According to the appendix in David Baron’s book, the Urim had twelve illuminators to enlighten all twelve of the transparent precious stones. But suppose no letters had been inscribed on these stones. What, then, would be shown by the shining of the illuminators through the stones? Nothing would be shown, for there would have been no letters on the stones to be illuminated. Even if the stones had been enlightened by the illuminators and thereby shone with light, there would not have been any content. The content depends on the letters inscribed on the stones.
The principle is the same with the living letters of Christ in 2 Corinthians 3. Only when Christ has been inscribed into our being do we become His living letters. Just as God could not speak through the breastplate unless the stones had been inscribed with letters, so God cannot speak through His redeemed people unless they have been inscribed with Christ. Yes, the Lord does speak through His redeemed people. However, He actually speaks through the Christ who has been inscribed into them. This means that we need the content of Christ inscribed as letters into our being. Otherwise, God will have no way to speak through us, for there will not be any letters inscribed into us.
How many of today’s Christians have Christ inscribed into them? The answer is that few have truly been inscribed with Christ. Even with these few, the amount of Christ inscribed may not be very great. Moreover, many Christians are not transparent. How can the Lord speak through those who have not been inscribed with Christ and who are not transparent? This is impossible. If the stones placed in the breastplate had been opaque, the illuminators of the Urim may have enlightened them, but they would not have been able to shine through such opaque stones. Likewise, because so many Christians are opaque, Christ does not have a way to shine through them. We need to be transformed, and we need to be transparent, and we need to have Christ inscribed into us. Then when the light shines through us, others will be able to read the letters, the content of Christ, inscribed into us. But if we are not transformed and transparent and if we have not been inscribed with Christ, but are merely opaque stones without any letters inscribed into us, it will not be possible for God to speak through us.
Another basic matter related to the breastplate with the Urim and the Thummim is that the twelve stones on the breastplate were not divided, but were built up together as one entity. This signifies the building together of God’s redeemed people into one entity, the church. However, today’s Christians are scattered, separated, and divided. Furthermore, there is no building up. The oneness portrayed by the breastplate is lacking.
We must remember that the twelve stones on the breastplate were arranged in three rows of four, signifying humanity mingled with divinity to form a complete unit for the full expression of God and His eternal government. This is the significance of the number twelve, and it also is a basic condition for having the Urim and the Thummim.
Christians often talk about God’s guidance and about the leading of the Lord. Actually, for the most part, they have no ground to have the Lord’s leading. What they have is actually not His guidance or leading. Instead, it is often something according to their own imagination and doings. How is it possible to have the Lord’s leading if we have not fulfilled the basic conditions signified by the breastplate? It is not possible to have His leading in such a situation. The points we have covered concerning the breastplate are basic and necessary to have the Lord’s leading. If we do not have these basic items, there is no way to have the Lord’s leading.
I would call your attention once again to the way the Urim and Thummim are recorded in 28:30. This verse says, “And you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim.” This clearly indicates that the Urim and the Thummim were added to something which had previously been made ready. First the breastplate with all its items was prepared. Then the Urim and the Thummim, two additional pieces, were put into it. Without the readiness of the breastplate, there would have been no way to add in the Urim and the Thummim. The Urim and the Thummim actually signify the Lord’s speaking. The fact that they could not be added to the breastplate until it had been made ready indicates that if we do not have the breastplate today, the Lord does not have a way to speak to us. The speaking of the Lord results from the readiness or the preparation of the breastplate.