Alrighty, today I’m finally gonna connect the dots and show you how David’s opening words in 2nd Samuel Chapter 23 build on Balaam’s prophecy recorded for us way back in the book of Numbers.
If you wanna read the whole thing, you can click HERE.
Otherwise, we’re gonna take this in tiny baby steps, starting with these verses:
“I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not soon —
a star will step forth from Ya‘akov,
a scepter will arise from Isra’el,
to crush the corners of Mo’av
and destroy all descendants of Shet.”
-Numbers 24:17
First, the most important thing to note here is that Balaam was speaking about two specific times in the future.
One time pointed to when David would be raised as King of Israel.
The second time pointed to when Yeshua of Nazareth would appear as the Messiah.
Don’t forget that in Scripture, prophecy often repeats…especially messianic prophecy.
Balaam refers to this coming savior of Israel as a “star.”
A star was a common term in the ancient Middle East used to refer to a king.
So Balaam is predicting that a star (king) would arise from Jacob.
The important thing to note is that this prophecy was proclaimed way before Israel had ever set foot into the Promised Land.
The Holy Nation wasn’t even seeking a king at this time.
They were a tribal family led by an Egyptian-raised Hebrew named Moses.
The idea of a king was as foreign as sashimi is to a southerner who grew up in the back swamps of Alabama.
Ya feeling me here?
Yet despite this, this gentile homie Balaam is prophesying that Israel is indeed going to have a king.
Well, David was the fulfillment of this prophecy.
And this is also a great time to remind you NOT to be taken in by that false Christian doctrine that says the Lord did NOT want Israel to have a king.
That’s simply not so.
In fact, the Scriptures tell us the exact opposite.
The whole purpose of the Book of Judges is to show that Israel did indeed need a king and pave the way for a Torah-based ruler to take charge.
Yet even before that, in the book of Numbers, we have this gentile mystic pronouncing a blessing that Israel will have a king, and the Lord is going to use this individual to crush the gentile nations who come against His Chosen People.
So what we have here is a gentile pagan whose eyes had been opened to the truth that Israel cannot be cursed by the Lord.
And then, centuries later, King David, building upon Balaam’s words, takes that revelation to the next level.
This leads to today’s takeaway.
And it is this:
Israel cannot be cursed.
No matter how much Islam wants to crush the chosen people.
No matter how loud the nations rage.
No matter how many times Israel is outnumbered, outgunned, or surrounded.
When God blesses, no man, movement, or empire has the authority to reverse it.
Balaam saw it.
David understood it.
And history keeps proving it…over and over again.
Done.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“Salvation is from the Jews.”
— John 4:22
“God has not rejected
His people whom He foreknew.”
— Romans 11:2
“I was sent only to the lost sheep
of the house of Israel.”
— Matthew 15:24
I have never heard that God not wanting the people to have a king is a Christian thing.
In fact, in the Tanakh, it is pretty clear to me that God does NOT want Israel to have a king.
And here is why (this is from the CJB Bible, 1 Samuel 8:7-9 ):
Adonai said to Sh’mu’el, “Listen to the people, to everything they say to you; for it is not you they are rejecting; they are rejecting me; they don’t want me to be king over them. 8 They are doing to you exactly what they have been doing to me, from the day I brought them out of Egypt until today, by abandoning me and serving other gods. 9 So do what they say, but give them a sober warning, telling them what kinds of rulings their king will make.”
That sounds to me like God was not happy with their decision to have a king, because he was (and still is) our king.
Bala’am knew that a king would arise because God knew that would happen- just because God knew it would happen and later allowed it to happen doesn’t mean that God was OK with it.
He allowed the people to have a king because, I believe, God knew (as he told Samuel to tell the people) that having a king would lead to many troubles (as we see did happen with the bad kings in both Israel and Judea). In fact, I believe God allowed the people to have a king as a form of punishment for rejecting him as their king.
True, Messiah Yeshua will be king over the earth when he returns, but God is the ultimate, absolute power and authority in the Universe, and that will never change.
If it is a Christian teaching that God did not want Israel to have a king, then (for my money) they got that one right.
(One of the very few they got right.)
But it isn’t really a solely Chrisitian thing- God never wanted Israel to have any king other than him, and he would rule through his Judges, just as he did when Moses was Judge, having legal authority as well as being the spiritual leader.
The plan from the start was God in charge, with the Levites (priesthood) to serve God and act as intermediaries between God and the people, and with Judges to provide spiritual leadership and be given legal authority.
Hi Steven,
I think we’ve discussed this before. The issue was never about whether God wanted Israel to have a king or not, but what TYPE of king was the issue.
The Lord in the verses you quoted above is criticizing Israel for having them choose a King patterned after the Gentile nations.
Totally happy to agree to disagree on this point.
Be blessed, brother!