Now Is The Time To Share The Gospel

I see him, but not now. I behold him, but not near. Number 24:17a 

Even though he was more interested in making a profit than being a prophet, Balaam was a prophet who was used by God for His purposes. Balaam had been hired by the King of Moab to curse Israel. But every time he tried to do so, words of blessings for God’s people flowed from his mouth. He simply could not curse Israel. 

But a greater mystery was also revealed to Balaam. God allowed Balaam the honor of seeing a foretaste of the coming Messiah. Balaam’s words before us indicate that the Messiah would indeed come out of Israel. No, not in Balaam’s day, but He would come in the future. His being revealed to the nations was definite. 

This Savior would be no ordinary man, no earthly king, no wise sage imparting human wisdom. He would be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This Messiah would shepherd and guide God’s people like the stars who provided bearings for ancient people to travel. This one to come would wield an eternal scepter with the power to heal and restore and save from sin. And unfaithful Balaam had a glimpse of His coming glory. 

But as beautiful as this oracle is to the heart of a believer, it was an oracle of dread and doom. Like the word woe, it was a pronouncement of a coming judgment. Balaam did not stop with a pronouncement that the Messiah would come. He continued with a proclamation of judgment upon Moab for defying the Almighty God by trying to curse Israel and later seduce her. God does not mince words; the heads of the Moabites would be crushed. God’s prophecy of the Messiah coming both to save and to judge was and is certain. 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we, like Balaam, have been commissioned to speak words of blessings and words of condemnation, too. Through the pages of Scripture, we have had the Messiah revealed to us. We know and attest to the fact that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners. He came to live perfectly for us, to die horribly for us, and to rise triumphantly for us. This is the good news that we are privileged to preach, not for profit, but so that our world may know Jesus, the fulfillment of prophecy. These are the words that bring light and life and comfort and hope. 

But the sword of the Spirit carries a second message about the second coming of the Messiah. He will not return in humility. He will return in militance as He comes to judge the nations. The prophecy we share, as Balaam’s oracle shared, speaks of an unsettling end for the Savior’s enemies. He will bind them forever in Hell.

In this new year, remember that the time is immediate, that the message is urgent. Share the gospel with people while it is still day. Tell them of the Savior, their Savior, the only Savior. And in doing so, reveal to them the mysteries of the ages fulfilled in Christ. Blessings in this new year. 

Frank Van Brocklin 

Principal Teacher 

Coming up in the near future at Immanuel Lutheran School: 

❖ Thank you to all to the parents, congregation members, staff, and faculty for your cards and gifts during the celebration of Christ’s birth. Your thoughtfulness in this season is greatly appreciated by me and by all my faculty and staff. It is a blessing to be so loved. 

❖ Our first ILSA meeting of the new calendar year is tonight, Wednesday, January 3, at 6:00 PM. 

❖ Our first home game for the basketball season will be on Friday, January 5.

❖ Our next School Board meeting will be Tuesday, January 9. 

❖ Our Accelerated Reader field trip for ice skating will be on Thursday, January 11.

❖ Second quarter ends for us on January 12.