The governor told them not to eat the priests’ share of food from the sacrifices until a priest could consult the Lord about the matter by using the Urim and Thummim—the sacred lots. [Ezra 2.63]
I have been taught that to follow God, one must rely solely upon the Spirit of God. In my life, perhaps the greatest difficulty I have faced is that of knowing the LORD's will concerning the various decisions I have faced. Frankly, not much has changed - I still struggle to know what is the thing God wants me to do versus the thing I want to do. I struggle to know what it is that God wants of me period!
The Urim and Thummim mentioned here today are rarely addressed with any confidence by anyone I have encountered. In fact, I don't know that I have ever heard anyone address the subject! Apparently however, this device offered some direction to the people and it was some sort of device of chance - albeit sacred.
"Casting lots" is all about chance. It could be likened to throwing dice, flipping a coin, or drawing straws - except that this exercise of chance was called "sacred" - it was holy.
As a society, we Christians have grown quite wary of decisions based on chance. We still hold that the Spirit is to lead and guide us without aid. But don't we follow circumstances? Don't we allow circumstance to dictate our responses? Yes, we do! So, what is any different in flipping a coin to decide which way to go? Is not a coin toss purely and simply circumstantial?
The problem is, how do we get a holy coin?
Father, the Urim and Thummim present a real question. Can we rely upon chance to know Your will? As LORD over everything, are You not also in complete control of a coin flipping in the air and which side it descends upon?
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