Use of the Urim and Thummim

[tonychanyt]

Exodus 28:

30 And you shall put in the breastpiece of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron's heart when he goes in before the Lord. Thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the Lord regularly.

The breastpiece contained 12 precious stones (v. 21) plus the Urim and Thummim. This was part of the high priest's attire. It was called the breastpiece of judgment because the high priest used the Urim and Thummim to interpret God's judgments.

Moses commissioned Joshua in Num 27:

21 He is to stand before Eleazar the [high] priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the Lord.”

The high priest used Urim and Thummim to answer questions raised by the Israelite leaders.

The Bible did not provide a U&T Procedure on how a high priest interpreted the responses received through the Urim and Thummim. However, an example was in 1 Sam 14:

36 Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them until the morning light; let us not leave a man of them.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.” But the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.”

i.e., the high priest who wore the breastpiece of judgment

37 And Saul inquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?” But he did not answer him that day.

According to the high priest, God did not answer Saul by the Urim and Thummim. How did the high priest know?

One explanation was that the Urim and Thummim did not give consistent outcomes. After a few tries, the high priest suggested to Saul that it could be due to sin in the people that day.

38 And Saul said, “Come here, all you leaders of the people, and know and see how this sin has arisen today. 39 For as the LORD lives who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.” But there was not a man among all the people who answered him. 40Then he said to all Israel, “You shall be on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side.”

Two possibilities

And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.” 41 Therefore Saul said, “O LORD God of Israel, why have you not answered your servant this day? If this guilt is in me or in Jonathan my son, O LORD, God of Israel, give Urim.

Possibility #1

But if this guilt is in your people Israel, give Thummim.”

Possibility #2

And Jonathan and Saul were taken, but the people escaped.

Now, the high priest obtained consistent results of Urim.

42 Then Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan.” And Jonathan was taken.

The U&T Procedure was repeated successfully for the 2nd time. It pointed to Jonathan.

 

[KevinT]

Now, the high priest obtained consistent results of Urim.

42 Then Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan.” And Jonathan was taken.

The U&T Procedure was repeated successfully for the 2nd time. It pointed to Jonathan.

This is very interesting to me. I had never seen the conjunction between the Urim and Thummin and "casting lots". I have always thought that casting lots was something akin to rolling dice. Here is a web article that describes it just this way. "Casting lots usually involved using some kind of token that was marked with different values, and then randomly selecting one of the marks as the final decision."

So I am not sure how the U & T worked as lots.

KT

 

[tonychanyt]

I have always thought that casting lots was something akin to rolling dice.

Right. I understand that the U&T were special kinds of lots.