by jimwalton » Sun May 03, 2020 1:15 pm
You couldn't find the details in the Bible because the details aren't there. We have no idea how they worked. Even the etymology and the meaning of the words themselves are uncertain. Exodus 28.30 doesn't mention any "making" of them, suggesting they were already in existence and already in use. No description of them is even given. They seem to have been a mechanism for discerning God's will, and if they're like other ancient Near Eastern (ANE) practices, they have a yes/no feature to how they are used. (Maybe put them in a place and draw one out, the one representing yes and the other no, but that's uncertain.) Sometimes in other ANE cultures, to draw the same one out 3 times in a row confirmed an answer. (me shrugging shoulders) No one knows. There is never a description of what they looked like or how they were used. All we know is they were used to make decisions (Ex. 28.30).
> Is it biblical for us to also use them?
No, we have the Holy Spirit in us.
> How do we do it?
We don't. Any use would be sheer guesswork.
You couldn't find the details in the Bible because the details aren't there. We have no idea how they worked. Even the etymology and the meaning of the words themselves are uncertain. Exodus 28.30 doesn't mention any "making" of them, suggesting they were already in existence and already in use. No description of them is even given. They seem to have been a mechanism for discerning God's will, and if they're like other ancient Near Eastern (ANE) practices, they have a yes/no feature to how they are used. (Maybe put them in a place and draw one out, the one representing yes and the other no, but that's uncertain.) Sometimes in other ANE cultures, to draw the same one out 3 times in a row confirmed an answer. (me shrugging shoulders) No one knows. There is never a description of what they looked like or how they were used. All we know is they were used to make decisions (Ex. 28.30).
> Is it biblical for us to also use them?
No, we have the Holy Spirit in us.
> How do we do it?
We don't. Any use would be sheer guesswork.