The Urim and the Thummim

It is essential that this generation have access to the voice of God.  We read of the patriarchs who consulted a mysterious Urim and Thummim.  The answer which came forth was accepted as the Word of God.  It is easy for many in our generation to ask the question: “Why doesn’t God’s voice speak to us today like it did in the days of old?”

The voice of God is more accessible to this generation than it has ever been.

In reality, we can’t describe the mysterious Urim and Thummim.  But in all sincerity, can any of us in this building describe the Holy Ghost?  Of course not!  There are not words in the human vocabulary that are sufficient to describe the Holy Ghost.

In the early patriarchial times, the Urim and the Thummim were concealed in a pouch placed over the heart of the high priest.  You had to have access to the high priest in order to get an answer from God.  In our generation, “ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood”,  and the spiritual heart of the true believer is filled with the Holy Ghost.  The Holy Ghost is the Urim and the Thummim of the church.

Those who sought an answer from God by means of the Urim and the Thummim received an answer.  Contained within you, as part of your born again experience, resides the spirit of the one who spoke to the patriarchs of old.  The answer to everything that you could ask or seek from God is with you if you have the Holy Ghost.

 

Saul sought an answer from the Urim and the Thummim, but the answer did not come. (1Sam. 28:6)  Why?  Because there was sin in his life.  We cannot allow someone today who has never received the Holy Ghost tell us foolish things such as “God doesn’t speak to us anymore.”

Well, I have never spoken to President Clinton, but only because I have never been in his presence. But Hillary speaks to him often, because she is often with him.  God speaks to those who are with him.  “I know my sheep, and my sheep hear my voice.”

It is imperitive that a child of God learn to both hear and obey the voice of God.  Instead of asking, “Why can’t God speak to me?”, ask yourself, “Why don’t I allow God to speak to me?”

God has and does speak through the lips on man.  He did it throughout the old testament when a prophet would speak and say something like, “Thus saith the Lord.”  He still does the same thing today through the gifts of the Spirit.  Some people mistakingly believe that God only speaks to the church as a whole.  That is incorrect.  God is the God of the church as well as God of the individual.  He wants to have a personal relationship with his children.

 

Sermon Start

 

In the garment made for the High Priest, there was a doubled over piece of garment.  This served as a pocket.  Within that pocket was placed a mysterious commodity which was called the Urim and the Thummim.  Whatever the Urim and Thummim actually were nobody knows.  But what it did was so powerful, so essential.

What was it?

Why was it there?

What did it do?

Who had access to it?

The chances are that you may have heard it mentioned before, but you probably have never heard it preached on.

I will attempt to preach to you tonight on this subject: The Urim and the Thummim.

Text:

 

Exo 28:15  And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.

Exo 28:16  Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.

Exo 28:30  And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.

 

When Moses obeyed the commandment of the LORD in the consecration of the priests, he took Aaron and his sons and did several things to them.  (Lev. 8)

1.         He washed them with water.

2.         He put Aaron’s coat on him, and girded him with his girdle.

3.         He put the robe, the ephod, and the ehop girdle upon him, and bound it unto him.

4.         He put the breastplate upon him, and in the breastplate pocket he placed the Urim and the Thummim.

5.         He put the mitre upon his head, and the golden plate upon the mitre.

6.         He put the crown upon him.

7.         He anointed the tabernacle with oil, sprinkled the oil 7 times upon the altar,

8.         He anointed the altar, all of the vessels, the golden laver, and his foot.

9.         Then he poured the anointing oil upon Aaron’s head.

10.           Then he anointed Aaron’s sons, and made sacrifice unto the LORD.

As that oil flowed over the head, beard and garments of Aaron, literally soaking him in its process, that anointing was also inclusive of that mysterious commodity called the Urim and the Thummim. That anointing sanctified him. (Lev.8:12.)

Years later, Moses again stood in the place of anointing a man which would inherit his mantle of leadership.

Again we find the presence of the Urim and the Thummim.

Num 27:18  And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him;

Num 27:19  And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight.

Num 27:20  And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient.

Num 27:21  And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the LORD: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation.

 

Before his death, Moses blessed the tribes of Israel one by one.

When he came to the tribe of Levi, which was the priesthood, Moses said…

 

Deu 33:8  And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;

 

So, it was Moses’ desire that the priesthood maintain the Urim and the Thummim.  It had been proven, tried, tested and true.

The Urim and the Thummim were highly valued and trustworthy in Israel.

We find that the Urim and the Thummim would not answer a particular king who had sinned and turned his heart from the LORD.

Saul and Israel were about to go to war with the Philistines, but Saul became alarmed when he saw the number of the Philistines.  The Bible said that, “he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.”

 

1 Sam 28:6  And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.

1 Sam 28:7  Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.

1 Sam 28:8  And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.

 

I’m telling you tonight, that the Urim and the Thummim were not only greatly used in the Israel of God, but they were cherished and respected.

Israel received its answers from God by means of the Urim and the Thummim.

In the times of the restoration, there were people who had lost proof of their identity and birthright.  They claimed to be of Israel, but they had no proof as to who they were.

They came seeking to be registered among the Jews.

If no record was found of them, then in order to be safe, the Jews considered them as polluted.  They were certainly not to be eligible for the priesthood.

To have placed a defiled person among the priests was unthinkable.

