According to Exodus 28:15-30,
the breastplate of judgment
is the central item
of the priestly garments
and the central and ultimate point
of the priesthood:
The main purpose
of the breastplate of judgment
was for God’s leading;
God’s people
act according to God’s leading
obtained through
the reality of the breastplate.
The breastplate
typifies the church,
and if we do not know the church,
we do not know
what God’s leading is;
actually,
God’s leading and the church
are one.
God reveals
what we should do
through the church,
by the church,
and with the church;
the church
is God’s leading,
for the church
bears the divine alphabet
by which God
makes known His leading.
The breastplate
being borne upon Aaron’s heart
for a memorial
before Jehovah
signifies the entire church
as one built-up entity
being borne upon Christ’s loving heart
for a memorial,
a pleasing remembrance,
before God.
The twelve precious stones
on the breastplate,
on which the names
of the twelve tribes of Israel
were engraved,
signify all the redeemed and transformed people of God
built together
to become one entity:
The twelve precious stones
set in gold
symbolize the saints
as transformed precious stones
built together
in the divine nature of Christ
to become
one entity,
the church as Christ’s Body.
As components of the church,
the believers,
who were created from dust,
must be transformed
in their human nature
by and with the divine nature
through the working of the Spirit
to become precious stones
for God’s eternal building;
the Christian life
is a life of transformation
—daily God is seeking
to transform us.
The number twelve,
composed of
four (the creatures)
times three (the Triune God in resurrection),
signifies the mingling
of the Triune God
with His creature, man,
for the complete and perfect carrying out
of God’s administration eternally.
That the stones
were arranged
in four rows
with three stones
in each row
indicates that the believers
are not only transformed
but also mingled with
the Triune God.
The setting of the stones in gold
signifies that the transformed and mingled believers
are built
in the divine nature of Christ
into one entity.
In God’s eternal plan
and according to His eternal view,
the church,
borne on Christ’s heart
and held in the span of His loving care,
is such a mingling
of the Triune God
with redeemed humanity.
The engraving
of the names of the twelve tribes
on the precious stones
corresponds to
the inscribing of Christ
into the believers’ hearts,
making them
living letters of Christ,
with Christ as the content:
Christ is inscribed
into the believers
through their experience of Him
and by the inscribing
of the New Testament ministry.
The letters
engraved on the twelve stones
typify Christ
as the letters
in the heavenly alphabet.
If we
are not transformed and transparent
and if we
have not been inscribed
with the Spirit of the living God
along with Christ as the content
but are merely opaque stones
without any letters
inscribed into us,
it will be impossible
for God
to speak through us.
After the Urim and the Thummim
were put into the breastplate,
it became
not only a memorial
but also a breastplate of judgment:
Urim means
“lights,” “illuminators”:
The Urim
was an illuminator
inserted into the breastplate
under the twelve stones;
it had the capacity
to contain oil for burning,
and the fire
used to burn the oil
came from the altar.
The Urim
had twelve illuminators,
one to illuminate
each of the twelve transparent precious stones
on the breastplate
so that they
could shine with light
(David Baron).
The Urim
typifies Christ
as lights, illuminators,
shining through the Spirit (the oil)
and the cross (the fire from the altar).
Thummim
means “perfecters,” “completers”:
The names
on the twelve stones of the breastplate
contained only eighteen
of the twenty-two letters
of the Hebrew alphabet;
the remaining four letters
were put on the Thummim,
making it
the perfecter and completer
(David Baron).
By the shining of the Urim
on the individual precious stones
and by the darkening of the stones,
the full alphabet
of twenty-two letters
could be used
to spell out words and sentences.
The Thummim
typifies Christ
as the perfecter and completer;
thus,
He is
the spiritual alphabet
for both inscribing and completing.
Together,
the Urim and the Thummim
typify Christ
as God’s witness, God’s testimony,
as the means
for God
to speak to His people.
In the New Testament,
the reality of the Urim and the Thummim
is the mingled spirit
—the unveiling Spirit of God,
the Holy Spirit,
indwelling our receiving spirit,
our regenerated human spirit.
In Exodus 28:30
and in Deuteronomy 33:8 and 10,
God’s judgments,
referring to God’s law
with its verdicts and judgments,
are related to
the Urim and the Thummim.
