Eyes Like a Flame of Fire, Conclusion

If you Google search the Urim and Thummim, you will find many articles and videos about them. Much of what you will find is just a repeat of what others have already said. Other than providing the necessary introductory context, I intend not to rehash what's already been shared but to provide new insights.

The first mention of a Urim and Thummim is in the Book of Mormon when the brother of Jared receives them from the Lord around the time of the Tower of Babel. In that story, they are called "stones" by the Lord and "interpreters" by Moroni. We are told that one of their functions was to translate the brother of Jared's record in some future time (Ether 1:15). Much later in the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin possessed them, and we're informed they are also used to uncover hidden mysteries (Mosiah 5:13). He passed them down from generation to generation until they were sealed up by the last prophet, Moroni.

In the Book of Abraham, we discover he also came into possession of them, and this was the first time they were specifically called the Urim and Thummim. He used them to learn about creation, intelligence, and God's throne (Abraham 5:1). After Abraham's day, God commanded Moses to put the Urim and Thummim into the High Priest's breastplate of judgment over the heart, to be worn by Aaron and all succeeding High Priests to assist in obtaining God's will (Exodus 15:4). There is no mention in the Bible of their origin, but the Book of Mormon states they were "prepared from the beginning" (Mosiah 12:3). 

The Old Covenants mention these High Priest's Urim and Thummim a few more times, but Josephus states that their use was discontinued about 200 years before his time due to transgression (Ant. 3:218). Very little is mentioned of these instruments again until God granted the brother of Jared's set to Joseph Smith in the fall of 1827. In typical fashion, Joseph Smith gives the greater detail of their appearance and purpose in his own account:

With the records was found a curious instrument which the ancients called Urim and Thummim, which consisted of two transparent stones set in the rim of a bow fastened to a breastplate. Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift and power of God (Teachings and Commandments 146:9). 

[...] that there were two stones in silver bows — and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim — deposited with the plates, and the possession and use of these stones was what constituted seers in ancient or former times, and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book (Joseph Smith History 3:3).

We know the above men were prophets, but anyone who possessed these instruments was called Seers:

And the things are called interpreters, and no man can look in them except he be commanded, lest he should look for that he ought not and he should perish. And whosoever is commanded to look in them, the same is called seer [...] And Ammon said that a seer is a revelator and a prophet also. And a gift which is greater can no man have, except he should possess the power of God, which no man can; yet a man may have great power given him from God. But a seer can know of things which have passed and things which are to come. And by them shall all things be revealed, or rather shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light, and things which are not known shall be made known by them, and also things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known. Thus, God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles. Therefore he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings (Mosiah 5:13).

More on this later. 

Between being called "interpreters" and the "Urim and Thummim," I like interpreters better. That's what the Book of Mormon calls them, which is its primary function. But personal opinion aside, here's some etymology behind the words Urim and Thummim:

Urim: lights; the plural noun of "ur," which means "a flame." Other closely related words are:

• Ur: a proper name of the land of the Chaldeans. This is where Abraham acquired the instrument he called the Urim and Thummim. The similarity between the instrument's name and the land's name is interesting. 
• Ur: Different from both the noun and proper name above, this verb means to "rouse oneself awake" or to "awaken" or the "opening of the eyes." This meaning is almost identical to another definition of the verb ur, which is to be made "bare," "naked," or "exposed." (These similar verbs remind me of Adam and Eve, who realized they were naked upon opening their eyes, as mentioned in Genesis 2:16.)  
• Urim: (another rendering) which means "region of light" or "the East" like the sun rising from the East. This use comes from the verb "or" (see below). 
• Or: which means "to be or become light," to "show light or shine," to "break forth," as in to let your light shine.  

Thummim: perfections or "emblem of complete Truth"; the plural of the noun "tom," which means "complete," "full measure," "innocent," or "blameless." This noun comes from its root word "tamam," which means complete, but in the sense of "coming to an end," whether good or bad. 

