The Casting of Lots in the Bible
What does the Bible say about the casting of lots? What was the purpose and is there a scriptural reason today to cast lots? The casting of lots in the Bible is similar to throwing dice or drawing straws. It served two godly purposes:
- Revealing God's Will to Prophet or Priest: which ended with the Levitical priesthood, Heb. 7:12
- Encouraging Humility: as it causes contentions to cease and keeps the mighty apart, Prov. 18:18
On the rare occasions when the topic of casting lots arises, it seems that Bible students tend to recognize the use of lots in sacred history to reveal God's will, but that we tend to overlook the other more common use of lots.
To Reveal God's Will (commonly taught)
Choosing Kings Saul & David: 1 Sam. 10:20-24; 1 Sam. 16:7-12
To Replace Judas: Acts 1:26 And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
To Exercise Humility (commonly neglected)
Difficult Decision: Prov. 18:18 Casting lots causes contentions to cease, and keeps the mighty apart.
Not Insisting On Getting One's Own Way: Prov. 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.
Zacharias in the Temple: Luke 1:9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
Priest’s Order of Service: 1 Chron. 24:5-19; then, 1,000 years later, the priests were still casting lots when:
Governmental Decisions: Neh. 11:1 They “cast lots to bring one out of ten to dwell in Jerusalem…”
Tribal Division of the Promised Land: Num. 26:52?56 this was a form of inheritance because the Israelites were inheriting the land that had belonged to God
Because Casting Lots Show Humility before God and Man: Prov. 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. [The context is one's heart attitude, for the preceding proverb is about anger, and the following verse is about strife.
Thus, as to which brother inherits their father's car, or their father's truck, if God were to come down and arbitrate, His answer would be that He doesn't care which man gets which, but he cares about the condition of each man's heart. For a man who's father had died went to Jesus and asked a question about inheritance, but he would have received the same answer if he had merely cast lots:
“Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Luke 12:13-15
The man could have gotten this answer from the Lord, or he could have arrived at the exact same result if he were willing to cast lots, for God cares more about the attitude of your heart than whether you or your brother inherits your father's car or his truck.
Sinful Casting of Lots: Like most things, the casting of lots too could be used for good or for evil.
The Roman soldiers “cast lots” for Christ’s robe: Mat. 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:34; & John 19:24.
Feast of Purim: Purim is the Akkadian word for [casting] lots, and the Jewish feast celebrates the defeat of Haman’s plan which used the casting of lots to pick the day the people were to to kill the Jews (Esther 3:7).
By Pastor Bob Enyart
Denver Bible Church
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