George H. Warnock — Prolegomena
b7 — Crowned With Oil
Openbaring van God (Urim en Thummim)
Urim betekent “lichten” (vlam, stralend, schitterend); Thummim betekent “volmaaktheden” (voltooien, volkomen, tot het einde brengen). Beide woorden staan in het meervoud en duiden op een collectieve openbaring van het licht en de heerlijkheid van God in een volk dat in eeniedheid met Christus leeft.
“URIM: ‘Lights’, from a word that means a flame, something luminous, glorious, shining. THUMMIM: ‘Perfections’, from a word meaning to complete, accomplish, make an end, come to the full, be made perfect. Both words are in the plural; and the objects are two in number, which is a number of the corporate relationship in the body of Christ: the part and the counterpart, the right hand and the left, the right eye and the left—and so forth. In Urim and Thummim we have Light—God’s Light that comes to fulness, to perfection. We have a corporate expression of the Light and the Glory of God in fulness of manifestation.” (Warnock, Crowned With Oil, hoofdstuk 6, § Urim and Thummim)
Interpretatie: Urim en Thummim zijn geen louter voorwerpen in het Oude Testament, maar typen van de volledige openbaring van Gods karakter en wil door de Geest in een lichaam van gelovigen.
Schrift en openbaring
De Schrift is volkomen, maar behoeft verlichting door de Geest om in het leven van de gelovige toepast te worden op specifieke omstandigheden waarvoor de Bijbel geen directe instructie geeft.
“We have the word of God as our chief and only rule of faith and practice. But that Word must be illuminated by His Spirit as we walk along in the pathway of life. Also, there will be many times when we will need a very explicit word for particular moments of decision, or some grievous area of conflict, that the Bible was never intended to give us. It does not take from what is written, nor add to it. But we are a people of the Way, just as Israel was.” (Warnock, Crowned With Oil, hoofdstuk 6, § Urim and Thummim)
Interpretatie: Warnock onderscheidt de algemene openbaring via de Schrift van de specifieke, situatiegebonden openbaring door de Geest (Urim-type). De Schrift blijft het fundament, maar de Geest geeft toepassing en richting.
Epistemologie — de Geest als kennisbron
De natuurlijke mens kan de dingen van de Geest van God niet ontvangen; zij zijn dwaasheid voor hem. Alleen de Heilige Geest kan de kloof tussen Schepper en schepsel overbruggen.
“The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. We are totally helpless, brethren, to come to a knowledge of the truth and of the scriptures except as God reveals it to us by His Spirit. He speaks from the realm of the Spirit, into the realm of the earthly and the carnal.” (Warnock, Crowned With Oil, hoofdstuk 1, § Shall we Spiritualize or Carnalize the Word?)
Bijzondere openbaring via profeten (Samuel)
Samuel droeg het linnen efod; de Urim en Thummim waren in zijn hart gevestigd, zodat Gods woord door hem kwam als een zuiver, helder woord van de Heere.
“Samuel, as a young child in the Tabernacle was ‘girded with a linen ephod’ (1 Sam. 2:18; also vs. 28). The ephod seemed to be that specific garment of the priesthood that gave validity to this high calling. And as Samuel grew older the Urim and Thummim was established in his heart so well that God ‘did let none of his words fall to the ground’ (1 Sam. 3:19). The clear word that God spoke through Samuel was as valid and true as any message God gave to any of the former priests in Israel by Urim and Thummim.” (Warnock, Crowned With Oil, hoofdstuk 6, § Urim and Thummim)
“All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD” (1 Sam. 3:20). (Warnock, Crowned With Oil, hoofdstuk 6, § Urim and Thummim)
Interpretatie: De overgang van de efod met Urim en Thummim in het Oude Testament naar de profeten bij wie Urim in het hart gevestigd was, toont dat God openbaring verplaatst van voorwerpen naar personen — een overgang naar het Nieuwe Verbond.
Bijzondere openbaring via David (efod als raadpleging)
David, hoewel koning, functioneerde ook als priester en raadpleegde de Heere via de efod voor explicitite richtlijnen in oorlog en conflict.
“When David stood in need of direct, explicit instructions from God, as to his own preservation, and as to the battles he must wage, he had access to ‘the ephod’. God honored his prayers and gave clear direction as to the way he should go. God warned him that Saul would come down to Keilah searching for him, and so they must leave (1 Sam. 23:9-13). Again, when the enemy had smitten the camp where David and his men were living, and took away much spoil, David asked God what to do, and God told him specifically: ‘Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all’ (1 Sam. 30:8).” (Warnock, Crowned With Oil, hoofdstuk 6, § Urim and Thummim)
Interpretatie: Buiten de Schrift om gaf God explicitiete openbaring voor concrete situaties — een patroon dat Warnock toepast op hedenaagse leiding door de Geest.
Johannes de Doper als Urim-drager (laatste Oude-Testamentische profeet)
In een tijd van diepe geestelijke afval verrees Johannes de Doper met het Woord van de Heere in de wildernis, een duidelijke stem temidden van georganiseerde politieke en religieuze systemen.
