Today's Favorite Verse: Hosea 3:4-5

Today's Favorite Verse: Hosea 3:4-5

"For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim:

Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days."

I knew what the ephod was, it was worn by a high priest and prophets. This colorful waistcoat with shoulder pieces and girdle contained stones engraved with the names of the 12 tribes. Inside the ephod was placed the Urim and Thummim. Which was prepared by the Lord to assist man in obtaining revelation and in translating languages. David describes asking questions and receiving answers through it. I didn't know what the teraphim was so I looked that up in the Bible Dictionary.

"Teraphim - Images of the size and form of a man used from patriarchal times and onwards in worship and for magical purposes both in Israel and in Babylon. To use teraphim was probably not to worship strange gods but to worship the true God in a corrupt manner."

I went back and read in the Bible Dictionary about the ephod and found "The ephod at one time became the object of idolatrous worship." So basically both the ephod and teraphim were possibly religious items that were perverted and corrupted and used in a manner not intended. Until the point the Lord removed them from the people.

This reminded me of what was said in the Book of Mormon about what is called seer stones, interpreters, or the Urim and Thummim.

"Now Ammon said unto him: I can assuredly tell thee, O king, of a man that can translate the records; for he has wherewith that he can look, and translate all records that are of ancient date; and it is a gift from God. And the things are called interpreters, and no man can look in them except he be commanded, lest he should look for that he ought not and he should perish. And whosoever is commanded to look in them, the same is called seer."

(Mosiah 8:13)

The Urim and Thummim was returned in the latter-days. They were used by Joseph Smith in translating the Book of Mormon from the gold plates, and receiving revelation for our day.

"Also, that there were two stones in silver bows—and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim—deposited with the plates; and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted “seers” in ancient or former times; and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book."

(Joseph Smith - History 1:35)

After Joseph's translation was completed the Urim and Thummim was returned to the angel Moroni along with the Gold Plates. They will come forth again when the sealed two-third portion of the plates are translated. I hope I live to see that day.

Day 3024