Every serious believer wants to know God’s direction for their lives. There is
nothing more important than to be walking and living in the centre of God’s
will for one’s life. We all wish to have a way to know exactly what God wants
us to do. We all wish for a way that would help us make a decision, and know
precisely that the choice we have made is right smack at the centre of His
will. Yet, we know that ours is a faith journey and faith is required for
this journey. The closer we are connected with God, the more we desire to do
His bidding. The Urim and Thummim were given to the people of Israel to help them
know God’s will for major issues in the life of the community. These
instruments were carried in the front pocket of the high priest garment close
to his heat to help the nation ascertain divine guidance for the community.
We
do not know exactly what the Urim and Thummim were made of, but we know that
they were used to determine if a decision was God guided. The Israelites
believed that they were God’s given instrument to be used to declare His will.
From various incidences in the Old Testament where the Urim and Thummim were
used we surmise that they were God’s given instrument for making major
decisions for the nation. Here are two examples. The first is found in the
appointment of Joshua to succeed Moses. In Numbers 27:18-21 God specifically
told Moses to “Take Joshua the son of Nun,
a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; and have
him stand before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation,
and commission him in their sight. You shall put some of
your authority on him, in order that all the congregation of the sons of
Israel may obey him. Moreover, he shall stand before Eleazar the priest,
who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the Lord.” The second is found in
Nehemiah 7. Here the Urim and Thummim were used to ascertain if some men were
eligible to serve as priests as they sought to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. The
records of the family line of these people were lost so Nehemiah 7:65 says that
they used the Urim and Thummim to ascertain
their identity. For all other things, they would exert their mind, weigh a
matter and make their decisions accordingly. Like them, we are expected to use
our God-given common sense to make our day to day decision too.
Perhaps one thing to learn from this verse is this: God desires that we
are found living in the centre of His will. The Urim and Thummim were given to them
seek God’s guidance at that time when the Word of God, the whole counsel of God,
was not fully available then. But today, we have the Bible, the Word of God, His
best resource to rely on to know His will for our life today. As we study and
meditate on the Word, with the help of the Holy Spirit sent alongside us, we
can discover God’s answers for our everyday living. It is therefore important
that we make time to study, meditate and contemplate on the Word of God. And we
must learn to wait upon the Lord as Isaiah 40:31 calls us to do, saying: “Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they
will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run
and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” So, let us not
hesitate to study His Word and wait on Him.
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