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Morning Star Chapel

Now for the angels, the story of the Lord's Advent does not begin with the New Testament. It begins in the Old Testament, because in its spiritual sense the Old Testament looks forward in every least detail to the coming of the Lord. When we read the story of Abraham, for example, the angels see within this an account of what would be happening in the Lord's mind while He was still an infant here on earth. In the story of King David the angels see the story of the Lord's mission here on earth, His trials and temptations, and His victories. And so it is with everything recorded in the books of the Old Testament. As we read these books, the angels who are with us are rejoicing in what we read , rejoicing in what it teaches them about the Lord.

For us here on earth it is by no means apparent that everything in the Old Testament treats about the Lord. This is one of the reasons that the Lord reveals in the Writings the internal sense of much of what is written in the Old Testament. As we read in the Writings the explanation of the internal sense, we can begin to see, albeit in a very imperfect and external way, those wonderful truths that the Lord has hidden within His Word for the angels. We begin to understand how it is that the Old Testament is speaking about the Lord in every least detail, and is therefore filled with holiness.

Then there are also those places in the Old Testament where deeper truths about the Lord shine forth in the letter, shine forth so that everybody can gain a glimpse of the glory that lies within. This is particularly the case in those places where the coming of the Lord is prophesied. Though the whole of the Old Testament is, for the angels, a prophecy of the coming of the Lord, there are places where we here on earth can see something of what the angels see.

Our text this morning is one of these prophecies from the Old Testament, the prophecy spoken by Balaam. "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, and batter the corners of Moab, and destroy all the sons of Sheth." It is a prophecy, a beautiful prophecy, of the coming of the Lord. It speaks of a scepter, that is, of a king. And it speaks of a star that would be a sign of the birth of that king.

Now the context of this prophecy, the story in which it appears, spans three chapters in the Book of Numbers, and it is a story, that, to modern ears, seems strange in a way, for it is something that happened at a time in history when people truly believed in the power of blessing and of cursing, a time when the supernatural was never far from their thoughts. The Israelites were traveling towards their promised land, the land of Canaan. As they neared the land they requested the Amorites to let them pass through their territory. They promised the Amorites that they would not harm their crops or their vineyards, not take water from their wells. The Amorites foolishly refused, and attacked the Israelites. The Israelites defeated the Amorites and took their land.

The Israelites now moved on to the plains of Moab. Balak, the king of Moab, was frightened at the approach of these people who had just defeated a neighboring country. And so Balak sent messengers to a man called Balaam, asking him to come and pronounce a curse upon Israel. Balak believed that if Balaam would pronounce this curse, then the Israelites would be unable to defeat him. Balaam, though, is told by the Lord not to curse the Israelites. Eventually Balak persuades Balaam to come, even though Balaam makes it very plain that he will not disobey the Lord. On the way, Balaam's donkey sees an angel, and veering away, crushes Balaam's foot against the wall of a vineyard. Balaam hits his donkey with a stick. And the donkey talks to Balaam and asks why Balaam is hitting him. Then Balaam also sees the angel and is warned by the angel only to say what the Lord commands him to say. When Balaam arrives, King Balak tries to get him to curse the Israelites, but each time, Balaam ends up blessing them. Finally Balaam pronounces the blessing, the prophecy, that a star and a scepter would come out of Jacob and Israel.

It is indeed a strange-sounding story, a story about cursings and blessings and about a donkey that appears to talk. It is obvious, is it not, that there has to be far more to this than meets the eye? Who was this Balaam? And why was it that Balaam had these special powers--powers of cursing and powers of blessing?

One thing that we learn elsewhere about Balaam is that he was a cunning and wicked man. Even though he was not allowed to pronounce a curse upon the Israelites, he was later instrumental in encouraging the Israelites to worship the gods of the Moabites, knowing that in this way they would be punished by Jehovah. And indeed, as a result, twenty-four thousand Israelites died as a result of a plague. Balaam was as cunning as a serpent. When he was not allowed to curse the Israelites, he managed to get them to curse themselves. And near the end of the New Testament, the Book of Revelation speaks of the time when Balaam taught Balak how to put a stumbling block in front of the Israelites, encouraging them to worship idols.

Even though Balaam himself was a wicked man, he nevertheless had great spiritual knowledge. We are told in the Writings that he was a Syrian, or "son of the east." In the land of Syria, we are told, there was still a remnant of the Ancient Church, and there was still a knowledge of the correspondences that exist between natural and spiritual things. This is how Balaam possessed spiritual knowledge and this is how he had the power of blessing and of cursing, a power that he possessed through his knowledge of correspondences. Balaam, who pronounced the prophecy of the star, knew full well what a star corresponded to. He knew that this star stood for a knowledge of the Lord.

Many years later there would be other men who traveled from Syria, from the east. It is no coincidence that the wise men in the Christmas story also, we are told in the Writings, were of the sons of the east. These wise men not only knew the prophecy of the star, but they also knew that it stood for the knowledge of the Lord. And because they were from a remnant of the Ancient Church, they also knew that gold stood for celestial love, frankincense for spiritual love, and myrrh for natural love. This is why they chose these gifts. The wise men of the Christmas story did not come out of nowhere. They came from Syria, from the same land as did Balaam, a land where spiritual knowledge still flourished.

And so it is that we can see that the story of Balaam is prophetic, not only because he utters the prophecy of the star, but because he came from the east, from the very same country as did the wise men from the east at the time of the Lord's birth.

Now the angels, who are with us as we read the stories in the Word also see this prophecy of the star, but they see it on a deeper level. And one of the wonderful things about having the Writings is that they can help us, to some small degree, think along with the angels. You see, the story of the Lord's Advent is not really about natural things. It is not about a star appearing in the sky. It is not about a journey across the desert made by wise men from the east. Yes, these things happened, but they are symbolic of deeper things, things that occur within the spirit.