The word judgment
in Exodus 28:29-30
indicates that God
has a regulation
concerning everything
among His people;
the judgment
leads to certain decisions,
and as a result,
we have God’s leading.
According to the Old Testament,
the Urim and the Thummim
added to the breastplate
were a means
for God
to speak to His people
to indicate to them
His leading;
thus,
we may say
that the breastplate of judgment
is a “breastplate of leading”.
God’s leading
through the breastplate
always involved a judgment;
God’s law
includes His judgments,
and these judgments
become God’s leading.
In spiritual experience,
in order to know God’s leading
we must judge
whatever is of
the flesh, the self, the old man, and the world.
In Romans 8:14
the leading of the Spirit,
as the reality of God’s leading
through the breastplate,
issues from,
and is the totality of,
all the judgments
in verses 1 through 13
of that chapter.
The fact
that God’s speaking
as His leading
was through the breastplate
signifies that God
makes His leading
known to His people
through the church.
The breastplate of judgment
for God’s leading
was like a heavenly, divine, and spiritual typewriter,
and His way of speaking
through the breastplate
with the Urim and the Thummim
is the opposite of
what we would expect:
God speaks
not through the stones that are shining
but through stones that become dark;
this means
that God speaks
through negative situations;
because the Lord’s speaking
by the breastplate of judgment
is through negative situations,
that speaking
is a judgment.
Normally
the twelve stones
in the breastplate
were under the shining of the Urim;
suddenly a piece
inscribed with a certain name
would become dark;
this darkening of a particular stone
was God’s instant speaking:
Paul’s Epistles
and the seven epistles of the Lord Jesus
to the seven churches in Asia
were all written
according to this principle;
they were written
according to the negative situation
of the churches,
not according to the positive things
found in the churches.
Paul wrote 1 Corinthians
according to his reading
of the negative situation at Corinth,
but although his writing
was based on the negative things,
in this Epistle
he ministered positive things
—the riches of Christ—
to the church.
The saints in Corinth
became the letters
used by Paul
in the spiritual typesetting
of his Epistle;
in the same way,
in a local church
the leading ones
need to seek the Lord’s guidance
by reading
the actual situation and condition
of the saints.
The problem among Christians today
is that because there
is so much darkness,
there is no way
for God
to expose darkness;
in order for the darkness
to be made known,
there must first be
the shining of the light;
God speaks through things
that become negative
in the midst of the shining of the light.
By reading
the negative situations
in this way,
we come to know
God’s leading, His judgment;
then
in our locality
we shall know
what God wants us to do,
and we should then follow
His leading.
If we as the church
would be the breastplate of judgment,
we must fulfill
certain requirements:
We need to be
transformed and transparent;
then
Christ as the spiritual alphabet
must be inscribed into us
clearly and definitely.
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.
Because there
is a shortage of
transformation, transparency,
inscribing, and enlightening,
we need to pray
that we may become transparent,
have more of Christ
inscribed into us,
and experience more enlightening.
The fact
that Christ
is the spiritual alphabet
for both inscription and completion
indicates
that He is inexhaustible;
although we
may enjoy His inscription,
there is
still something more of Him
that we need for completion.
The breastplate
is the building up
of the Body life
and the means
for us
to know God’s will
concerning His people;
then
we will receive
the Lord’s judgment
of what we have to do
or what we must not do;
we will know
the Lord’s way,
and the whole church
will go on
according to the judgment
given by the Lord.
We need to pray
that every local church
would become
a breastplate
according to the picture
in Exodus 28.
Hits: 3
7 replies on “The Breastplate—the Central and Ultimate Point of the Priesthood”
Prophecy note, 30 October 2016
According to Exodus 28:15-30,
the breastplate of judgment
is the central item
of the priestly garments
and the central and ultimate point
of the priesthood:
The main purpose
of the breastplate of judgment
was for God’s leading;
God’s people
act according to God’s leading
obtained through
the reality of the breastplate.
The breastplate
typifies the church,
and if we do not know the church,
we do not know
what God’s leading is;
actually,
God’s leading and the church
are one.
God reveals
what we should do
through the church,
by the church,
and with the church;
the church
is God’s leading,
for the church
bears the divine alphabet
by which God
makes known His leading.
