Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 23:9-11
"And David knew that Saul secretly practised mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.
Then said David, O LORD God of Israel, thy servant hath certainly heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake.
Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O LORD God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the LORD said, He will come down."
As I'm reading this I'm thinking is sure sounds like David is having a question and answer session with the Lord. It reminded me of the Urim and Thummim that Joseph Smith, Jr. would use for translating and inquiring of the Lord. (see Joseph Smith History 1:35) David is receiving direction from God on where to go to keep away from Saul. I wondered if the ephod is a Urim and Thummim? I knew this priestly garment had precious stones in it but I never heard it called a Urim and Thummim. I checked the bible dictionary and this is what it says.
"Part of the dress of the high priest (Ex. 28:6, etc.), shaped like a waistcoat with two shoulder pieces and a girdle. It was of richly variegated material, blue, purple, and scarlet. On the shoulder pieces were two onyx stones on which were engraved the names of the 12 tribes. To the ephod was fastened the Breastplate of Judgment. An ephod of linen seems to have become the dress of all priests (1 Sam. 22:18). It was also worn by Samuel (1 Sam. 2:18) and by David when he brought up the Ark (2 Sam. 6:14). The ephod at one time became the object of idolatrous worship (Judg. 8:27; 17:5). The name may possibly in these last passages have been used to denote an image of some kind. See also Gideon."
(Bible Dictionary, Ephod)
So next question is "What is the breastplate of judgment". It sure reminds of how the Urim and Thummin fit into silver bows fastened to a breastplate so Joseph Smith could translate with it. I couldn't find anything on the church website regarding this breastplate of judgment. I had to turn to google, which I really don't like to do.
"The breastplate of Judgment also known as the priestly breastplate was a sacred breastplate worn by the the High Priest for the Israelites, according to the Book of Exodus. In the biblical account, the breastplate is termed the breastplate of judgment, because the Urim and Thummim, by which the High Priest checked the will of God in any important matter that would affect the nation, were placed within it (Exodus 28:15 )."
"The twelve precious stones with which the breastplate was decorated contained the names of the twelve tribes; each name being fully engraved on one stone, in order that, when the high priest came before Him, God might be mindful of the piety of the patriarchs... In addition to the names of the twelve tribes, the stones also contained, at the head, the names Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and at the end the words: ="tribes of God")....These words could not be omitted from the breastplate, since the whole Hebrew alphabet had to be included, in order that, on consulting the Urim and Thummim, the high priest might be enabled to form words from the different colors of the individual letters on the stones of the breastplate, and hence might be able to answer questions put to him."
After reading this I did find more in the Bible Dictionary on the church website under Breastplate.
"(1) The front part of a soldier’s dress, worn for protection. In this sense Isaiah and Paul spoke of a “breastplate of righteousness,” which all saints should possess, protecting the vital organs against the evil things of life (Isa. 59:17; Eph. 6:14).
(2) The high priest in the law of Moses wore a breastplate as part of his sacred attire. This was called the “breastplate of judgment” (Ex. 28:13–30; 39:8–21). It was made of linen, very colorfully arranged, bearing 12 precious stones and the Urim and Thummim. Other references to a breastplate are found in 1 Thes. 5:8; Rev. 9:9; D&C 17:1; JS—H 1:35, 42, 52."
Now that I was headed in the right direction I found a lot more on the church website and spent more time reading various articles there. This piece of information was all very interesting to learn. I had always glossed over the colorful priestly attire. Didn't really understand all its significance. Now I will be more attentive when I see the ephod being mentioned. Does give me pause on how much I may have missed when I skip over things like this while reading. Studying the scriptures is a lifetime pursuit.
