Jan | 27 | Countdown Conundrums

Dream Word – POWER

Exodus 28:30 And you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim and they shall be over Aaron's heart when he goes in before the LORD. So Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before the LORD continually.

Countdown Conundrums

The British game show called ‘Countdown’ first aired in 1982 and is one of the longest running game shows in the world. One of its most popular items is the conundrum section, which is a buzzer round where contestants try and become the quickest to solve a nine-letter anagram. I rarely manage to solve the puzzle. How about you?

Most all of the time for me and I suspect for you as well, discerning the best choices in life, the God choices in life, is rather like deciphering an anagram, except it’s not as much fun! Despite my having the Holy Spirit and the whole revealed counsel of God, I rarely manage to solve the puzzle. How about you?

Maybe a better understood rending of our text for tonight would be to refer to the high priestly breastplate as the ‘Breastplate of Decision’ rather than the ‘Breastplate of Judgement.’ This gloriously beautiful Divinely designed outfit for the High Priest of Israel to wear before the manifest presence of God and His people, was finally kitted out with what can only be described as, a ‘Decision making Device.’ Whatever the Urim and Thummin were in reality, in practicality, they were a most definitive way of providing a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answer to questions which were placed before God. Wouldn’t you like to get your hand on those little beauties eh? Oh how much easier life would become for us. Or would it?

When we adopt this kind of thinking, we imagine our passage in life to be a series of yes and no decisions of right and wrong directional choices. Maybe though it’s not like that? I wonder if where there is no moral imperative, no command disobedience, maybe there are just choices and frankly, any right choice will do?

We do not live in the age of Urim and Thummim, however we do have a great High Priest of the good things to come, modelled after the eternal order of Melchizedeck, who is undefiled, separate from sinners, holy, harmless, and has since the eternal sacrifice of Himself, become higher than the heavens and is seated right now at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on High and imagine this, He ever lives to make intercession for us.

There is a vastness in the goodness of God that encompasses all the full and free decisions which we His people choose. Have we in this way then become the free agents of His will? Do we reign with Him as we make decisions in His name and for His glory? Have we become along with Him, part of His creation process, part of His Kingdom rule?

This kind of decision making calls us to stop playing games and invites us into a Royal maturity which most is us have never yet entered into, because of the crippling confusion of the ignorance of who we are in Him.

Life is scary. May I say that often, life is a conundrum. Nevertheless, decisions have to be made and I reckon we can have a greater confidence, freedom and even expectant joy in our decisions knowing that Christ ever lives to make intercession for us.

Listen: -
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness,
Bow down before Him, His glory proclaim;
Gold of obedience and incense of lowliness,
Bring and adore Him—the Lord is His Name.

Low at His feet lay Thy burden of carefulness,
High on His heart He will bear it for thee;
Comfort thy sorrows and answer thy prayerfulness,
Guiding thy steps as may best for thee be.

Fear not to enter His courts in the slenderness
Of the poor wealth thou wouldst reckon as thine;
Truth in its beauty, and love in its tenderness,
These are the offerings to lay on His shrine.

Pray:- These choices we bring then, in trembling and fearfulness, You will accept for the name that is dear. Mornings of joy give for evenings of tearfulness, trust for our trembling, and hope for our fear.

(John S. B. Monsell)