In the foregoing message we pointed out that the Urim and Thummim were added into the breastplate to make it the breastplate of judgment. We also considered the qualifications of those who used the breastplate and how it was applied to various people in the Old Testament. Furthermore, we saw that the Urim typifies Christ as the illuminator. Now we shall go on to consider the significance of the Thummim and how the Urim and the Thummim may be applied to our experience today.
According to an appendix concerning the Urim and the Thummim in David Baron’s book The Ancient Scriptures and the Modern Jew, the Thummim contained four letters of the Hebrew alphabet that were not used in the names of the twelve tribes and therefore not inscribed on the twelve precious stones in the breastplate. The Hebrew word for Thummim means completers, perfecters, and it typifies Christ as the completer and perfecter. We do not know how the Urim and the Thummim were added to the breastplate. However, we do know that both the Urim and the Thummim typify Christ and that the breastplate typifies the church. Therefore, the Urim and the Thummim added to the breastplate typify Christ added to the church.
The twelve precious stones in the breastplate typify the believers, the components of the church, inscribed with Christ as the letters of the spiritual alphabet. According to the book of Revelation, Christ is the Alpha and the Omega. Since He is the first letter and the last, He is no doubt all the letters in between. This means that Christ is the alphabet used to compose words, sentences, paragraphs, chapters, and books. The letters inscribed on the twelve stones in the breastplate typify Christ as the letters in the heavenly alphabet.
According to the appendix in David Baron’s book, four letters of the Hebrew alphabet were not inscribed on the stones set in the breastplate. Therefore, in order to have a complete Hebrew alphabet, it was necessary for the remaining letters to be supplied. That appendix also says that these four Hebrew letters were found on the Thummim. The Thummim, then, was a completer, a perfecter, of the letters on the breastplate. This indicates that no matter how much of Christ has been inscribed into us, we still are not complete. Some letters, something of Christ, are still missing. We need the completing Christ, the One who bears these missing letters.
The Urim added to the breastplate caused the twelve precious stones to shine. If some stones had been missing, there would have been a dark spot on the breastplate, indicating that something of Christ is missing. But the important point here is that even with all the stones inscribed with letters signifying the believers inscribed with Christ, there was still something missing. This signifies that even if the church is complete, perfect, and without defects or shortcomings, something of Christ is still missing. Hence, there is the need for the Christ typified by the Thummim to be added to the church, the breastplate.
Often the leading ones in the church realize that no matter how much the saints in their locality have been experiencing Christ or how much of Christ has been inscribed into them, something of Christ is still missing. All the believers need something additional of Christ. Although the saints may experience Christ and have Christ inscribed into their being, they are still short of Christ. Only Christ Himself can supply what is missing. Therefore, we need Christ as the completion. Furthermore, no matter how much we have experienced Christ and have had Him inscribed upon us, we shall still be in darkness if we depend on ourselves. We need Christ as the light, as the Urim, to be added to the church. Even though the precious stones on the breastplate had been inscribed with the names of all twelve of the tribes, there were still some Hebrew letters missing. Likewise, even though we may be rich in the experience of Christ, something of Christ is still lacking and can be made up by Him alone. We should never think that we have exhausted Christ. No, He is inexhaustible. Even after experiencing Him over a long period of time, we must admit that something of Christ is still missing. Therefore, we need Christ to be added to us. When this missing portion of Christ is added, we have the completion and the shining.
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