The breastplate
being borne upon Aaron’s heart
for a memorial
before Jehovah
signifies the entire church
as one built-up entity
being borne upon Christ’s loving heart
for a memorial,
a pleasing remembrance,
before God.
The twelve precious stones
on the breastplate,
on which the names
of the twelve tribes of Israel
were engraved,
signify all the redeemed and transformed people of God
built together
to become one entity:
The twelve precious stones
set in gold
symbolize the saints
as transformed precious stones
built together
in the divine nature of Christ
to become
one entity,
the church as Christ’s Body.
As components of the church,
the believers,
who were created from dust,
must be transformed
in their human nature
by and with the divine nature
through the working of the Spirit
to become precious stones
for God’s eternal building;
the Christian life
is a life of transformation
—daily God is seeking
to transform us.
The number twelve,
composed of
four (the creatures)
times three (the Triune God in resurrection),
signifies the mingling
of the Triune God
with His creature, man,
for the complete and perfect carrying out
of God’s administration eternally.
That the stones
were arranged
in four rows
with three stones
in each row
indicates that the believers
are not only transformed
but also mingled with
the Triune God.
The setting of the stones in gold
signifies that the transformed and mingled believers
are built
in the divine nature of Christ
into one entity.
In God’s eternal plan
and according to His eternal view,
the church,
borne on Christ’s heart
and held in the span of His loving care,
is such a mingling
of the Triune God
with redeemed humanity.
The engraving
of the names of the twelve tribes
on the precious stones
corresponds to
the inscribing of Christ
into the believers’ hearts,
making them
living letters of Christ,
with Christ as the content:
Christ is inscribed
into the believers
through their experience of Him
and by the inscribing
of the New Testament ministry.
The letters
engraved on the twelve stones
typify Christ
as the letters
in the heavenly alphabet.
If we
are not transformed and transparent
and if we
have not been inscribed
with the Spirit of the living God
along with Christ as the content
but are merely opaque stones
without any letters
inscribed into us,
it will be impossible
for God
to speak through us.
After the Urim and the Thummim
were put into the breastplate,
it became
not only a memorial
but also a breastplate of judgment:
Urim means
“lights,” “illuminators”:
The Urim
was an illuminator
inserted into the breastplate
under the twelve stones;
it had the capacity
to contain oil for burning,
and the fire
used to burn the oil
came from the altar.
The Urim
had twelve illuminators,
one to illuminate
each of the twelve transparent precious stones
on the breastplate
so that they
could shine with light
(David Baron).
The Urim
typifies Christ
as lights, illuminators,
shining through the Spirit (the oil)
and the cross (the fire from the altar).
Thummim
means “perfecters,” “completers”:
The names
on the twelve stones of the breastplate
contained only eighteen
of the twenty-two letters
of the Hebrew alphabet;
the remaining four letters
were put on the Thummim,
making it
the perfecter and completer
(David Baron).
By the shining of the Urim
on the individual precious stones
and by the darkening of the stones,
the full alphabet
of twenty-two letters
could be used
to spell out words and sentences.
The Thummim
typifies Christ
as the perfecter and completer;
thus,
He is
the spiritual alphabet
for both inscribing and completing.
Together,
the Urim and the Thummim
typify Christ
as God’s witness, God’s testimony,
as the means
for God
to speak to His people.
In the New Testament,
the reality of the Urim and the Thummim
is the mingled spirit
—the unveiling Spirit of God,
the Holy Spirit,
indwelling our receiving spirit,
our regenerated human spirit.
In Exodus 28:30
and in Deuteronomy 33:8 and 10,
God’s judgments,
referring to God’s law
with its verdicts and judgments,
are related to
the Urim and the Thummim.
The word judgment
in Exodus 28:29-30
indicates that God
has a regulation
concerning everything
among His people;
the judgment
leads to certain decisions,
and as a result,
we have God’s leading.
According to the Old Testament,
the Urim and the Thummim
added to the breastplate
were a means
for God
to speak to His people
to indicate to them
His leading;
thus,
we may say
that the breastplate of judgment
is a “breastplate of leading”.
God’s leading
through the breastplate
always involved a judgment;
God’s law
includes His judgments,
and these judgments
become God’s leading.
In spiritual experience,
in order to know God’s leading
we must judge
whatever is of
the flesh, the self, the old man, and the world.
