Have you ever noticed parents’ eyes light up when they talk about their newborn child? They see beauty, potential, and hope. They speak with pride about attributes and qualities others might miss. This is the way God sees His children.

King Balak of Moab had hired the prophet Balaam to curse Israel as they camped in the wilderness. Three times Balak positioned Balaam on different mountains, desperate for him to pronounce judgment on God’s people. But each time, instead of the curses he desired, blessings would flow from Balaam’s lips. Balak’s plan was a dismal failure. In Balaam’s final attempt from Mount Peor, he delivers his most beautiful oracle yet. When Balaam “looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe,” something remarkable happened (24:2). The Spirit of God came upon him, and he saw Israel not through human eyes, but through God’s eyes. His words capture this divine perspective: “How beautiful are your tents, Jacob, your dwelling places, Israel!” (v. 5).

Israel had worshiped the golden calf, grumbled against Moses, and would soon fall into idolatry. Even so, God saw beauty in His covenant people. Balaam continued: “Like valleys they spread out, like gardens beside a river, like aloes planted by the LORD, like cedars beside the waters” (v. 6). He saw flourishing, growth, and divine blessing.

The prophecy reaches its climax with this messianic promise: “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” (v. 17). Even in the wilderness, God’s ultimate plan of redemption through Christ was unfolding. God works through sin or weakness to further His eternal purpose.