Unveiling Aaron's Urim and Thummim, The Ephod and the Revelation behind.

Aaron's Urim and Thummim, The Ephod and The Voice of God. 

What Was Urim and Thummim in the bible? 

These were 'mystery' objects for hearing the voice of God. I used the word 'mystery' because the bible didn't actually describe them to us. But there is a certain revelation I want you to learn from this topic.

(NB - The information in this post might be spiritually deep. Read prayerfully before making any judgements or comments)

The Key Highlights in this post.

1. Urim is derived from the Hebrew word that means light. Thummim is derived from the Hebrew that means perfection. Urim and Thummim means lights and perfections. (Exodus 28:30)

2. They were 'undisclosed' objects that were placed on Aaron's breastplate to hear the voice of God concerning Israel. They were for revelation and judgement.

3. They were placed inside the breastplate (in a pocket probably) hung on Aaron's chest which was placed next to the ephod.The ephod and the breastplate was the reason why Aaron needed to hear the voice of God through Urim and Thummim.

4. The Ephod and the breastplate were linen aprons both worn by Aaron or the High Priest. They were made (probably of threads) of these colors: gold, blue, purple, scarlet (bright red), and all these intertwined with fine linen. (Exodus 28:4-6)

5. On the Ephod were placed two onyx stones with the names of the 12 tribes of israel engraved on the two stones. On the breastplate there were mountings of 12 different (colored) precious stones representing the 12 tribes of Israel. 

6. The Ephod and (particularly) the breastplate had a link to Joseph's coat of many colors. It was because of that coat that Joseph was able to dream about his brothers. After the coat was returned back to his father Jacob (Israel), Joseph stopped having dreams.  

7. We shall link the ephod and breastplate with Joseph's coat, (which wasn't his coat initially). It belonged to Jacob (or Israel), his father.

Now Let Us Dig Deep Into these things and I will show you the connection these things had with Jacob and the coat of many colors.

1. Urim and Thummim 

Numbers  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.

As I have mentioned above, Urim and Thummim are derived from Hebrew words that means Lights and Perfections (Exodus 28:30. The High Priest would find revelation by Urim from God and as well ask God for wisdom or for the right decisions to make concerning any matter.

Urim and Thummim were never really described by the bible as to what these things were. Were they stones? Were they sticks? What were they? The bible never gave much description of them.

But the bible does tell us that they were to be placed inside the breastplate which was hung over the Ephod. 

The Ephod was an apron or robe that was worn by Aaron and over it was a breastplate made of the same material and colors as the ephod. This was hung over Aaron's chest (or over the ephod.) The breastplate and the ephod had a very close relationship to each each other.

What did Urim and Thummim Looked Like?

Since Urim and Thummim were to be placed inside a pocket on the breastplate then the Urim and Thummim should have been small objects, probably the size of small stones. 

Read the following verses and you will get an idea.

Exodus  28:28 & 30

And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod..............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.

The Ephod and the Breastplate Had A Connection With Joseph's Coat of Many Colors.

Before you make any comments read about the design of the breastplate from the scripture below. I chose to quote this verse from the New Living Translation because of the special mention to the colors of the stones there. Take note of the colors.

Exodus 28:17-21 (NLT)

[17]Mount four rows of gemstones on it. The first row will contain a red carnelian, a pale-green peridot, and an emerald.

[18]The second row will contain a turquoise, a blue lapis lazuli, and a white moonstone.

[19]The third row will contain an orange jacinth, an agate, and a purple amethyst.

[20]The fourth row will contain a blue-green beryl, an onyx, and a green jasper. All these stones will be set in gold filigree.

[21]Each stone will represent one of the twelve sons of Israel, and the name of that tribe will be engraved on it like a seal.

Now, check this; we have the ephod and the breastplate, garments, that were made from the colors gold, blue, purple and scarlet (bright red). And then on the breastplate 12 stones were placed. These gemstones had different colors. The NLT mentioned pale-green, white, orange, red and blue-green.

Can you see the variety of colors that were on Aaron's chest. 

These colored stones, the bible says, represents the 12 tribes of Israel. Who in the bible was known to have a coat of many colors? It was Joseph. The bible says his father, Jacob (or Israel), gave him that coat.

Genesis 37:3 & 5

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. 37:5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.

Now, look at what is happening here. The bible says Israel (not just Jacob) gave Joseph the coat of many colors. As soon as he was given that coat, he began to dream about his brothers bowing down to him.

What is happening here? Joseph is now a dreamer. He is now able to tell the future of the 12 sons of Israel soon after he was given the coat of many colors. 

And don't forget something here; this coat belonged to his father who gave it to him. It was Israel (his father's coat). The bible specifically used the name Israel (not Jacob) when talking about the coat that he gave to Joseph. The many colors belonged to Israel. 

 This is why we are seeing many colors on the breastplate and the bible says the stones represent the 12 tribes of Israel. Can you see something here?

And you know what? After Joseph's brothers sold him to the Midianite traders (who then sold him to the Egyptians) they took back the coat of many colors to their father, Israel. (Genesis 37:31-33)

 What then happened to Joseph the dreamer in Egypt? Was there any record of Joseph dreaming any dreams in Egypt? There was not. Why? The coat of many colors was gone. That coat was the reason why he could receive dreams from God about his brothers or the future of Israel and his sons. 

The Conclusion  

Urim and Thummim, Ephod, Breastplate and the Colored Stones. 

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.

The scripture above was about certain men who couldn't prove that they were from the tribe of Levi by providing genealogical records of their families. So they were then not permitted to eat the holy food that was only supposed to be eaten by the Levites until a priest should come and inquire from God by Urim and Thummim whether these men were Levites.

Urim and Thummim were used for hearing the mind of God concerning all the people of Israel, just like Joseph was able to receive dreams from God about the future of Israel.

Now, this Urim and Thummim was supposed to be kept inside the breastplate. Why? Because the breastplate contained those 12 colored stones which represented the 12 tribes of Israel. 

Moreover, the breastplate was supposed to be hung over the ephod. The ephod had two stones on it which also had the names of the 12 tribes of Israel. 

These three: Urim and Thummim, Ephod and Breastplate had a direct connection. 

There are scriptures where you can only see someone asking the priest to bring the ephod in order to hear God. Know that whenever the ephod was used, Urim and Thummim were also used. They normally stayed together. 

The scripture below we see David only asking for the ephod from the priest and then he inquires from God. The ephod was the bigger robe where, the smaller robe, the breastplate was hung. Inside the breastplate were the Urim and Thummim.

1 Samuel 30:7 

And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. 30:8 And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.