Moses received comprehensive instructions from the LORD on the Tabernacle, a portable place of worship, together with all of its equipment and furnishings. When ministering, the priests were expected to wear specific attire. The twelve stones on the High Priest’s breastpiece stood in for the twelve tribes of Israel. The Urim and Thummim are thought to have been two more stones that were used to ascertain the LORD’s will, however we do not know all the specifics. The people needed a mechanism to discern the LORD’s direction because the Spirit of God arrived on them but did not reside in their hearts until Pentecost. According to others, these stones would glow—one for a “yes” response and the other for a “no.” The high priest’s heart was covered in them.
The Urim and Thummim are something that some people today would like. “If God would just send me a fax, it would be so much easier,” is a common statement I hear. It is God’s wish for us to be personal with Him. I am thankful to live in a time when I have the Spirit of God in my heart and do not need to consult a stone.
The response is always straightforward and quite intimate if I have been walking in communion with Him. My heart glows either “yes,” “no,” or not at all. If there’s no illumination at all, it indicates that I’m not ready to find out or that I’m asking the wrong question and shouldn’t worry about it just yet. People would want that fax from God at that point. However, God is saying to us, “Believe me! When you need to know, I’ll let you know what’s best.” For us, his “not now” response ought to be adequate. Have faith in Him!
Think about this: If you truly want to know God’s plan, He can speak to your heart even if the solution to your query is not evident in His Word.