In Romans 8:14
the leading of the Spirit,
as the reality of God’s leading
through the breastplate,
issues from,
and is the totality of,
all the judgments
in verses 1 through 13
of that chapter.
The fact
that God’s speaking
as His leading
was through the breastplate
signifies that God
makes His leading
known to His people
through the church.
The breastplate of judgment
for God’s leading
was like a heavenly, divine, and spiritual typewriter,
and His way of speaking
through the breastplate
with the Urim and the Thummim
is the opposite of
what we would expect:
God speaks
not through the stones that are shining
but through stones that become dark;
this means
that God speaks
through negative situations;
because the Lord’s speaking
by the breastplate of judgment
is through negative situations,
that speaking
is a judgment.
Normally
the twelve stones
in the breastplate
were under the shining of the Urim;
suddenly a piece
inscribed with a certain name
would become dark;
this darkening of a particular stone
was God’s instant speaking:
Paul’s Epistles
and the seven epistles of the Lord Jesus
to the seven churches in Asia
were all written
according to this principle;
they were written
according to the negative situation
of the churches,
not according to the positive things
found in the churches.
Paul wrote 1 Corinthians
according to his reading
of the negative situation at Corinth,
but although his writing
was based on the negative things,
in this Epistle
he ministered positive things
—the riches of Christ—
to the church.
The saints in Corinth
became the letters
used by Paul
in the spiritual typesetting
of his Epistle;
in the same way,
in a local church
the leading ones
need to seek the Lord’s guidance
by reading
the actual situation and condition
of the saints.
The problem among Christians today
is that because there
is so much darkness,
there is no way
for God
to expose darkness;
in order for the darkness
to be made known,
there must first be
the shining of the light;
God speaks through things
that become negative
in the midst of the shining of the light.
By reading
the negative situations
in this way,
we come to know
God’s leading, His judgment;
then
in our locality
we shall know
what God wants us to do,
and we should then follow
His leading.
If we as the church
would be the breastplate of judgment,
we must fulfill
certain requirements:
We need to be
transformed and transparent;
then
Christ as the spiritual alphabet
must be inscribed into us
clearly and definitely.
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.
Because there
is a shortage of
transformation, transparency,
inscribing, and enlightening,
we need to pray
that we may become transparent,
have more of Christ
inscribed into us,
and experience more enlightening.
The fact
that Christ
is the spiritual alphabet
for both inscription and completion
indicates
that He is inexhaustible;
although we
may enjoy His inscription,
there is
still something more of Him
that we need for completion.
The breastplate
is the building up
of the Body life
and the means
for us
to know God’s will
concerning His people;
then
we will receive
the Lord’s judgment
of what we have to do
or what we must not do;
we will know
the Lord’s way,
and the whole church
will go on
according to the judgment
given by the Lord.
We need to pray
that every local church
would become
a breastplate
according to the picture
in Exodus 28.
Day 6
2 Cor. 3:18
But we all
with unveiled face,
beholding and reflecting
like a mirror
the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed
into the same image
from glory to glory,
even as from the Lord Spirit.
Rev. 21:11
Having the glory of God.
Her light
was like a most precious stone,
like a jasper stone,
as clear as crystal.
The leading
obtained through the breastplate
always involves a judgment.
This means
that the Lord’s speaking
through the breastplate
is through negative situations.
If this speaking
were only through positive situations,
there would be
no need of judgment,
for everything would be
positive and justified.
The apostle Paul
was one
who was truly shining.
Under the shining of Paul,
the darkness
was exposed.
Paul wrote
certain of his Epistles
according to the darkness,
according to the negative condition,
of the saints
in the churches.
Because Paul
saw certain dark areas
in the church in Corinth,
areas that were
letters of God’s judgment,
Paul could write Corinthians
as a book of judgment.
But along with all the judgment
contained in this Epistle,
there are
many positive things:
the riches of Christ
ministered to
the believers at Corinth.
This is
God’s way of speaking.
Both
in the Old Testament
and the New Testament,
God’s speaking
is according to the negative situation,
yet with the riches of Christ
as the supply
for His people.
If we as the church
would be the breastplate of judgment,
we must fulfill
certain requirements.
First,
we need to be
transformed and transparent.
Then
Christ
as the letters of the spiritual alphabet
must be inscribed into us
clearly and definitely.
This is
to have
the adequate experience of Christ.
