Sermon # 12 - Building Beautiful Families Series

We read in Numbers 24:5, “How beautiful are your tents, Jacob, and the places where you live, Israel.” (GW)

These are the words that were declared by the Prophet Balaam as he beheld the people of Israel from the top of a mountain. We studied that every one of these words that were spoken by Balaam can be appropriated for us believers because the words that Balaam spoke were not his own but the very words of God. While Balaam looked at the Israelites through his physical eyes, he realized that God opened his to see things differently.

We read in Numbers 24:4, the oracle of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered: (ESV)

Balaam realized that his eyes were opened to see things from God’s divine perspective. When we look at anything we can either look at it from a physical point of view or we can look at it with a spiritual angle. Often we are trained to perceive all the hardships, struggles, and difficulties that come to us, and to our families merely through our physical eyes. If we can learn to see things from with our spiritual eyes we will be able to discern the cause for these situations that come our way.

Balak the king of Moab thought that he could allure the Prophet Balaam to curse the Israelites and hinder their progress, but suddenly Balaam’s eyes were opened to see that God was in control.

We too must ask God to open our eyes so that we can understand things from God’s divine perspective, and this alone will prevent us from reacting in the flesh.

With Balaam’s eyes saw what God saw it was then that he declared, Numbers 24:5, “How beautiful are your tents, Jacob, and the places where you live, Israel.” (GW)

There is beauty in orderliness. This is the testimony that God should give about us, and our families when He looks at us, that there is beauty and orderliness in our homes. We live in a hill station and we may not value the beauty of the parks and gardens in our town. Have you observed how when outsiders and tourists visit this place they are in awe of the beauty in this place?

A beautiful family

We read in Proverbs 24:3-4, By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.(ESV)

A home is not built with bricks and cement, but with wisdom and understanding. This means that there is good understanding between the husband and wife. Only when this understanding is there, the family is beautiful, and a beautiful family pleases the Lord.

Let us look at two families that were a great example in the bible of families that were beautiful.

Family of Ruth and Boaz

Ruth was non-Jewish woman from Moab who came to Israel. The reason Boaz married Ruth was not her beauty or wealth or her background, but because of her faith in the Lord. Ruth willingly left behind her country, her family and her gods, and went with her mother in law Naomi. Remember that Naomi had nothing in her hands when she returned back to Israel, but Ruth understood that Naomi’s God was a faithful God.

Those who are not yet married, and looking out for a life partner must have the same outlook that Boaz had to not just go by outward appearance, or wealth, or education, but to value the faith that is in the person.

No wonder then that the family of Boaz and Ruth was a beautiful family who had the honor of being the ancestors in whose line Jesus was born. God was with them, they honored God with their faith, and therefore God honored them.

Family of Mary and Joseph

There was something special about the characters of both Joseph and Mary. If you read about them, both of them never spoke or acted hastily in any situation.

Many of us get so agitated even over simple matters, and we say or do things that we often regret later. Just imagine if we heard the news that Joseph heard about Mary before they were married. I am sure that many a groom would have made a huge issue, and shared this information far and wide. However, both Joseph and Mary kept all of this in their hearts, and Joseph was calm and patient. Joseph waited patiently and when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and assured him that the child that was conceived in Mary was of the Holy Spirit, he willingly accepted it. Mary too we read kept many things in her heart, and pondered about it.