The usual rendering of Urim and Thummim is "lights and perfections," but as you can see, there's so much more to their meanings, at least as far as the Hebrew translations go. Through these instruments of fire and truth, one can open their eyes more, see things in their proper and exposed condition (both good and evil), receive a fuller and complete picture, and, in turn, shine new light on other people by what's been made known. They are emblems of light and truth, or, in other words, the glory of God (Teachings and Commandments 93:11).

But there's still more to unpack. 

Stones or rocks have significant meaning in the scriptures. I mentioned one earlier use of stones: the Lord giving the brother of Jared two stones called "interpreters." Other examples are the same brother of Jared making 16 small stones for light in his boats, Moses receiving two stone tablets with commandments from God on the Mountain (which he broke but then made two new stone tablets like the first), stone altars for righteous offerings and wicked human sacrifice, stone tombs or arks, stone foundation's for the Ark of Covenant, and death by stoning. 

In addition to something physical, people have been given spiritual names and titles related to stones and rocks, like Peter, who is called a seer or stone (John 1:6), or Jesus, who is called the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 1:7) and the Rock (Psalm 62:2). All those who overcome the world will be given a white stone with a new name written on it (Revelation 1:12).

If you read carefully, these examples share a common theme of knowledge and judgment. 

Another theme we see with these stones is the use of God's finger. This similarity will become important towards the end of the post. Here are some verses about that:

• And it came to pass that when the brother of Jared had said these words, behold, the Lord stretched forth his hand and touched the stones one by one with his finger (Ether 1:12). 
• And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon Mount Sinai, two tablets of testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God (Exodus 16:8).
• I am the son of Gidanah, who was the son of Ishmael, who was a descendant of Aminadi; and it was that same Aminadi who interpreted the writing which was upon the wall of the temple, which was written by the finger of God (Alma 8:1). In this case, the temple wall was the stone. 
• In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote opposite the candlestick, upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote (Daniel 5:2). More writing on the stone wall. 

Why was God using his finger to communicate? What does that mean? Here are other verses about this, but not explicitly related to stone:

• And even the first of all we know, even Adam, for a book of remembrance we have written among us according to the pattern given by the finger of God, and it is given in our own language (Genesis 4:5). 
• And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he touched every one of them with his finger, save it were the three who were to tarry, and then he departed. And behold, the Heavens were opened, and they were caught up into Heaven and saw and heard unspeakable things (3 Nephi 13:4).
•  And after the brother of Jared had beheld the finger of the Lord because of the promise which the brother of Jared had obtained by faith, the Lord could not withhold anything from his sight; wherefore, he shewed him all things, for he could no longer be kept without the veil (Ether 5:3).
• And while we meditated upon these things, the Lord touched the eyes of our understandings and they were opened, and the glory of the Lord shone round about and we beheld the glory of the Son on the right hand of the Father and received of his fullness (Teachings and Commandments 69:4). 
• [...] the city New Jerusalem, which city shall be built beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord in the western boundaries of the state of Missouri (Teachings and Commandments 82:1).
• As they spoke the Lord put forth His hand and touched the eyes of the man and said, Look! The man had opened before him a view of the Lord kneeling in prayer. It was in a dark place. The air was heavy and overcast with sorrow. The man beheld the Lord praying in Gethsemane on the night of His betrayal and before His crucifixion (Teachings and Commandments 161:1).

Here’s what I gather from these scriptures: just as a physical temple is a sacred space representing something about heaven, the Urim and Thummim, or interpreters, are physical objects representing the actual finger(s) of the Lord. The two stones over the Seer's eyes are like the Lord touching the eyes himself. Some of the above verses could refer to someone receiving instruction from "the finger of God" or through the Urim and Thummim.