The star, the real star of Christmas, is, as we have said, knowledge. It is knowing about something. It is knowing about the Lord, knowing about the Lord Jesus Christ. And to know about the Lord, to know that He came down to earth, and to know that He is still present with us here on earth, is of fundamental importance for the people of the church.

Let us go back for a minute to the story of the Israelites. As the Israelites approached the land of Canaan they were confronted by enemy nations. They had fought the Amorites. Now the king of the Moabites sought to have them cursed. The Israelites were at that time the Lord's people, and they represented the Lord's church here on earth. And the Lord's church has many enemies. What is evil works in countless ways to destroy the church, because evil hates the church. One of the ways in which evil tries to destroy the church is represented by Moab. We read this in the work Apocalypse Explained: "'The corners of Moab' mean all things that are signified by 'Moab;' and 'Moab' signifies those who are in the ultimates of the Word, of the church, and of worship; and in the contrary sense those who adulterate these by turning themselves towards self, and having regard to their own honor in every particular of these."

Whenever and wherever the Lord seeks to establish His church, whenever He teaches about Himself and invites people to draw close to Him, people tend to take what the Lord is offering them and turn it into something selfish. Think of the Garden of Eden! Adam and Eve had been given this beautiful garden by the Lord, but they decided to disobey the Lord and do what they wanted. Think of the Israelites who are chosen by Jehovah and protected by Him and led by Him in miraculous ways! Yet they distrusted the Lord and they disobeyed Him time and time again. What of us? Think of all the Lord has given us: wonderful truths, wonderful teachings about Himself, about life after death, about the Word, about charity, about marriage. And yet what do we so often do? We get immersed in ourselves and in our own wants and in our own needs and in our own egos, and in our own need to control of other people. In the name of the church we so often act selfishly. This is Moab. This is what the prophecy calls the "corners of Moab."

There is only one answer to Moab. It is the star, and the scepter. "A Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and batter the corners of Moab, and destroy all the sons of Sheth." The sons of Sheth were people within the land of Moab. What the prophecy says to the angels is this: if religious selfishness is to be defeated, if the foundation or corners of selfishness and everything within it are to be broken down, then we need to turn consciously to the Lord Himself. The star stands for knowing about the Lord. Of course in one sense we all know about the Lord. But how often we forget Him! How often we focus on other things instead! How often is it that we focus more upon ourselves than we do upon Him.

We need to look upwards. We need to look up towards heaven. There it is that we can see the most wonderful knowledge of all, shining in the darkness of our minds. To see the Star of Jacob is to see that we ourselves are not important and that what we want is not important. It is to see that the church is not our church. It is not your church; it is not my church; it is not a church that belongs to others. The church is the Lord's and if we are to be saved, if we are to be lifted up out of what is selfish, then we, like the wise men, must follow that star. And then the angels, the angels who are with us, will rejoice. They will give glory to God in the highest. And here on earth, within our minds, and within the church, there can at last be peace.

Amen.

Lessons: Numbers 24:10-17

Matthew 2:1-10

AC 3249

Numbers 24:10-17 10Then Balak’s anger was aroused against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have bountifully blessed them these three times! 11Now therefore, flee to your place. I said I would greatly honor you, but in fact, the Lord has kept you back from honor.” 12So Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not also speak to your messengers whom you sent to me, saying, 13‘If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord, to do good or bad of my own will. What the Lord says, that I must speak’? 14And now, indeed, I am going to my people. Come, I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the latter days.” 15So he took up his oracle and said: “The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, And the utterance of the man whose eyes are opened; 16 The utterance of him who hears the words of God, And has the knowledge of the Most High, Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Who falls down, with eyes wide open: 17 “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, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of Sheth.

Matthew 2:1-10 1Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” 3When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’” 7Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” 9When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.

AC 3249. Eastward to the land of the east. That this signifies to the good of faith, is evident from the signification of "the east" and the "land of the east," which will be treated of in what follows. The good of faith which is signified by the "land of the east," is no other than that which in the Word is called charity toward the neighbor; and charity toward the neighbor is nothing else than a life according to the Lord's commandments. That this is signified by the "land of the east" may be seen above (n. 1250); therefore they who were in the knowledges of the good of faith were called "sons of the east." The land of the sons of the east was Aram of Syria. (That Aram or Syria represents the knowledges of good, may be seen above, n. 1232, 1234; and that Aram Naharaim, or Syria of the rivers, represents the knowledges of truth, n. 3051.) And as by the "Syrians" or "sons of the east" were signified those who were in the knowledges of good and truth, they were preeminently called the "wise," as in the first book of Kings, where it is said of Solomon: The wisdom of Solomon was multiplied above the wisdom of all the sons of the east (1 Kings 4:30); and as in Matthew, where it is said of those who came to Jesus when He was born: Wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is He that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him (Matt. 2:1-2). For in Syria were the last remains of the Ancient Church, and therefore in that land there still remained the knowledges of good and truth, as can also be seen from Balaam, who not only adored Jehovah, but also prophesied concerning the Lord, and called Him the "Star out of Jacob, and the Scepter out of Israel" (Num. 24:17). That Balaam was of the sons of the east in Syria is manifest, for he says this of himself when he utters the declaration: From Syria hath Balak brought me, the king of Moab, from the mountains of the east (Num. 33:7). That it was Aram or Syria where the sons of the east dwelt, is evident from the fact that when Jacob went into Syria he is said to have gone "to the land of the sons of the east" (Gen. 29:1).

Sermon from November 29, 2009 continued from the home page