NOTES for Num 24:15-17

The Lord gives Balaam an amazing vision. "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near." Balaam sees not simply God at a distance - he sees Him on the way. He is not yet nearby, He has not yet come. Balaam hears Him, sees Him far off, but understands that His coming is still foreknowledge, prophecy, and not an accomplished fact.

In these days of Advent, of preparation for Christmas, the Church reminds us that God was not always so close to His people. Only the Birth of Jesus changed the situation. And now, as it were, together with Old Testament Israel and the prophets, we await Him, looking from afar as He draws near to us.