The prophecy continued, saying that Israel would be favored to become like the “dust of Jacob.” Then Balaam added the thought “I wish that my own personal destiny were like that of the Israelites, whom I am supposed to curse.” In other words, “May my end be blessed like Israel’s end.” (Of course Balaam’s end will be otherwise.)

“He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel.” How could such a statement be made when the Israelites had murmured repeatedly about wanting to return to Egypt? The statement is true if we consider that the faultfinders kept perishing in a weeding-out process, and that another weeding out would yet take place, so that only the younger generation would enter the land (Joshua and Caleb being the exceptions). God, through Balaam, was speaking of the Israelites then living; He would not curse them because He had purposed to bring them into the Land of Promise. Furthermore, no one from the outside should interfere in the Lord’s business.

The “LORD … is with him [Jacob], and the shout of a king [the Messiah] is among them [the Israelites].” Earth’s future King would come from the progeny of this people. Therefore, to destroy them would defeat God’s very purpose of raising up Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews, the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

Keturah bore six sons to Abraham. Hence Abraham had a total of eight sons, including Isaac and Ishmael. Keturah’s sons prefigure the world in the Kingdom under the New Covenant. Ishmael represents natural Israel, and Hagar, his mother, represents the Law Covenant. Isaac portrays the Church, developed under Sarah, a picture of the Grace Covenant. Hence the three wives of Abraham represent three covenants.

We See this scripture was very much in the minds of the Jew back at our Lord’s first Advent. This is one aspect of the Messiah, to be a mediator of a New Covenant like Moses was of the Old (Law) Covenant. So one question we might ask; Was Deuteronomy 18:15 fulfilled by AD 33? The answer is no. This role of mediator was not an operation of Jesus’ First Advent. The purpose of the First Advent was to pay the “Ransom”, and start the Gospel Age (calling of the Bride). This will certainly be fulfilled during his Second Coming.

Here the Israelites were given instructions on what to do when they entered the Promised Land 38 years later. When they made an offering, it had to be done in a certain way. Several kinds of offerings were mentioned including a burnt offering, a vow, a freewill offering (a thanksgiving offering), and an offering that pertained to a solemn feast such as the Passover. All of these offerings, which were limited to an animal from the herd or the flock, were “sweet” offerings, “a sweet savour unto the LORD.”

Had Jesus remained down here and not died on the Cross, he would have had nothing to offer to cover sin except in a typical fashion, and typical sacrifices, being ceremonial, did not have any real merit. But since Jesus had died on the Cross, been raised, and ascended to heaven as a High Priest, he now had his ransom sacrifice to offer, and that sacrifice, which did not have to be repeated, became the basis for real salvation.

In this chapter, Paul directed attention primarily to the Gentiles. Before that, he spoke mostly to the Jewish portion of the class and discussed the prejudices they had to override in order to live together in harmony with the Gentile converts to Christ. After speaking to the Jewish element, and sometimes rather strongly, Paul now turned to the Gentiles and said they, too, should not be high-minded. If some of the natural branches of the olive tree had been broken off in order that wild branches could be grafted in, then the wild branches could also be broken off and the natural branches grafted back into the stock of the olive tree. Paul added that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles is brought in, and then “all Israel shall be saved” (Rom. 11:26).

Notice that Solomon started out with an individual: “If any man trespass against his neighbour….” (1 Kings 8:31). Then he prayed with regard to the nation being taken into captivity and wanting restoration: “When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy….” (verse 33). Out of respect for what God had said earlier, he asked that the Temple be a magnet in connection with making the people’s prayers effective. Now he talked about the withholding of rain, which was also a subject in Moses’ dissertation. The withholding of rain, which brought crop failure, also meant that the Israelites had sinned. In that case, Solomon asked for an instructor to show the people the error of their way: “Teach them the good way wherein they should walk [so that they can retrace their steps].” Solomon’s prayer contained a wide range of thinking.

“I will make it as the mourning of an only son.” The Holy Remnant will mourn in the future when they are miraculously delivered from Jacob’s Trouble and realize Jesus was their Messiah (Zech. 12:11-14). The word “son” is supplied but is correct. As the Jews flee from the enemy through the split Mount of Olives, they will see a huge three-dimensional hologram vision of the Crucifixion, which will convert them suddenly. All who flee through the valley that the earthquake opens up will see the vision, but the Holy Remnant will survive, while the unrighteous class of Jews and the enemy (Gog) will perish. The Temple platform must be leveled and then raised up by the earthquake in preparation for the building of the Third Temple. Just as the literal Temple veil was rent in twain by an earthquake when Jesus died, so the veil will be figuratively rent when the God of Israel manifests His anger in the future earthquake. Many things will happen at one time: the sky will turn dark at noon, the earth will be tumultuously ripped open by the earthquake, buildings such as Dome of the Rock will collapse, etc. Many prophets refer to these events. SUDDEN DRAMA will occur!

Verse 12 tells us that Jeremiah gave Baruch what we would call an envelope containing the two deeds. Thus the well-respected Baruch, whose lineage is given, was like Jeremiah’s secretary and treasurer. Evidently, too, he was a person of influence who backed up the prophet. Baruch was given the original deed (and the copy) in the sight of Hanameel and in the presence of the witnesses who had signed it and also of the Jews who sat in the prison courtyard. Zedekiah did not like Jeremiah, yet he permitted this transaction. The king was not taking any chances just in case there was something of substance going on here, so at this time, he treated Jeremiah quite well as a prisoner. (Earlier, however, Jeremiah was at the bottom of a cistern, in mire and water, until the eunuch pulled him out.)

Verses 13-15 tell what God’s purpose was. The deed was made out in duplicate. The official notarized, sealed deed, as well as the open one, was put in an earthen vessel to be hidden by Baruch. But why were there two deeds? One reason was to have two witnesses—the land purchase was confirmed and reaffirmed. Another reason was for the dramatic effect that will occur when the deeds are found in the Kingdom. The deeds will no doubt be found because the account states explicitly that they were put in an earthen vessel so that they would “continue many days,” suggesting the deeds were recorded for posterity.

As we examine the Book of Hebrews, we see more and more that it was addressed primarily to Jewish Christians. In early chapters, almost from the beginning, Paul warned how easy it is to go out of the truth by letting things slip or by forsaking the assembling of ourselves together. Now, near the end of the book, he reverted back to his concern for converted Jews and the problems in maintaining their faith and in resisting sin in others as well as in their own fallen nature. Our three enemies are categorized as the world, the flesh, and the devil.