If we
do not try to minister Christ to others,
we may not realize
how short we are
concerning the experience of Christ.
When we try to speak to others
about the experience of Christ,
we may find
that we ourselves
are still very short of experience.
We may have
little of the real experience of Christ
to minister to others.
As those
who would shepherd the saints,
we need
the experience of Christ.
Otherwise
we shall lack
the proper spiritual vocabulary
required for ministering Christ.
…To some extent,
we may be
able to teach the Bible,
for we
may have been
reading and studying it
for years.
But when it comes to
ministering Christ,
we have a shortage.
We do not have
that much of Christ
inscribed into our being.
Perhaps we have
only part of a letter
inscribed into us.
…Therefore,
it is very difficult
to know the Lord’s leading
through the breastplate.
Because there is
such a shortage of
transformation, transparency,
inscribing, and enlightening,
we need to pray
that we may
become transparent,
have more of Christ
inscribed into us,
and experience
more enlightening.
Then
we shall realize
that, even if we
are full of Christ,
we still have a shortage,
for something of Christ’s riches
is still lacking.
This is
what is indicated
by the marvelous picture
of the breastplate
with the Urim and the Thummim.
With the breastplate
and the Urim and the Thummim
we see
two kinds of alphabets.
One kind of alphabet
is for inscribing,
and the other kind
is for completing.
If we
are not yet full of Christ,
what we need
is the inscribing.
Christ must be inscribed
into us
until we are full of Him.
It is
when we are full of Christ
that we recognize
the need for completion.
Thus,
if we
are not full of Christ,
we need Him
as the alphabet for inscription.
But when we
are full of Him,
we need Him
as the alphabet
for our completion.
Believers
like the apostle Paul,
those who are full of Christ,
realize that they
still need Christ.
However,
those who are short of Christ
may not sense
the need for Christ.
…It is
when we have Christ
inscribed into us
that we realize
we are still short of Christ.
Then
we shall seek Him
to be our completion.
Only through experience
can we understand
what it is
to have Christ
inscribed into us
and to have Him
complete us.
Therefore,
we all
need to pray more
regarding these things.
I hope
that every local church
will become
a breastplate
according to
the picture in Exodus 28.
Day 5
Num. 27:21
And he [Joshua]
shall stand before Eleazar the priest,
and he shall inquire for him
by the judgment of the Urim
before Jehovah.
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 the whole assembly.
2 Cor. 11:29
Who is weak,
and I am not weak?
Who is stumbled,
and I myself do not burn?
God’s way of speaking
through the breastplate
with the Urim and the Thummim
is the opposite of
what we would expect.
God speaks
not through the stones
that are shining,
but through stones
that become dark.
This means
that God speaks
through negative situations. Normally the twelve stones
in the breastplate
were under the shining of the Urim.
Suddenly a piece
inscribed with a certain name
would become dark.
This darkening
of a particular stone
was God’s instant speaking.
Our natural concept
would be that God’s speaking
through the breastplate
came from the stones
that were shining.
Actually,
He spoke through the stones
that suddenly became dark.
Paul’s Epistles
and also the seven epistles
of the Lord Jesus
to the seven churches in Asia
were all written
according to this principle.
They were written
according to
the negative situation of the churches,
not according to
the positive things
found in the churches.
…For example,
Paul wrote 1 Corinthians
according to
his reading of the negative situation at Corinth.
By considering that situation,
he knew
what to write.
But although his writing
was based on the negative things,
in this Epistle
he ministered positive things
—the riches of Christ—
to the church.
The problem
among Christians today
is that because there
is so much darkness,
there is
no way
for God
to expose darkness.
When everything is in darkness,
it is difficult
to point out a particular matter
that is in darkness.
Suppose in a room
there are
many rows of lights
on the ceiling.
If all the lights
are shining,
it will be easy
to find one
that becomes dark.
This illustrates
how God spoke
through the breastplate.
The darkening
of a particular stone
was God’s instant speaking.
In order for the darkness
to be made known,
there must first be
the shining of light.
…If in a certain church things
that are wrong
are easily found out,
that church is normal.
But if in a particular church
it is not possible
to find out what is wrong,
this is an indication
that the church there
is in darkness.
When darkness prevails,
it is not possible
for negative matters
to be exposed.
For this,
light is necessary.
