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Podcast
Casting Lots
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Transcript
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Hi, I'm Dave DeWitt, and today I want to talk a little bit about making decisions by
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using a random exercise, like tossing a coin or seeing who or what action gets the short
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stick. In the Bible, it's usually done by casting lots. Here's seven thoughts about
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casting lots, drawn from biblical examples. Number one, casting lots is random selection
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when the outcome makes no discernible difference. Leviticus 16a, Aaron shall cast lots for the
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two goats, one for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat. That's a close quote. As
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part of the Day of Atonement, two goats were taken. One was sacrificed and the other let
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go into the wilderness. Using the lots did not prioritize one goat over the other. So
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casting lots might be used when we want to make a decision which does not prioritize
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one over the other. Number two, casting lots makes an impartial decision instead of a personal
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decision. Joshua 18 and verse 8, we read, Then the men arose and went, and Joshua commanded
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those who went to describe the land, saying, Go and walk around through the land and describe
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it and return to me, and I'll cast lots for you here before the Lord in Shiloh. In Proverbs
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verse 18, they cast lots, put the end to the strife between them, the mighty ones.
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After the land was surveyed and put into portions, Joshua randomly cast lots to see which tribe
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got what portion. This made the decision impartial and impersonal. Proverbs says that can avoid
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strife. Third, casting lots is a chance event, but God is sovereign over every chance event.
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So this deals with the age-old issue of chance versus the sovereignty of God. Proverbs 16.33
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says the lot is cast into the lap, but every decision is from the Lord. In Jonah 1.7, we
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read, So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. So the sailors determined by casting
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lots that Jonah was the problem. The lots were random, but God maneuvered the lots in
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order to get his prophet back on track. God's plan is not subject to our actions. Whether
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we make a reasonable decision or chance selection, his plan will prevail. Do not think you
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bring God in or keep God out by casting lots. Number four, there's nothing uniquely Christian
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about casting lots. In Matthew 27.35, it says that when they crucified him, they divided
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up his garments among them by casting lots. So unbelievers used casting lots for the same
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reason believers did, random selection. So it's not uniquely Christian or uniquely non-Christian.
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Number five, casting lots is not condemned, nor is it suggested as a means of determining
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God's will. In Acts 1.26, we read, And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias,
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and he was added to the eleven apostles. The eleven selected two equally qualified men
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and cast lots to select a replacement apostle. Casting lots is not encouraged or condemned.
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The apostles had no directive from God about it, nor did God ever criticize it. Number
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six, casting lots does not bring God in, it just takes us out. James 3.17, But the wisdom
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from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable. So normal biblical decision-making
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is by wisdom, which is first pure, then peaceable, then reasonable, gentle, and reasonable. It's
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morally pure and factually reasonable. Casting lots may take our sin nature out of it, but
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it also takes reason, wisdom, and morality out of it. Number seven, casting lots should
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not be used to relieve you of responsibility. Suppose you cast lots and believe you should
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abide by the lots, but later information reveals the lot provided a foolish choice. To decide
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by casting lots may be to shirk your responsibility. As a conclusion, casting lots assumes that
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wisdom, understanding, and knowledge are not useful. But how many decisions in life are
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best made that way? Should a doctor give a diagnosis, a jury decide a case, or an architect
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design a bridge by casting lots? If you want to make the decision impartial, if you have
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considered all options and they're all equal, if you have no personal preference for one
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or the other, if there's no moral or spiritual issue involved in one choice or the other,
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if there's no wisdom, understanding, or knowledge that leans the direction one way or another,
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and you're not trying to mystically inject God into the decision, then cast lots. But
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personally, I've never had any significant decision in my life where I wanted to do that.
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Have you? Thank you for listening. Paper on this subject with references for the quotes
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is available on our website relationalconcepts.org.
