Category Archives: Faith and Practice

The Prophet Who Wouldn’t Bless — and Couldn’t Stop

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“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…”
Numbers 24:17

Balaam is one of the most perplexing figures in the Old Testament. He was a prophet for hire, famous for his spiritual reputation and willing heart. Balak, king of Moab, summoned him to curse Israel, convinced that spiritual weaponry would succeed where the military failed. Balaam was happy to accept the commission, there was gold to be earned, provided that God permitted it.

And this is the great tension of Balaam’s story: he longed to curse, but was only able to speak what God gave him to say.

Three times from the mountaintop he opened his mouth hoping to condemn Israel, and three times blessing poured out instead. Not because Balaam loved Israel. Not because his heart was pure. But because God had set His favor upon His people and would not allow their blessing to be reversed.

Then, in one of the most remarkable moments in Scripture, this compromised prophet becomes the mouthpiece of one of the clearest Messianic prophecies of the Pentateuch.

“A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.”

Balaam, hired to destroy Israel, ends up proclaiming Israel’s greatest glory: the coming of the Messiah King.

There is holy irony here, the kind only God can write. A prophet driven by greed is compelled to announce a Savior driven by grace. A man seeking personal gain announces the triumph of the true King who will reign not through conquest but through sacrifice. Balaam foresaw the rise of a scepter, yet never bowed to it himself.

This moment teaches us something essential about God’s sovereignty: the Lord accomplishes His purposes not only through willing servants, but even through unwilling vessels. Balaam spoke better than he believed. His lips preached Christ while his heart remained unchanged.

And yet God’s Word came forth unhindered.

The coming Christ is described as both Star and Scepter, radiant glory and royal authority. The Star that would guide Gentiles centuries later to Bethlehem. The Scepter that would establish not merely an earthly kingdom, but a dominion of righteousness, peace, and everlasting life.

Ironically, Balaam stood among the Gentiles and spoke of the Jewish King sent for the salvation of the world, including men like Balaam himself. And still he walked away.

This is where the account grows sobering. It is possible to speak the truth of Christ without loving Him. It is possible to proclaim the gospel while missing the grace of it altogether. Balaam reminds us that proximity to truth does not equal saving faith. Ministry knowledge is not the same as a transformed heart.

Yet even this does not dim the glory of God’s purposes. If God could use a prophet motivated by profit to announce the promise of Christ, how much more will He use ordinary, stumbling believers yielded to His Word?

The Messiah does not need perfect servants, only faithful proclamation. The power is not in the messenger, but in the message.

Balaam meant to curse — God compelled blessing.
Balaam sought gold — God revealed glory.
Balaam spoke Christ — but never trusted Him.

And still the Star rose. Still the Scepter reigns. Still the gospel advances, unstoppable by human sin, weakness, or hypocrisy.

God will accomplish every word He has spoken, even when His servants do not understand the weight of what they proclaim.

May we not be like Balaam, content to speak truths we will not submit to. Instead, may we behold the Star not only with our lips, but with faith, and bow before the Scepter not only with words, but with our lives.

“We have the prophetic word more fully confirmed… until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” (2 Peter 1:19)

SDG

The Basket of Summer Fruit — Amos 8 and the Urgency of Returning to the Lord

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When Amos stood before the people of Israel with a basket of summer fruit, it must have looked harmless enough, a simple, everyday image from life in the land. But the Lord often takes what is familiar and uses it to press home eternal truth. “Amos, what do you see?” the Lord asks. “A basket of summer fruit,” he replies (Amos 8:1–2). And then God unveils the meaning:

“The end has come upon my people Israel; I will never again pass by them.”

In Hebrew, the words for summer fruit (קַיִץ, qayitz) and end (קֵץ, qetz) sound nearly identical. It’s a prophetic pun, sharp, memorable, and unsettling. Israel was like a basket of overripe figs: attractive on the outside, but moments away from spoiling. The time of opportunity was closing. The moment for repentance was about to rot on the table.

A People Ripe for Judgment

The summer fruit symbolizes ripeness, not for blessing, but for judgment. Israel’s worship continued, their sacrifices continued, their festivals continued… but their hearts had long since wandered. They trampled the poor (8:4), cheated with dishonest scales (8:5), and viewed the Sabbath as an inconvenient interruption to profit. They recited prayers while plotting injustice. They sang psalms while nursing idolatry.

God will not bless a people who only want Him as a religious garnish.

The Lord’s word through Amos exposes the painful truth: Israel’s zeal for ceremony hid a hollowness of soul. Their piety ripened toward catastrophe. They were, as one commentator put it, “religiously active and spiritually empty.”

The Famine Worse Than Hunger

Then comes the most chilling warning of all:

“Behold, the days are coming… when I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.” (8:11)

There is no judgment more severe than being left alone with our sin.

When God withdraws His Word, He withdraws His mercy.

When He removes the lamp of Scripture, He removes the path of life.

Israel’s greatest threat was not Assyria, it was the silence of heaven.

And in every generation, this danger is real. A people who repeatedly refuse to listen eventually lose the ability to hear. A congregation that treats God’s Word as optional soon finds it unintelligible. A heart that trifles with Scripture risks becoming calloused to it.

Spiritual deafness is not sudden; it is the final stage of long neglect.

Our Moment of Ripeness

We, too, live in a season of summer fruit.

We have shelves of Bibles, yet struggle to open them.

We have podcasts, sermons, resources, commentaries, yet the Word often sits unopened while lesser voices fill our days.

We confess Scripture’s authority while giving it our leftovers.

We lament the state of the culture while ignoring the state of our souls.

The warning of Amos 8 is not locked in ancient Israel. It is a mirror held before the church today. The Lord is patient and abounding in steadfast love, but His patience is not permission. A basket of fruit only stays fresh for so long.

A Call to Return Before the Word Grows Silent

If the Spirit uses Amos 8 to stir conviction, even the faintest tremor, do not brush it aside. Overripe fruit doesn’t grow firm again. Repentance delayed is repentance endangered.

But repentance embraced?

That is where renewal begins.

Turn from the sin that has slowly numbed your soul.

Turn from the distractions that drown out God’s voice.

Turn from the idols, quiet, respectable, culturally acceptable, that have replaced Scripture in shaping your affections.

Turn toward the Lord while His Word still calls, still convicts, still comforts, still reveals Christ.

The same God who warned Israel also welcomed prodigals.

The same Lord who threatened silence still speaks to the humble.

The same voice that announced judgment still whispers mercy to those who bend the knee.

Before the famine comes, feast.

Before the silence falls, listen.

Before the basket spoils, return to the One who offers life.

May the Lord give us ears to hear, hearts to obey, and souls renewed by the living, enduring, life-giving Word.

SDG