What is exposed
under the shining of the light
is God’s speaking.
God speaks
through things becoming negative.
This kind of negative situation
is an indicator of
the shortage of Christ.
By reading the negative situations
in this way,
we come to know
God’s leading.
Then
in our locality
we shall know
what God wants us to do,
and we should then follow
His leading.
Paul had
the churches of God
and His children
upon his shoulders and breast.
He came to God
with a fearful heart,
and the Father of light
shined on him
and revealed
the needs of the churches
which he
was shouldering and embracing.
…Paul wrote his letters
to the churches
according to the same principle
as the high priest
who sought God’s light
with the breastplate of judgment.
…We have to understand
the principle of
bringing the Lord’s saints
into the presence of God.
Paul brought
the children of God
with him
as he looked to the Lord
for many days.
When he saw something
in God’s light,
he wrote a letter
based on that light.
…To understand God’s will and way
for His people and for the church,
there must be some
who will shoulder God’s children
and embrace them,
bring them
into God’s presence,
read their condition
in God’s light,
and then write down
what they have received
before the Lord.
This is the way
God reveals Himself
to His children
in the church.
Day 4
Exo. 28:29-30
So Aaron
shall bear
the names of the sons of Israel
in the breastplate of judgment
on his heart
when he
goes into the sanctuary,
for a memorial
before Jehovah continually.
And you
shall put
in the breastplate of judgment
the Urim and the Thummim;
and they
shall be on Aaron’s heart
when he
goes in
before Jehovah,
and Aaron
shall bear
the judgment of the children of Israel
on his heart
before Jehovah continually.
After the Urim and the Thummim
were put into it,
the breastplate
became
not only a memorial
but also a breastplate of judgment.
Urim
means lights, illuminators.
The Urim
was an illuminator
inserted into the breastplate
under the twelve stones.
It had the capacity
to contain oil
for burning,
and the fire
used to burn the oil
came from the altar.
The Urim
had twelve illuminators,
one to illuminate
each of the twelve transparent precious stones
on the breastplate
so that they
could shine with light
(David Baron).
The Urim
typifies Christ
as lights, illuminators,
shining through the Spirit (the oil)
and the cross (the fire from the altar).
The Urim
contained oil
that was burned
with fire from the altar.
That fire
came from God.
Hence,
it was
a divine fire, a heavenly fire,
that burned the oil
in the Urim
to give light.
…The oil
typifies the Spirit,
and the fire
comes from the altar,
which typifies the cross.
…In our experience
…as Christ shines within us,
the life-giving Spirit
is burning
and the cross
is working.
In our experience of Christ
as the illuminator, the shining One,
we have
the cross, the Spirit, and Christ Himself.
The names
on the twelve stones
on the breastplate
contained only eighteen
of the twenty-two letters
of the Hebrew alphabet.
The remaining four letters
were put on the Thummim,
making it
the perfecter and completer
(David Baron).
By the shining of the Urim
on the individual precious stones,
the full alphabet
of twenty-two letters
could be used
to spell out
words and sentences.
The Thummim
typifies Christ
as the perfecter and completer.
Christ is
the spiritual alphabet
for both inscribing and completing.
Together,
the Urim and the Thummim
typify Christ
as God’s witness, God’s testimony,
as the means
for God
to speak to His people.
In the New Testament,
the reality of
the Urim and the Thummim
is the mingled spirit
—the unveiling Spirit of God,
the Holy Spirit,
indwelling our receiving spirit,
our regenerated human spirit.
In Exodus 28:30
and in Deuteronomy 33:8 and 10,
God’s judgments,
referring to
God’s law with its verdicts and judgments,
are related to
the Urim and the Thummim.
According to the Old Testament,
the Urim and the Thummim
added to the breastplate
were a means
for God
to speak to His people
to indicate to them
His leading.
The word judgment
in Exodus 28:29-30
and Deuteronomy 33:10
indicates that God
has a regulation
concerning everything
among His people.
All the regulations
will issue in judgments,
and these judgments
become God’s leading.
Thus,
the leading of God
comes from His judgments,
which are based
on His regulations.
First
God gave
the Ten Commandments.
Then
He issued
many regulations and ordinances
as supplements
to these commandments.
The Ten Commandments
are the principles of God’s regulations,
but the supplements
in Exodus 21 through 23
provide the details of these regulations.
