God Speaks
How Will We Hear Him?
Numbers 24; 2 Chronicles 36; Matthew 2
The Promise of a Ruler
Numbers 24:15-19
15 Then he spoke his message:
“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,16 the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High,who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:
17 “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near.A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the people of Sheth. 18 Edom will be conquered; Seir, his enemy, will be conquered, but Israel will grow strong.19 A ruler will come out of Jacob and destroy the survivors of the city.” – Numbers 24:15-19
The Destruction of a Nation
2 Chronicles 36:15-19
15 The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. 17 He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and did not spare young men or young women, the elderly or the infirm. God gave them all into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. 18 He carried to Babylon all the articles from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the Lord’s temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. 19 They set fire to God’s temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there. – 2 Chronicles 36:15-19
The Star of the King
Matthew 2:1-12
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” – Matthew 2:1-2
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” – Matthew 2:3-8
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. – Matthew 2:9-12
Head – Heart – Hands – Application Questions
What was Balaam hired to do? How did God use Balaam to speak about the coming of Jesus?
What did Nebuchadnezzar do when he conquered Jerusalem? How did God use Nebuchadnezzar to help the Magi know about the prophecy of a star?
How do you think the Magi felt when they saw the star? How do you think it would have felt to go and find the King of the Jews?
How do these three events show us how God is working through history to bring about the coming of Jesus?
How does this remind us that God is still working today to bring about the second coming of Jesus?
How can we help people see that the baby in the manger is the Lord of all creation and their Savior?
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