Word to the Wise
Monday, December 15, 2008 - Monday in the Third Week of Advent
[Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17A and Matthew 21:23-27]I see him, though not near; a star shall advance from Jacob, and a staff shall rise from Israel!
The words of the prophecy of Balaam have an ironic turn because he represented a pagan country and was hired by Israel's enemies to put a curse on them! (Balaam is also famous because his donkey could talk - at least that's the story!). But when Balaam came into view of Israel's camp, he was awestruck and God had him say just the opposite of what he had been hired to say! These words represent the hope of Israel at the time but also came to be interpreted by the Christian community as a foretelling of the coming of the Savior. Words of hope can be powerful things. They can move a person or people to endure tremendous challenges for the sake of realizing that hope! This is precisely what Jesus offers us in this season - HOPE! Right now our country continues to be at war in Iraq and Afghanistan. People are losing jobs and savings in the current financial collapse. In the midst of these "mega-crises" there are all the ordinary human sufferings that get magnified in the Advent/Christmas season. Retelling the story of how Israel's hopes were realized (but not in the way they expected) in Jesus enables us to realize that God has come to dwell with us and accompanies us in the trials that beset us now. Balaam and his talented donkey may have been a disappointment to his employers, but he gave voice to everything we can hope for! AMEN