In these detailed regulations
we have God’s judgment.
This judgment
leads us to certain decisions.
If we
would receive the Lord’s leading,
many things about us
need to be judged by God.
Our flesh, our wrongdoings, and our natural life
must all be judged by Him.
God’s regulations
require that all these things
be set aside.
What remains afterward
is truly of God.
In this way
we come to know
God’s leading.
Day 3
2 Cor. 3:3
Since you are being manifested
that you are a letter of Christ
ministered by us,
inscribed not with ink
but with the Spirit of the living God;
not in tablets of stone
but in tablets of hearts of flesh.
Rev. 22:13
I am
the Alpha and the Omega,
the First and the Last,
the Beginning and the End.
Exo. 28:30
And you shall put
in the breastplate of judgment
the Urim and the Thummim…
The engraving
of the names of the twelve tribes
on the precious stones
corresponds to
the inscribing of Christ
into the believers’ hearts,
making them
living letters of Christ,
with Christ as the content.
Christ is inscribed
into the believers
through their experience of Him.
The letters
engraved on the twelve stones
typify Christ
as the letters
in the heavenly alphabet.
The Urim
had twelve illuminators
to enlighten all twelve
of the transparent precious stones.
But suppose
no letters
had been inscribed
on these 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.
Few Christians today
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.
…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.
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.
…If we
do not have
the basic items
concerning the breastplate,
there is
no way
to have the Lord’s leading.
Exodus 28:30
clearly indicates
that the Urim and the Thummim
were added to something
which had previously been made ready.
…The speaking of the Lord
results from
the readiness or the preparation
of the breastplate.
Day 2
Exo. 28:17
And you
shall enclose in it
enclosures of stones,
four rows of stones:
the first row
shall be a row of
a sardius, a topaz, and an emerald.
Exo. 28:20
And the fourth row,
a chrysolite, and an onyx, and a jasper;
they shall be set
in gold
in their enclosures.
The breastplate on the ephod
signifies the church
as the building together
of God’s redeemed people
upon Christ.
The twelve precious stones
set in gold
symbolize the saints
as transformed precious stones
built together
in the divine nature of Christ
to become
one entity,
the church as Christ’s Body.
Therefore,
the breastplate
is a miniature of
the building up of God’s people
…indicating that the believers in Christ
are distinct individuals
but are not divided.
The entire ephod
with its shoulder pieces and the breastplate
are a marvelous portrait
of Christ with the church.
The twelve precious stones
on the breastplate,
on which the names
of the twelve tribes of Israel
were engraved,
signify all the redeemed and transformed people of God
built together
to become one entity.
Precious stones
are not created
but are formed
by the transforming
of created things.
This signifies
that the church
is produced by transformation,
from something natural
into something divine.
As components of the church,
the believers,
who were created of dust,
must be transformed
in their human nature
by and with the divine nature
through the working of the Spirit
to become precious stones
for God’s eternal building.
The number twelve,
composed of four (the creatures)
times
three (the Triune God in resurrection),
signifies the mingling
of the Triune God
with His creature, man,
for the complete and perfect carrying out
of God’s administration eternally.
…That the stones
were arranged in four rows
with three stones in each row
indicates that the believers
are not only transformed
but also mingled with the Triune God.
The setting of the stones in gold
signifies that the transformed and mingled believers
are built in the divine nature of Christ
into one entity.
These people,
being of the number twelve,
complete the eternal purpose of God
and become
the administration of the divine government
in the universe.
In God’s eternal plan
and according to His eternal view,
the church,
borne on Christ’s heart
and held in the span
of His loving care,
is such a mingling
of the Triune God
with redeemed humanity.
The ephod
…portrays Christ
expressed in His divinity and humanity
with His attributes and virtues.
…Then upon the ephod,
upon the expression of Christ,
there is
the church.
Both the shoulder plates and the breastplate
symbolize the church.
First, the church
is symbolized
as a testimony of the Lord Jesus.
This is the function
of the two shoulder-pieces,
for two
signifies a testimony.
Thus,
the two plates
on the shoulders of the ephod
signify the church
as the testimony of Christ.
The breastplate
composed of twelve stones
set in gold
symbolizes the saints
as transformed precious stones
built together
in the divine nature of Christ
to become one entity.
