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Is casting lots a form of gambling?
Additional Comments:
Acts 1:26 - ...they cast their lots... John 19:24 - ... cast lots for his garments. My question - was this a form of gambling or was it an act of faith frequently practiced? or just simply a way to decide things "fairly?" It is used for good and bad in these scriptures and I have heard people base their gambling beliefs on this. I have had some compare it to a pagan act (which I don't like since pagan really means peasant) but it is used to illustrate for some an act of "voo doo-ism" when they talk of others' faiths - were those faiths not also seeking God? Would not this practice be one on mysticism and "voo doo-ism?"
Answer:
Casting lots is reported on many occasions in the Old Testament. Joshua, for example, cast lots to make decisions. This was not equated with magic or gambling. This was a means of discerning God's will. Deuteronomy 18:10-12 condemns different forms of witchcraft but casting lots is not mentioned. Proverbs 16:33 says that when the lot is cast the decision comes from the Lord.
In Acts 1, we see the Apostles casting lots to choose a successor to Judas. But they also first screened possible candidates and bathed their decision in prayer. They asked God to use the casting of lots to reveal God's will, deciding between the two men who seemed equally qualified. The Apostles knew that both men "seemed" suitable for the job, but they could not know the men's hearts. Only God knows the heart. So they asked God to show them which person was God's choice.
The blind use of lots would have been wrong, but using lots to discern God's will after other means had proved insufficient was considered acceptable. After the Holy Spirit came to them to lead them to all truth, they no longer needed to cast lots.
NOTE: As to the comment about "pagan" meaning "peasant," I have no idea where that notion originated. I can guess, but guessing is not what we do here. "Pagan" in the New Testament (NIV) is the English translation of εθνος which refers to a group of people tied together by geography or culture. Social class within a culture is not a factor. The Jews came to use the plural form to refer to the Gentiles, all Gentiles. Some people today may connect "pagan" with "peasant" but this does not appear to be a New Testament, or biblical concept.
Answered By: Reg
