And in speaking hereunto I shall,
II. By these, the high priest consulted God for the people in matters of moment
Thus we read in Numbers 27:21, And he (that is, Joshua) 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 shall they come in, both he and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation. Consultation by Urim and Thummim was made by the priest only, but not without having on the Ephod, and generally before the ark of the covenant; not for private persons and for private affairs or for things trivial, but for public persons, and in matters of moment. And so we read, in the Misnah, They inquire by Urim and Thummim, but they do not inquire by these.for a private person, but for a king, and for the house of judgment, and for him whom the congregation needeth.
This was certainly a very great favor, which God indulged this people with, that they could thus have recourse unto him on emergent occasions; and it was an evidence of God's displeasure to Saul, when he would not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by Prophets: How long those things continued in use, is not so well known. The Talmudists say", That king, Josiah hid the Urim and Thummim under ground in a cave, before prepared by Solomon, together with the anointing oil, the ark of the covenant, Aaron's rod, and the pot of Manna, and that these things could not be found when they returned from Babylon; therefore tell us that these five things were wanting in the second temple, namely, 1. The ark with the mercy-seat, and cherubims. 2. The fire from heaven which burnt up the sacrifice. 3. The Shechinah, or the divine presence. 4. The holy Ghost, or Spirit of prophecy. 5. The Urim and Thummim. And in the Misnah they say, "After the death of the former prophets the Urim and Thummim ceased." Maimonides indeed says, that the Urim and Thummim were made in the second temple, though not used; his words are these, "They made in the second temple Urim and Thummim, to the end, they might make up all the eight ornaments, although they did not inquire by them: and wherefore did they not inquire by them? because the holy Ghost was not there." Josephus says, that the shining of these stones had ceased two hundred years before he wrote his Antiquities; and it is manifest from scripture, that the Jews were without them when they returned from Babylon, as appears from Ezra, (2:63) And the Tirshatha, that is, Nehemiah, said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim. This shews the deficiency and imperfection of the Levitical priesthood, and what need there was of another priest to arise with the true Urim and Thummim, not after Aaron's order, but after the order of Melehizedek.
But now let us consider a little, in what way and manner God was pleased to return answers by Urim and Thummim.
The Jews generally say, it was by the extraordinary brightness and protuberance of some of the letters upon the stones, which swelling, and appearing higher and brighter than others, either altogether, or one after another, the priest could read the answer which should be returned: but there not being a complete alphabet in the names of the twelve tribes, they added the names of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and this not being sufficient, they added these words, Col Elle Shibte Israel, "All these are the tribes of Israel." Here being now a complete alphabet, they suppose an answer might be returned this way upon any affair that was consulted about.
Others, that the priests knew the mind and will of God, by the brightness or dullness of the stones; that if the stones were bright, the answer was in the affirmative; if dull, in the negative; and so they returned the answer to the people.
Others have been of opinion, that the priest, when he went and asked counsel of God, having on the breast-plate and the Urim and Thummim it, God was pleased to enlighten his understanding, and fix in his mind a firm persuasion of the truth of the answer intended, and accordingly he returned it.
But I am most inclined to think, that God gave the answer by a distinct and articulate voice; my reasons for it are, because in Numbers, when the priest asked counsel of God, it is said, at his word, or at his mouth, that is, of the Lord, Shall they go out, and at his word, or mouth, Shall they come in (Numbers 27:21); and in all the instances we have of inquiry, being made by Urim and Thummim, the answers, as they appear to me, were given this way: Thus, after Joshua's death, when the people of Israel inquired of the Lord, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites? The Lord said Judah shall go up (Judges 27:21); And when David ordered, Abiathar the priest to bring the Ephod to hint, and he inquired of the Lord, saying, Will Saul come down? And the Lord said he will come down: Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said they will deliver thee up (1 Samuel 23:11, 12).
Thus I have endeavored to give you some account of rue Urim and Thummim, which I suppose to be the twelve stones in the breast-plate, on which were engraven the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; one whereof use whereof, was, by them to ask counsel of God' in matters of moment; and. the answer was given to the priest, by a distinct and articulate voice, he having on the breast-plate at that time, with these stones in it.
Secondly, I shall now proceed to show, who the person is, whom Moses intends, and points at, in these words, to whom the Urim and Thummim belong. And here are two things spoken of him, which maybe a direction to us in finding out the person intended. 1 st, He was God's holy One. 2dly, He was proved at Massah, and strove with? at the waters of Meribah.
1 st, Both these are true of Aaron; he was an holy man, had the principles of grace and holiness wrought in his soul', and lived an holy life and conversation, and therefore be is called the saint of the Lord; they envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the Lord (Psalm 106:15). He was also proved at Massah, and strove with at the waters of Meribah; which may he referred either to God, or to the Israelites proving him: God proved him at Massah, or tempted him in, or with a temptation, as the words may be read. Even as he is said to tempt Abraham, so he may be here said to tempt Aaron; But how? Why, by suffering the people of Israel gather together against him and Moses, and to murmur against them for want of water. But how did it go with Aaron in this temptation, 6r trial of his faith and patience? All the three Targums, on the place, gave it in his praise, that he stood in the temptation, was perfect, and was found faithful: But this doth not seem so well to agree to the account in Numbers, where it is said, And the Lord spake to Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. This is the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel strove with the Lord: And he was sanctified in them (Numbers 20:12).
It seems from hence, that he did not stand in the temptation; and therefore God strove and contended with him; that is, blamed him, and shewed manifest tokens of his displeasure at his carriage and behavior; or else the words may be referred to the tribe of Levi, who, with the rest, of the Israelites, tempted and strove with Moses and Aaron at these places; though some of the Jewish writers exempt the tribe of Levi, and say, that they murmured not with the other murmurers.
2dly, These two characters in the text may very well be applied to the Lord Jesus Christ: the character of an holy One well suits with him; he is so both as God and man; he is the man thy holy One, as the words may be rendered; he was so in his conception and birth, and therefore called that holy thing; holy he was in his nature, and in all the actions of his life, and therefore a proper person for the Urim and Thummim to be with, and a suitable high priest for us; for such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, made higher than the heavens (Hebrews 7:26); of him also it may be truly said, that he was proved at Massah, and strove with at the waters of Meribah; for the Israelites not only tempted and strove with Moses and Aaron, but they tempted and strove with the Lord Jehovah; Thus in Exodus we read, that Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? Wherefore do ye tempt the Lord (Exodus 17:2)? And in verse 7 he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord; saying, Is the Lord among us or not? And in Numbers, This is the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel strove with the Lord, and he was sanctified in them (Numbers 20:13). Now, who was this Lord; this Jehovah, whom they tempted and strove with after this manner? He was no other than the angel who was sent to conduct them through the wilderness, the Angel of God's presence, the Lord Jesus Christ, as appears from 1 Corinthians 10:9, Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. So that Christ is the holy One who is more especially intended here, who was tempted and strove with at Massah and Meribah; therefore to him the true Urim and Thummim belong. And the words may be thus paraphrased, And of Levi, that is, of the tribe of Levi, he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim (or thy lights and thy perfections, O God) be with thy holy One, Christ Jesus, whom thou, O Levi, with the rest of the tribes of Israel, didst tempt at Massah, and strive with at the waters of Meribah. Thus having opened the words, and endeavored to remove the difficulties of the text, I shall in the following observation, give you what I conceive is intended therein, namely,
That the true Urim and Thummim are with God's holy One, Christ Jesus; or, What was meant and typified by the Urim and Thummim, is to be found fully and complete in Christ.
And in speaking hereunto I shall,
II. How they may be applied unto him, with regard to the use of them.