This is
the built-up church.
Therefore,
the ephod
with all
that it bears,
the three plates,
is actually a picture of
Christ and the church.
This is
a matter of great importance.
In Exodus 28:30
we see
that the breastplate
was borne upon Aaron’s heart
before the Lord.
This signifies
that the entire church
as one entity
built together
is borne upon Christ’s loving heart
before God.
What a great comfort
this is
to us!
Many among us
have hardships and difficulties.
We may have
problems at work or at home.
Human life
is not easy.
However, if we
consider the picture of the breastplate
on Aaron’s heart,
we shall realize
that we are
not in our hardships, difficulties, or problems
—we are
on Christ’s heart
before God.
When the enemy
comes to trouble us,
we should declare,
“Satan,
right now
I am borne
on Christ’s heart
before God.”
Day 1
Exo. 28:15
…You shall make
a breastplate of judgment,
the work of a skillful workman;
like the work of the ephod
you shall make it;
of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet strands,
and of fine twined linen
you shall make it.
Exo. 28:17
And you shall enclose
in it
enclosures of stones…
Exo. 28:21
…According to the names of the sons of Israel,
twelve, according to their names;
they shall be
like the engravings of a signet,
…for the twelve tribes.
The breastplate
in Exodus 28:15-16
is a very fine, even the finest, revelation
concerning the church.
The ephod
refers to Christ,
and the breastplate
refers to the church.
This means
that the ephod
with the breastplate
gives us
a picture
of Christ with the church.
According to Exodus 28,
the central item
of the priestly garments
is the breastplate,
not the ephod.
Of course,
this central item
belongs to the ephod.
In the description
of the priestly garments,
the first thing mentioned
is the breastplate.
What was
the function
of the breastplate?
According to Exodus 28:15,
the breastplate
was called
the breastplate of judgment.
…The judgment here
is not mainly to determine
what is right or wrong,
what is just or unjust.
Instead,
this judgment
is so that God’s people
could know His leading.
…Why, then, does verse 15
use the word judgment
with respect to the breastplate?
The answer
is that if we
would know God’s leading,
we must have
a great deal of judgment.
We must judge
whatever is
of the flesh, the self, the old man, and the world.
We must judge
the things of the flesh
and the mind set on the flesh.
This judgment
clears the way
for us
to know God’s leading.
The breastplate
functions as
a heavenly, divine, and spiritual typewriter.
Of the twenty-two letters
of the Hebrew alphabet,
eighteen
were contained
in the names of the twelve tribes
inscribed in the stones
set on the breastplate.
The remaining four letters
were contained
in the Thummim
attached to the breastplate.
Therefore,
with the breastplate
there were
all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
…The Lord’s leading
could be obtained
through the breastplate
with the Urim and the Thummim
much like a word, or a sentence,
is composed
one letter at a time
by using a typewriter.
After the death of Moses,
the high priest
obtained God’s leading
through the breastplate.
He would put on
the priestly garments
with the breastplate
and go into the tabernacle.
In this way,
the children of Israel
could act
according to God’s leading
made known
through the breastplate.
In Romans 8:14
Paul says
that as many as are led
by the Spirit of God,
these are
sons of God.
In Romans 8
we find
the reality of the breastplate.
The breastplate
also typifies the church.
…If we do not know the church,
we do not know
what the Lord’s leading is.
Actually
God’s leading and the church
are one.
The breastplate
typifies the church,
and the ephod
typifies Christ.
Thus,
the breastplate
on the ephod
signifies that the church
is borne by Christ
upon His breast.
Furthermore,
the fact
that God’s leading
was made known
by means of the breastplate
indicates that today God
reveals what we should do
through the church,
by the church,
and with the church.
The church
is God’s leading,
for the church
bears the divine alphabet
by which God
makes known His leading.
The Lord
bears us
in a corporate way,
even in an incorporated way.
The Lord Jesus
has built us together;
He has incorporated us
into one entity.
The breastplate
was one entity
composed of
twelve separate, individual stones.
This indicates
that the believers
are distinct individuals,
but they are
not divided.
There were
twelve tribes
of the children of Israel.
Each tribe
was represented by
a stone
on the breastplate.
But all these stones
were built together
into one entity.
Therefore,
the breastplate
was actually a building
of precious stones
set in gold.