This was a big decision, one that no man could afford to make a mistake on.

So, what did they do?  The Bible tells us…

 

Ezra 2:62  These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood.

Ezra 2:63  And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim.

 

In other words, they refused to let the decision be made by man.

If the Urim and Thummim said that they were of Israel, or eligible to be a priest, then that settled it.

If it said that they were not, then that settled it.

The Urim and the Thummim were something so powerful that Israel unquestionably gave heed to its authority.

Its decisions were final and undebatable.

God was making a very clear and distinct point here in the Old Testament…

He intended to have a clear voice in the midst of his people.

*  God’s voice should have a clear and distinct sound among his people.

*  That hasn’t changed… it was… it is… and it always will be…the will of God for Him to have a clear voice in the midst of His People!

*  His voice should ring as clear today as it ever has among his true children!

*  God’s not out of control…God is in control!

*  We’ve got a lot to shout about… and one of the reasons is because God’s not dead…He’s alive!

*  Someone said, “I know that God’s alive because I spoke to him this morning!”

*  Church, don’t you worry about these days we are living in, God is both in control and involved in directing His church!

*  This is a glorious church...I said that this is a glorious church!

Without spot, wrinkle or blemish!

            A chosen generation…

            A royal priesthood…

            A peculiar nation…

            We’ve been called out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

*  God purchased this church with His own precious blood…and He will never cease speaking to and directing His church in our dispensation!

Praise the LORD!  Oh clap your hands all ye people…make a joyful noise unto the LORD!

Shout unto the LORD with the voice of triumph!

Rejoice and be exceeding glad!

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So what was the Urim and the Thummim?

That’s what is so neat about it… nobody really knows what it was!

I’m serious.  Nobody really knows.  We can only guess!

It’s something that you can’t describe, because you really don’t know what it was.

It is written that:

*  Perhaps it was two precious stones which were drawn from the bag or pocket of judgment.

*  Some say that one stone had a “yes” written on it, and the other had a “no”, so that whichever one the high priest took out would give a direct answer, either affirmative or negative.

*  The system of obtaining an answer from the Urim and Thummim is spoken of as casting lots.

            In the Bible references to casting lots, such phrases as came up, came forth, and came out are used in conjunction with casting lots, meaning the lots or answer came out of the pouch of decision, or the pocket of the breastplate of judgment.

Prov. 16:33 says, “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.”

 

That means that whatever the matter was, it was settled by the Urim and the Thummim.

Prov. 18:18 says,  “The lot causeth contentions to cease, and parteth between the mighty.”

 

This indicates that there was complete satisfaction regarding the decisions of the Urim and the Thummim.

The Hebrew for lot in all of these passages is goral, a stone; a pebble, or lot because of the small stones being used for casting lots.

Regardless of how the decision was made, it was always considered the will of God.

Sometimes a simple yes or no was given, and at other times entire messages were spoken by the priests who were used of God.

The High Priest was simply to take the place of Moses and continue as the mediator between God and man, receiving messages from Him, before the Ark of the Covenant.

There is an interesting passage that is found in the Book of Revelation.

Rev 2:12  And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

Rev 2:17  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

*  These stones were known to the ancients as Victory Stones. 

 

*  Also in ancient times they meant pardon and the evidence of it.

*  Judges had black and white stones.  If a black one was given the criminal it meant that he was condemned.  If he was given a white stone it meant that he was pardoned.

*  Conquerors in the public games were also given white stones with their names in them.  The bearer of this stone was entitled to be supported the rest of their lives at public expense.

The promise of the white stone with a new name written therein is a promise that is given clearly to the overcomer in the church of Jesus Christ.

Tonight you can hear from God…His voice is in the midst of His church.

He speaks to us through preaching, teaching, the written Word of God, the Gifts of the Spirit…Tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy, the Word of Wisdom, & the Word of Knowledge.

He speaks to us through music, singing, events, and creation itself. There is no limit to how can speak to us. By dream… by vision…  by revelation… by a still small voice… through His love…

But God will never speak to you in a way that violates the Word of Truth.

But to me, the most precious and personal way that God speaks to His people…is when one of His royal priesthood…in a time and place that they absolutely must hear a Word from the LORD…that child of God can enter in through the outer court…through the inner court…through the Holy Place…and into the Holy of Holies…and by reaching into the breastplate of judgment…a place above the heart…one can reach way down inside and pull from the Holy Ghost an answer that only God can give!

You can hear from God. Whoever you are… God is listening.  God has an answer for you. He can speak, and He can speak plainly to you.

I can’t describe it, nobody can… but it is called the Holy Ghost!

When Peter was called on the carpet by the apostles in Jerusalem for preaching to the household of a Gentile named Cornelius in Acts, chapter 10, he simply presented the facts. There was a judgment being decided.

Are they or are they not saved?

Acts 11:17  Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?

Acts 11:18  When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

 

That was the judgment of a just God.

Who can argue with that?

There are some things that you have to leave in the hands of God.

 

The Holy Ghost will lead you and guide you into all truth.

I close this message tonight with a challenge to those who are seeking an answer or a Word from the LORD…Seek and ye shall find…  Knock and it shall be opened unto you… Ask and ye shall receive.  Nothing shall be withheld from them that ask of God if they don’t ask amiss.