One Star Go Comot from Jacob

One man stand for top one high hill, breeze dey pull im robe. For down, spread across di plain, na di tents of Israel. One king stand for im side, e dey wait, im patience don finish. Curse dem, di king talk. Na wetin I dey pay you for be dat. But di man open im mouth, and something else comot.

Israel don dey waka for wilderness for almost forty years. Now dem camp for di plains of Moab, east of River Jordan, opposite Jericho. Balak, di king of Moab, dey fear well-well. Dem plenty too much. Dem go lick everytin wey dey around us, e talk, like how cow dey lick grass for field. So Balak send messengers with money go meet one famous seer from di north wey im name na Balaam, son of Beor. Come curse dis people for me. Anybody wey you curse, e don curse be dat. Balaam come. As e dey come, im donkey see one angel wey block di road, and di donkey even talk to am. God tell Balaam: you fit go, but na only wetin I tell you, you go talk.

Balak carry Balaam go one high place make e look down on Israel camp. Dem build altars, dem make offerings. And Balaam talk. But na blessing. Balak vex well-well. Try again, from anoda hill. Anoda blessing. Di third hill, wey dey face di wilderness. And dis time, Balaam see di tents of Israel as dem spread out, tribe by tribe, and di Spirit of God come upon am. “How your tents fine reach, Jacob, your houses, Israel!” Balak clap im hands with vex. I call you make you curse my enemies, and you don bless dem three times! Go house. I bin wan honour you, but di Lord don stop you from honour.

Balaam answer: I no tell your messengers? Even if you give me your house wey full with silver and gold, I no fit pass di word of di Lord. And before e comot, e talk one more time. One prophecy about di far future. E call imself di man wey im eye open, wey dey hear di words of God and dey see vision from di Almighty. And then: “I see am, but no be now. I dey look am, but e no near. One star go comot from Jacob. One sceptre go rise from Israel.” One star, wey dey rise. One sceptre, di staff of king. Somebody dey come from Jacob family, bright and royal, wey go crush Israel enemies and rule. No be now. E no near. But e sure.

Think how strange dis one be. Di clearest picture of one king wey dey come for di whole book of Numbers comot from di mouth of one outsider. One man wey dem hire make e curse, end up dey announce one star. And many hundreds of years after, more outsiders go come dey find one star. Wise men from di east, wey travel come Jerusalem dey ask, Where di one wey dem born King of di Jews dey? Because we don see im star for di east, and we don come worship am. God promises get dia way to reach people wey dey far beyond Israel.

No be only Bible dem know Balaam son of Beor from. For nineteen sixty-seven, archaeologists wey dey dig for Deir Alla, for di Jordan Valley for di country of Jordan today, find writing for ink on top pieces of one plastered wall. Di writing, from around di eighth century before Christ, talk about one vision of Balaam son of Beor, one seer of di gods. Na one of di few times wey person wey dem name for di Old Testament show for writing wey dem find outside Bible.

One star go comot from Jacob. You go find am for Numbers chapter twenty-four, verse fifteen reach nineteen. One curse wey turn to blessing, and one star wey God promise for one time wey still far. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. God turn Balaam curse to blessing. When people talk bad tins about you, how e dey help you to know wetin God dey talk about you?