This is a wonderful thought from Edmund Clowney. In a nutshell: Before Christ, God revealed His will directly, in the form of specific directions. Through Christ, he reveals the guiding principles of His will, so that we can know make decisions based on our knowledge of His nature.
I was reminded, reading this, of 1 Corinthians 2:15-16.
1 Corinthians 2:15-1615 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (ESV)
And now, from Clowney (emphasis added):
There are times when we may wish that one of the old “divers manners” of revelation were still in effect. The Urim and Thummin, for example, were consulted by the priest to secure “yes” or “no” answers from God (Ex. 28:30; I Sam. 28:6). Would you be tempted to trade in the New Testament for the priest’s ephod and to find your “yes” and “no” in miraculous stones rather than in Christ? In the agony of a harsh decision you might wish that this could be done. The Urim and Thummin gave infallible answers from God. One knew that success or ruin would follow a given course of action.
Could any guidance be better than that? Certainly. The guidance of Urim-Thummin was like a father’s guidance of a small child. “Yes, Tim, you may go.” “No, you must not do that.”
The will of the father is perfectly clear, yet it may not be at all understood. It is good for a child to obey even when he does not understand. It is better for him to obey because he does understand. He must do the first to be ready for the second. The mature son understands what his father desires of him; he understands the mind of his father and his obedience is shaped by that understanding…
Knowing the will of the Lord in the fellowship of Jesus Christ is not a technique to provide a substitute for the Urim-Thummin in securing infallible on-the-spot decisions from God. The Lord has not promised to give this, and what he does give you is far better. In his Word he reveals the principles of his will—indeed, he reveals himself. Through his Spirit he quickens your understanding of his will and your living fellowship with himself.
Edmund P. Clowney, Called to the Ministry, pp. 70-71.
