Exodus 28:15 – 30 “You are also to make a breastpiece of judgment with the same workmanship as the ephod. Construct it with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen. It must be square when folded over double, a span long and a span wide. (The breastpiece, when folded over, was approximately 9 inches or 22.86 centimeters in both length and width.) And mount on it a setting of gemstones, four rows of stones: In the first row there shall be a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald; in the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; in the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; and in the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. Mount these stones in gold filigree settings. The twelve stones are to correspond to the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.
For the breastpiece make braided chains like cords of pure gold. You are also to make two gold rings and fasten them to the two corners of the breastpiece. Then fasten the two gold chains to the two gold rings at the corners of the breastpiece, and fasten the other ends of the two chains to the two filigree settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front. Make two more gold rings and attach them to the other two corners of the breastpiece, on the inside edge next to the ephod. Make two additional gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on its front, near its seam just above its woven waistband. The rings of the breastpiece shall be tied to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breastpiece is above the waistband of the ephod and does not swing out from the ephod. Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he shall bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of judgment, as a continual reminder before the LORD. And place the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece of judgment, so that they will also be over Aaron’s heart whenever he comes before the LORD. Aaron will continually carry the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before the LORD.”
God wants to make certain that the high priest will always bear the names of the tribes of Israel into the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. Not only are these names to be inscribed on onyx stones that are part of the shoulder pieces of the ephod, but the ephod also bears twelve stones, each one of which carries the name of a different tribe. The description of the construction of the breastpiece is complicated; the idea is that this will be strongly bound to the ephod with rings and chains of pure gold. The breastpiece is to be bound so that it cannot swing out from the ephod as the priest carries out his duties. But what are the Urim and Thummim?
At the time God was establishing His worship, divination was common. Pagan priests would slaughter animals and examine the entrails or the liver, examine the flight of birds, or find some other source of magic to give answers. It’s likely that the Egyptian priests did something similar. Eventually, God wants His people to approach Him directly; however, in the meantime, the Israelites are used to divination. If God simply forbids divination entirely, the Israelites are likely to dream up something on their own. The Urim (meaning “wrong, false, or curses” and Thummim (meaning “true”) are God’s means of gradually leading His people away from divination.
Given the fact that the Urim and Thummim were placed inside the breastpiece, it is likely that they were small objects, either colored stones or flat carved pieces of wood or bone. These objects would have been enclosed in a small pouch that was then placed inside the breast plate. Once the person asking for guidance had put his question to the high priest, the priest might then reach into the pouch and blindly pull out the Urim or the Thummim. According to some rabbinic traditions, the priest might stand facing the Ark of the Covenant and receive a vision from the Holy Spirit with the answer. Some scholars described even more vivid scenes in which rays of light would shine out of certain jewels on the breastplate, somehow spelling out answers.
APPLICATION: The use of the Urim and the Thummim was discontinued at the time of King David when prophets took over the function of transmitting God’s answers to His people. Sometimes today we might wish that we had some kind of magic instrument that would immediately tell us what God wants us to do. On the other hand, what if our will and God’s will don’t line up?
How can we know God’s will for our lives? First of all, we need to study God’s Word, the Bible. God has promised in Psalm 138:2 that He has “magnified His Word above His Name.” God is NOT going to go against His Word. If you want to do something that does not line up with God’s Word, think again! Second, we can pray and ask God for guidance; however, we must be sincere in that request. There were many instances in ancient Israel when the people demanded that the prophets tell them God’s will, only for the people to turn around and reject it when the prophets told them hard truths.
Third, what possible answers has God already built into your situation? Have you acted on everything that God has given you? Have you rejected a solution because it seemed too simple?
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for your promises that if we truly want to know your will, you will show us. You are a good father and you don’t play guessing games with your kids. Help us to truly want your will for our lives. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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