Who Cares?

by R.I. Shaw, Kirkintilloch, Scotland | Category: General | Sept 1992

And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgement (or decisions) the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgement of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually (Exod. 2&30).

We need not speculate as to precisely what they were, the Urim and Thummim. They are variously interpreted as "the lights and perfections" or, in the Septuagint version, "manifestations and truth". It is sufficient for us to realize their position and purpose. They were put into the breastplate of judgement of the high priest. By them from time to time the mind of the Lord was discerned for His people (See Numbers 27:21).

The picture is very beautiful of the high priest appearing before God bearing on his shoulders the engraved onyx stones, displaying indelibly the names by birth of the sons of Israel and then, again, in the breastplate, the engraved stones set according to their tribes, bearing them on his heart. Preciously, we are reminded of the divine strength and affection of our Great High Priest who bears us before God. In the glory of His person, God looks upon His people with great joy:

On His heart our names are graven,

On His shoulders we are borne.

For His sake the Father loves us;

Praise becomes us in return.

The high priest was a man with intense feelings of care for those whom he represented. The great pattern is, of course, our Lord Jesus Christ as Hebrews Chapters 2 and 4 record. Aaron was not merely a man with a duty. Aaron loved Israel and understood the responsibility of his calling. His was a rare responsibility. He was deeply conscious of the weight and value to God of those whom he cared for and whose names he bore. How could it be otherwise? The people were on his heart. The Urim and Thummin were put into the breastplate at the command of God, and through these decisions were made for God's people. In 2 Corinthians 8 we read of something else of real spiritual significance put into the heart of some of the Lord's people. Paul writes, "Thanks be to God, which hath put the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus" (v.16). Paul's care for the churches was well known and understood. He spared nothing that he might see them flourish. He said, "I hold not my life of any account, as dear unto myself, so that I may accomplish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24). Happily, there were some who filled his heart with joy (1 Thes. 2:19,20). His mind ranged constantly over the churches and the individuals in them. For example, Paul had not visited the Church in Rome when he wrote the Roman epistle, but his interest and his earnest care were such that, already, he knew many of them by name and virtue (Rom.16).

In Titus Paul found a likeminded brother. Titus had earnest care in his heart for the saints. God had put it there. Selfless, then, in their devotion to God's people, they had noticed in two others the same sort of earnestness (2 Cor. 8:18-24). Thus we have the inspiring picture of four men, together dedicated to the care of the Lord's people and to the advancement of the testimony. The Holy Spirit's commendation of such is quite clear:

"they are the messengers (apostles) of the churches, they are the glory of Christ" (v.23).

What kind of men were they? They were diligent men; brothers united in their concern for the well-being of the people of God and for the testimony of the Lord. It seemed to be the only thing that mattered. They cared earnestly!

We agree with the necessity for earnest care. In every age of divine testimony men and women are needed who care earnestly for the people and service of God. Can God put this virtue into our hearts? How do we measure up?

R.I. Shaw, Kirkintilloch, Scotland | Sept 1992
General