“About 400 years had gone by since Malachi had come to the nation with a clear word from God. Then God raised up the greatest prophet He had ever given to Israel. Jesus said that of all born of women, ‘There hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist’ (Matt. 11:11). Never was there greater apostasy in Israel than when John arose in the spirit and power of Elijah, and sounded forth the call to repentance. All men who had understanding knew that John was established as the prophet of the Most High God. Luke in his narrative tells us about the very highly organized political and religious world that formed the setting for the sudden appearance of this great prophet. ‘Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and…’ — then Luke goes on to elaborate the very highly organized governments of the earth, just to give the setting in the midst of which ‘a man sent from God’ would suddenly appear on the scene with a clear word from God.” (Warnock, Crowned With Oil, hoofdstuk 6, § Urim and Thummim in John the Baptist)
“Right here in the midst of gross apostasy that we read these words, ‘The word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness’ (Luke 3:2). Out there in the wilderness God began to send forth a clear Word from His heart: ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand’.” (Warnock, Crowned With Oil, hoofdstuk 6, § Urim and Thummim in John the Baptist)
Interpretatie: Johannes is de overgangsfiguur — de laatste Oude-Testamentische Urim-drager die de weg bereidt voor de incarnatie van de Ware Openbaring (Jezus).
Jezus als het Woord — incarnatie van waarheid
Jezus is niet slechts een spreker van ware woorden, maar de incarnatie van het Woord zelf. Hij openbaart niet Zichzelf, maar de Vader.
“John was but a Voice in the wilderness. Jesus was Himself the Word, the incarnate expression of the Word of God. He did not come to change the real meaning of scripture, but to bring to light its true meaning. For in His humanity He was Himself the Word—not only because of what He said, but because of what He was—the very expression of God’s heart walking in human form.” (Warnock, Crowned With Oil, hoofdstuk 6, § Urim and Thummim in the Son)
“He came to reveal not Himself, the Son, but to show forth the Father. The Son was the shining forth of the Father.” (Warnock, Crowned With Oil, hoofdstuk 7, § John Seventeen)
Heilige Geest als de Geest van de Waarheid
De Heilige Geest neemt de plaats van Jezus in op aarde, getuigt alleen van Christus, en leidt de gelovigen in alle waarheid. Dit is de vervulling van Urim en Thummim in het Nieuwe Verbond.
“The Holy Spirit will not fall short in His ministration of truth to His chosen ones. ‘He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you’ (Jn. 14:26). And He would reveal other things to them as they needed it, and as they were able to receive it. ‘I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth’ (Jn. 16:13).” (Warnock, Crowned With Oil, hoofdstuk 6, § Urim and Thummim in the Son)
“The Holy Spirit is faithful to testify only of Christ. That is why He came into the earth. He came to take the place of Jesus, the faithful and true witness, who is now on the throne. And because the Spirit is faithful to testify only of Christ, God’s servants in the earth who love Him will also faithfully ‘bear witness’ to the truth.” (Warnock, Crowned With Oil, hoofdstuk 6, § Urim and Thummim in the Son)
“The Holy Spirit will speak only what He hears. ‘He shall not speak of (from) Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak; and He will shew you things to come’ (Jn. 16:13). The Word from the throne will be accurately and precisely declared in the earth, because the Spirit is under obligation to speak only what He hears.” (Warnock, Crowned With Oil, hoofdstuk 6, § Urim and Thummim in the Son)
Interpretatie: De Geest van de Waarheid is de Nieuw-Testamentische vervulling van Urim en Thummim — de openbaring van God niet via voorwerpen of efods, maar via de inwoning van de Geest in de gelovigen.
Theologie vs. technologie
Warnock waarschuwt tegen het vertrouwen op menselijke methoden (technologie, massamedia, kerkgroei-programma’s) boven de leiding van de Geest.
“We have many good translations that are useful to us in breaking down the barriers that exist between the original scriptures and our modern day languages. And we are thankful for those translators, ancient and modern, who are honestly trying to express the thought of scripture according to the original intention of the writers. But let us never forget that there remains an insurmountable language barrier between the Creator and the creature; and that only the Holy Spirit can bridge that vast gulf.” (Warnock, Crowned With Oil, hoofdstuk 1, § Shall we Spiritualize or Carnalize the Word?)
“We are not saying we should not use our modern methods of travel and communication. We are in a modern world, and we use what God has provided, as He may see fit. But we are simply saying that our technology and our modern methods and aids to evangelism have no real bearing on the effectiveness of the gospel of the Kingdom.” (Warnock, Crowned With Oil, hoofdstuk 2, § The Church of Christ is self-propagating)
Autoriteit van de Geest vs. Schrift
De Schrift alleen is onvoldoende zonder de inwoning van de Geest die de betekenis ontsluit.
“Those who say such things ignore the fact that the New Covenant itself must be ministered to the hearts of men by the same Spirit who caused the scribes to write it. It must be a ‘ministration of the Spirit’ (2 Cor. 3:3-8). God’s people, even though they have received the Spirit, must have a further enduement of ‘the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him’, the ‘eyes’ of their understanding ‘being enlightened’—if they are going to hear, and see, and know what God is saying—and experience and appropriate what God is doing.” (Warnock, Crowned With Oil, hoofdstuk 6, § Urim and Thummim in the Son)