So you may be thinking, now that we’re up to clue three, that this is all very interesting but perhaps a bit of a stretch to say that these are all clues that point towards the first Christmas.

And perhaps it is.

Perhaps God was just talking about Eve’s literal offspring, Cain and Abel, and the lesser-known Seth. However, that seems unlikely considering the better known one who remained alive was a murderer.

Or perhaps Jacob was just getting a bit overawed with his sons. You know, Judah was shining just a little too brightly in his father’s eyes and despite his good points, really wasn’t anywhere near what his father thought he was cracked up to be.

Quite possibly.

However, jumping forwards to the book of Numbers (yes, Numbers) and we get the impression that these pieces of the puzzle are, much like the Death Star, still operational.

Puzzle Piece 3: He’s still to come

Rather than being just a father’s adoration, in Numbers a somewhat ‘minor character’, who possibly wasn’t even a Jew, by the name of Balaam re-instates Jacob’s prophecy and makes it clear that it hasn’t happened yet. Nor does he expect it soon:

“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly, the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:

“I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a sceptre will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the people of Sheth. Edom will be conquered; Seir, his enemy, will be conquered, but Israel will grow strong. A ruler will come out of Jacob and destroy the survivors of the city.”

Now, if you thought it was a bit of a stretch to link Clues 1 and 2 yesterday, you’ll see that here Balaam links the ‘crusher’ and the ‘sceptre’ together. This man will also be a ‘star’ coming out of Jacob and he will ‘rule’ and ‘destroy’.

That really is quite the prophecy. And, quite the piece of a puzzle. In fact, I think it’s a few pieces, really.

However, one piece to focus on today is this “I see him, but not now.”

The piece of the puzzle is that it’s future tense. There is someone who has all of these qualities that Balaam has synthesised rather poetically who is yet to ‘appear on stage’.

But he will come.

I see him, but not now.

So when? That’s tomorrow’s clue.

Yours looking forward,

Alison