Just as a temple is a means to the end, so are the Urim and Thummim, or interpreters. They serve a short-term purpose. They are stepping stones. This may be why Moses passed them off to Aaron; he no longer needed them. Here's what Denver Snuffer had to say about Joseph's use of them:

"The Urim and Thummim becomes another interesting issue to think about as a device, as a mechanism. Joseph Smith would begin the process of translating the Book of Mormon, in using the Urim and Thummim, [he] found that it was so filled with light—his comment was that "I can see everything in looking through it." It was so filled with light that he wound up having headaches, because it was physically painful using the device. Later, Joseph would use a seer stone, and he would block out light because it was less painful to make the process. And later still, towards the end of the translation process, the book wasn't even open, the seer stone wasn't even used, because this "prop" had resulted in Joseph acquiring this capacity. And at the time that we get Joseph in the section 76 revelation, Joseph's just sitting in an upper room dictating the transcript from heaven while in open vision, without possession of any instrumentality, because the process has changed the person into being in contact with the heavens, which was the purpose behind it all."

Jesus is the Light of the world. All intelligence we receive is because of our heed and diligence, but the source of our light is always the Lord. People can be appointed to 'See,' and by them, "hidden things shall come to light" (Mosiah 5:13), but that is only true so long as they stay connected to the Lord as a branch is to the vine.  And this applies to anyone appointed by God to accomplish anything.

For example, Peter we know was called Cephas, which is, by interpretation, a seer or stone (John 1:6). This calling is expounded upon with an accompanying warning later in the Sermon on the Mount. Here's the passage:

Seek unto my Father and it shall be done in that very moment what you shall ask, if you ask in faith, believing that you shall receive. And if your eye which sees for you — him who is appointed to watch over you to show you light — becomes a transgressor and offends you, pluck him out. It is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than having two eyes to be cast into hellfire; for it is better that you should be saved than to be cast into hell with your brother, where their worm dies not and where the fire is not quenched (Mark 5:18).

This warning was given just after Jesus said they were to be the light of the world:

Truly, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the world's light. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Behold, do men light a candle and put it under a bushel? Nay, but on a candlestick, and it gives light to all that are in the house. Therefore, let your light so shine before this world, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven (Matthew 3:16). 

This "of the world" is dominion language. If someone who has been given dominion over the world (such as Adam and every Patriarch since) receives such a warning, how much more could we be plucked out, having not yet gone through great trials of faith?

Early in his ministry, Joseph Smith learned a valuable lesson about this. After receiving the Urim and Thummim, his friend Martin Harris solicited him to ask the Lord if he could take the first portion of the translated record for a time. The Lord, through Joseph, effectively told Martin 'no.' Martin, not satisfied, asked Joseph another two times. Finally, the Lord allowed it, but as we know, this was to teach Joseph a hard lesson. That lesson was: by the transgressions of Joseph and Martin, the record was lost, and the Urim and Thummim were taken away. Joseph lost both the record and the instrument - because the two always go hand in hand. The complete account can be read here.  

I believe this partially fulfilled the Lord's warning above in the Gospel of Mark. Joseph, the one "appointed to see," had his "eye," or the Urim and Thummim, “plucked out" for a time because of "transgression."

However, God showed his mercy by giving Joseph back the Urim and Thummim and allowing Martin Harris to later behold a vision of the plates, breastplate, and, unironically, the Urim and Thummim that he had just caused Joseph to lose (Joseph Smith History 15:14-18). 

There is much to learn about the Urim and Thummim, interpreters, the finger of God, and seership. I wanted to write more, but this post was already long. All of it is a part of the Lord's eyes like a flame of fire, seeing what he sees and opening our eyes. Seers are "a great benefit" to us (Mosiah 5:13) because they help open our own eyes, but we are also invited to become Seers.

Let's awake and arise. 

Finally, in these critical times, be careful, call on the Lord day and night, beware of pride, beware of false brethren who will creep in among you to spy out your liberties, etc. Awake to righteousness, and sin not; let your light shine and show yourselves workmen that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Apply yourselves diligently to study that your minds may be stored with all necessary information. - Joseph Smith