conclusion:
William KellySo it does not matter whether the powers are western or eastern. It does not matter whether the enemies are many or few, what resources they have, or where they come from… It is the day of Immanuel, not of David or the Maccabees.
"The sons of Sheth"
Some read the phrase "sons of Sheth" as a description rather than a family line:
Morrish Bible DictionaryInstead of "children of Sheth," it is better to read "sons of tumult"; that is, "tumultuous war will be destroyed."
The man who saw and gained nothing
The verse opens with a confession that condemns the speaker. Older translations put its first words in the future — "I shall see him, but not now":
Leslie M. GrantBut at the start he is made to speak of his own tragic position: "I shall see Him, but not now; I shall behold Him, but not near." … Balaam's fate will be that of all unbelievers. Believers see the Lord Jesus now by faith. But Balaam had no intention of bowing his heart to Him at the time. So in the future he will see Him, but not near. It will be only in awesome judgment, when he sees Him at the Great White Throne.
Seeing was never the problem. "He thus beheld in vision a glorious Person to whom he could never come near. Distance must be his portion for ever" (W. W. Fereday).
The Star and the morning
The wording here stops short of something the New Testament adds:
F. B. HoleHe had been predicted as coming "a Star out of Jacob," without any reference to the morning. As the bright Morning Star, Jesus presents Himself as the One who runs ahead of the coming day and guarantees it. Now Israel does not know Him like this, for it has rejected Him and treated Him as an impostor. The Church, and the Church alone, knows Him in this character.
Summary
- Curse — Balaam came to curse. God made the same mouth speak the greatest blessing ever pronounced over His people, reaching to the last days.
- Star — the Star is for watchers, seen by those awake before dawn. It speaks of hope, and our hope is Christ.
- Sceptre — the Sceptre means authority: tumult ended, a King on the throne — "the day of Immanuel," not of David or the Maccabees.
- Person — the earlier oracles looked at the nation; this one narrows to one Man, the King of Israel Himself.
- Distance — Balaam saw Him and stayed far off. Sight without surrender leaves a man watching the glory from outside it.