"I Saw the Stars. . . "

 

CHAPTER 3

Abraham learns about the sun, moon, and stars by means of the Urim and Thummim

And I, Abraham, had the Urim and Thummim, which the Lord my God had given unto me, in Ur of the Chaldees;   And I saw the stars, that they were very great, and that one of them was nearest unto the throne of God; and there were many great ones which were near unto it; (verses 1, 2)

We read in Genesis about Abraham seeing the stars in the heavens and being told by God that his posterity would be as numerous.  The picture on the left illustrates what most of us see in our mind's eye: an old man staring up at the sky in awe.  While he certainly may have done that, I am grateful to the Pearl of Great Price for revealing more about Abraham's experiences with the stars.  I love that modern-day revelation shows us, not a backward Bedouin who smelled of sheep and goats (although he probably did smell of sheep and goats), but a brilliant and spiritual giant who talked with God.

Extra-Biblical sources discovered in the mid-20th Century indicate that Abraham knew so much about the heavens that he taught Pharaoh and his court the science of astronomy.  It is clear from the archaeological evidence that the Egyptians certainly understood astronomy better than most of us do.  Where did they learn it?  If they learned it from Abraham (which the Pearl of Great Price and other sources indicate that they did) where do Abraham learn it?

The Book of Abraham tells us that he attained his great knowledge of the things of God by using the Urim and Thummim, Seer Stones that have been used by prophets and patriarchs, including the high priest of the Levitical Priesthood, to see, prophecy, and translate things that God wants His children to know and understand. [Note: the picture on the let demonstrates that when the crystals overlap, they form a Star of David, the symbol associated with Israel for millennia.]

The Bible Dictionary tell us this about the Urim and Thummim:

Hebrew term that means “Lights and Perfections.” An instrument prepared of God to assist man in obtaining revelation from the Lord and in translating languages.  References to the Urim and Thummim are found in Ex. 28:30; Lev. 8:8; Num. 27:21; Deut. 33:8; 1 Sam. 28:6; Ezra 2:63; Neh. 7:65; JS—H 1:35.

 

Using a Urim and Thummim is the special prerogative of a seer, and it would seem reasonable that such instruments were used from the time of Adam. However, the earliest mention is in connection with the brother of Jared (Ether 3:21–28). Abraham used a Urim and Thummim (Abr. 3:1–4), as did Aaron and the priests of Israel, and also the prophets among the Book of Mormon (Omni 1:20–21; Mosiah 8:13–19; 21:26–28; 28:11–20; Ether 4:1–7).

 

 

There is more than one Urim and Thummim. According to the Bible Dictionary, the one used by Joseph Smith to translate the Book of Mormon was the one that had belonged to the Brother of Jared right after the Tower of Babel.  One Urim and Thummim was always worn in the breastplate of the high priest in ancient Israel.  

 

Men have tried to replicate the prophetic power of the Urim and Thummin in such things as crystal balls, crystal skulls, and other paraphernalia which supposedly allow the owner to tell the future and have all knowledge.  Such are the trappings of the adversary who always creates a counterfeit to God's creations.  Our job is to seek discernment through the Holy Spirit to tell the difference.  It always amazes me that the very same people who pooh-pooh the idea of seer stones might visit a fortune teller's booth at a carnival.  Sometimes people innocently feel that they can play around with such things relating to what we sometimes call the occult. 

 

We would be wise to heed the old saying from Sheila in Darby O'Gill and the Little People, "If you sup with the devil, you'd better use a long spoon!" 

 

Better yet, just don't ever sup with the devil!

 

© Gebara Education, 2016