The eight Chapter. Of Lots, whereby Gods counsell was asked: and first of Vrim and Thumim; which were so called, of charitie and perfection.
AN olde expositor of the scriptures, called Kimhi, 1 vpon the twentie chapter of the booke of Iudges, verse the 26, noted manie things, not vnprofitable for the vnderstanding of other places of the scripture by questions and oracles. He saith, that It was the maner among the Hebrues, to aske questions of God: and he that would demand anie thing, touching either publike or weightie matters, he came to the préest, who being apparelled with his Ephod garment, stood before the arke of the Lord. And vpon his Ephod were set twelue pretious stones, wherein the names of the twelue tribes were ingrauen, togither with the names of Abraham, Isaac, and Iacob; and also all the letters of the Hebrue alphabet. It behooued him that asked a question, to turne his face towards the préest; and his spéech should neither be so lowd, as hée might plainlie be heard; nor yet so lowe, as if he had onlie praied with his inward cogitations: but euen in such wise, as Anna praied in the first booke of Samuel, where it is said, 2 that She onelie mooued hir lips, & said nothing that might be heard. After this, the oracle was shewed to the préest in this maner. By the power of the holie Ghost, certeine letters appéered foorth, or shined vpon the breast, wherin the préest did read the oracle or wil of God. And this was that Vrim and Thumim, which is spoken of. These be the words of Kimhi. But what credit should be giuen vnto him, I knowe not. For it might be, that the spirit of God gaue out his pleasure by the mouth of the préest, without those letters.
3 2 Touching lots, we haue an example in the first of Samuel, the 10. verse; for there Samuel willeth that all the people should stand by tribes. He himselfe would pronounce nothing, least the thing should séeme to be doone by his owne appointment: therefore God pronounced Saule to be king, doubtlesse not through his owne merit, but for the people sake, least they should striue among themselues for the choosing of him. 4 The matter was permitted vnto lots, to the intent that dissention might be auoided. For if Samuel had chosen the king vpon his owne liking, they might haue thought him to be led by fauour & affection. Againe, if the voices of the people should haue taken place; no doubt but euerie one would haue fauoured his owne tribe: and béeing so manie tribes as there were, they would hardlie haue agréed all vpon one man. And wheras Saule was of the least tribe, of lowe degrée, & of base parentage; if he should haue béene chosen by anie other means, the matter might haue béen greatlie stomached of all sorts. 5 Core, Dathan, Abiram, and others of their felowes; stirred vp sedition against Moses and Aaron; bicause they supposed them to haue vsurped the principalitie and preesthood by fraud and collusion.
Sundrie waies were the lots in old time. Kimhi thinketh, that all the people stood before the Lord; for in deliberation and counsell of great matters, it behooued the magistrate or prince to stand before the high préest. So we sée in the book of Numbers, 6 that when Iosua was appointed to be captaine of the people, he stood before Eleazar, and the préest vsed to make answere through Vrim and Thumim. So dooth Kimhi thinke that Samuel stood before the high préest, and receiued the oracle of Vrim and Thumim; that is to saie, by those letters which were ingrauen in the pretious stones of the Ephod. He saith moreouer, that the arke perhaps was brought thither: howbeit these things be vncertaine. For there is here no mention made, either of the préest, or yet of the arke. Rab. Shelomo thinketh, that such was the maner of lots, as that the names of euerie of the tribes were written in seuerall scrols; which béeing throwne into a pot, were afterward drawne by the chéefe préest. It maketh for Kimhi, that there is no mention made of lots. Shelomo followeth the common opinion, which is, that Saules election was doone by lots: which thing was not strange from the vse & custome of the Iewes. For of two hée goats, 7 it was chosen by lots, which of them should scape. By lots the land of Canaan was diuided among the tribes; by lots the préesthood was appointed; by lots Ionas & Ionathas were found out; and by lots Matthias was taken into the apostleship; as we read in the first of the Acts. Wherfore séeing lots were in such sort vsed, commonlie among the Iewes, it should appeare that Shelomo did not thinke amisse, in saieng that Saule was chosen by lots.