Balaam Saw Him Coming—a Star Out of Jacob

Long ago, in the wilderness of Moab, a prophet-for-hire stood gazing into the night sky. Balaam, summoned to curse Israel, found his lips bound by the power of God. Instead of curses, blessings poured forth. And in a vision, he saw something far beyond his own time.

The pagan prophet Balaam, unable to curse Israel as hired, instead delivers a prophetic oracle foretelling a future king who will arise from Israel, Jacob. This coming ruler is symbolized as a star and a scepter, symbols of royal authority and glory. He will be victorious, defeating and subjugating enemy nations, specifically Moab and the descendants of Sheth, often understood as a general term for violent or tumultuous peoples, or sometimes linked to Edom or broader enemies of Israel.

“I see Him, but not now;

I behold Him, but not near.

A Star shall come out of Jacob,

a Scepter shall rise out of Israel.”

This verse is one of the most famous messianic prophecies in the Old Testament. Jews and Christians later interpreted it as pointing ultimately to the Messiah.

Balaam saw a Star—not of fire, nor of stone, but of promise. A ruler, a Redeemer, a light breaking through the darkness. Though centuries away, the vision burned bright.

Centuries later, wise men from the East saw His star and followed it. The promise Balaam glimpsed became flesh in Bethlehem. The Star out of Jacob was born—the King of kings, the Light of the world.

The supreme irony is that Balaam—one of the Bible’s most tragic, greedy, compromised figures—was forced to speak the purest messianic light in the entire Torah. His mouth, hired to curse, became the first megaphone for the gospel: a coming King whose gentle birth in a manger would one day shake empires more thoroughly than any sword.

So when we sing “Star of wonder, star of night,” we are not being merely poetic. We are standing inside a promise that was uttered against its speaker’s will, against a king’s paycheck, against the logic of the wilderness itself—and it has never stopped traveling toward its perfect fulfillment in Jesus, the bright Morning Star who is both the Root and the Offspring of David as described in Revelation 22:16.

Two thousand years later, that Star is still traveling. It has never dimmed. It has never detoured. It is looking for watchers willing to leave their camps, their charts, their curses, their comfort, and follow. The promise wasn’t about our perfect watching. It was about His perfect coming.

The Star still rises.

The promise still stands.

Over your family.

Over your failure.

Over your midnight.

Over every place you thought was too ordinary for royalty.

Look up tonight. Not just at trees and tinsel— look past them. The Star-watcher’s promise is still en route, and it knows your address. Leave the high ground of your pride. Cross whatever desert you’re in. Bring whatever gift you have—gold, grief, questions, worship. He is still guiding every sincere seeker straight to a Child

who holds the whole sky in His small hands.

Numbers 24:17 is a reminder that history is not circular, nor is it random; it is marching toward the world-wide reign of the Son of David. Every proud empire that today seems invincible, every philosophy that scoffs at the idea of divine judgment, every heart that refuses to bow, will one day meet the One who crushes the forehead of the serpent and every lesser pretender.

And for those of us who belong to Jesus, the Star out of Jacob, this oracle is comfort: our King is not weak, defeated, or absent. He is risen, reigning, and returning. The scepter is not broken; the star has not fallen. He will put all enemies under His feet, and then the blessing first spoken over Abraham, and stubbornly repeated through Balaam’s unwilling lips, will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. That is the full weight of Balaam’s prophecy: a Star that no darkness could ever dim.

The Star-Watcher’s Promise is ours to keep. Balaam saw Him coming. We see Him reigning. And one day, every eye will see the Star out of Jacob, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Come, Lord Jesus, Star of Jacob, Scepter of Israel.

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father,

We thank You for the promise spoken through Balaam,

that a Star would rise out of Jacob,

a Scepter would come forth from Israel.

Lord Jesus, You are that Star—

the Light that shines in the darkness,

the King who rules with justice and mercy.

We worship You as the fulfillment of ancient hope,

the promise kept, the dawn that breaks every night.

Teach us to be watchers of the sky,

to live with eyes lifted toward Your coming,

to hold fast when the world grows dim,

knowing Your light cannot be overcome.

May Your Star guide our steps,

Your Scepter guard our hearts,

and Your promise strengthen our faith.

Until the day we see You face to face,

keep us steadfast, hopeful, and full of joy.

In Your holy name we pray, Amen.

Balaam Saw Him Coming Video