The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. ~Proverbs 16:33
Casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart. ~Proverbs 18:18
Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to see who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. ~Jonah 1:7
When they had crucified Him, they divided up His clothes by casting lots. ~Matthew 27:35
So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Then they prayed, “Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias. So, he was added to the eleven apostles. ~Acts 1:23-26
Before David became king, and he spent all those years running around over hills and mountains, accumulating warriors who had defected from king Saul, O, and he was also writing a slew of Psalms! In such uncertain times, he was often questioning, what is the Lord’s Will in this situation or that. Mistakes could have cost him his life!
“When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod.” David said, “O Lord, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O Lord, God of Israel, tell Your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will.” Again, David asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?” And the Lord said, “They will.” (1 Samuel 23:9-13)
How did David inquire of the Lord? We first learn of the ephod and the “breastplate of decision,” in Exodus 28 as God is instructing Moses about making the clothing that the priests were to wear in His service. “The rings of the breast piece are to be tied to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband, so that the breast piece will not swing out from the ephod. Whenever Aaron enters the Holy place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breast piece of decision as a continuing memorial before the Lord. Also put the “Urim and the Thummim in the breast piece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus, Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.” (Exodus 28:28-30)
God’s guidance was sought by using the “Urim and Thummim,” But what were they? It was fun to do a little research. Urim means “light” and Thummim means “decision” or “perfection.” The meaning is not certain. Further, the details of how that worked are lost to us. One theory, supposedly from the most ancient Jewish sources, is that the Urim was a distinctive stone that had the ability to light up. The Thummim was two more stones that felt exactly alike, but were visually different so that one meant “yes” and the other meant “no.” First, did you notice that David’s questions were to be answered either “yes” or “no”? The Urim and Thummim could only answer “yes” or “no,” there were no details or further revelation beyond “yes” or “no” messages.
The priest would reach into the ephod, and in one hand he would take up the Urim, in the other he would pick one of the two Thummim. Then he would open his hands and there was the answer. But the importance of the Urim was that only if it was illuminated or “lit up” could you believe the determination of the Thummim, if not lit, then God did not want to answer that question. I can see the importance of that! Only the light could authenticate the Will of God. It has connections with “shed light on the situation.”
Aside from any theory, the Urim and Thummim were God’s way of revealing his Will, only through the high priest and only during that time in history as He allowed. But in many cultures, casting lots, or rolling the dice, was a pretty common way of making decisions. Even today, we “flip a coin,” to decide who to follow. Today we know that’s “random” and is not really a reliable way to determine God’s will. But we believe the Urim and Thummim were not random but truly revelatory. So, why would God remove that means of knowing His will? I’ll get to that in a moment.
Some cultures used the entrails of animals. We know that the stars were also used. That’s how the Magi found the baby Jesus. It’s pretty common for people to want to know and to have the assurance that their decision is backed up by something more than themselves, partly, so that they are not fully to blame when something doesn’t work out, and partly so that you have a bigger opinion to offer than just your own when trying to sway others to follow your will.
Before the coming of the Holy Spirit, it is true that God certainly could reveal His will by the casting of the dice, as He certainly did in Jonah’s case. With the children of Israel, He established a system that He promised to speak through, to guide them in the right directions. “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” That was before the Holy Spirit.
“Casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart.” You can also see how letting the dice make the decision would end a dispute. It was assumed that there was divine intervention. God settled the matter. That’s how it worked out for Jonah. The lot fell to him and that was that. The crew asked, “What have you done?” Jonah confessed and didn’t even beg for his life but agreed to be tossed overboard to appease God’s anger with him.
The last time casting lots is mentioned in the Bible occurred when the eleven remaining disciples felt the need to replace Judas. There had to be twelve leaders. But who among the other early followers would be God’s choice? Peter believed that it was a time to cast lots after they had done their best to narrow the field to two candidates. He was certainly doing what had always been done. He even used scripture to back his motivation. Was he right in taking this action or was he rushing ahead and stepping out of the boat, so to speak, again, without the Lord’s permission? But this was before the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost.
However, there are those who believe that Paul, appointed by the Holy Spirit, was God’s intended replacement for Judas and that Peter was jumping the gun, a bit here. Yes, one of the two men named in Acts 1:23 was chosen, but we never hear about him again. We also know that this is the last time that this technique is mentioned for decision making in scripture.
The Church has now been given the Holy Spirit to guide our every decision. We also have the completed Word of God both in the Bible and in Jesus. So, we have all the information we need, and we have a direct link to God Himself to present our requests and needs to learn from Him what His Will is. We no longer need mechanical means. God wants us to use more faith than take chances. In addition, with priesthood of ALL believers, there is no “high priest” to be in charge of any decision making apparatus.
Everything we need has been given in Christ. He has promised that He will never leave us. He has promised His guidance. What He requires of us is patience for His Will to be revealed in His time. “I am still confident of this. I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord. Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:13-14) That is probably one of the hardest things to do, to wait for the unseen world to move in the seen world, but when we can, I believe that we will find that the Lord will make it worth our wait. He does reveal his will. Isaiah 30: 21 says, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.””
Prayer: Father, thank you so much for being so near and so involved with my life! I will walk by faith in your care and concern for me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: In Christ Alone
Casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart. ~Proverbs 18:18
Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to see who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. ~Jonah 1:7
When they had crucified Him, they divided up His clothes by casting lots. ~Matthew 27:35
So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Then they prayed, “Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias. So, he was added to the eleven apostles. ~Acts 1:23-26
Before David became king, and he spent all those years running around over hills and mountains, accumulating warriors who had defected from king Saul, O, and he was also writing a slew of Psalms! In such uncertain times, he was often questioning, what is the Lord’s Will in this situation or that. Mistakes could have cost him his life!
“When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod.” David said, “O Lord, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O Lord, God of Israel, tell Your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will.” Again, David asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?” And the Lord said, “They will.” (1 Samuel 23:9-13)
How did David inquire of the Lord? We first learn of the ephod and the “breastplate of decision,” in Exodus 28 as God is instructing Moses about making the clothing that the priests were to wear in His service. “The rings of the breast piece are to be tied to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband, so that the breast piece will not swing out from the ephod. Whenever Aaron enters the Holy place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breast piece of decision as a continuing memorial before the Lord. Also put the “Urim and the Thummim in the breast piece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus, Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.” (Exodus 28:28-30)
God’s guidance was sought by using the “Urim and Thummim,” But what were they? It was fun to do a little research. Urim means “light” and Thummim means “decision” or “perfection.” The meaning is not certain. Further, the details of how that worked are lost to us. One theory, supposedly from the most ancient Jewish sources, is that the Urim was a distinctive stone that had the ability to light up. The Thummim was two more stones that felt exactly alike, but were visually different so that one meant “yes” and the other meant “no.” First, did you notice that David’s questions were to be answered either “yes” or “no”? The Urim and Thummim could only answer “yes” or “no,” there were no details or further revelation beyond “yes” or “no” messages.
The priest would reach into the ephod, and in one hand he would take up the Urim, in the other he would pick one of the two Thummim. Then he would open his hands and there was the answer. But the importance of the Urim was that only if it was illuminated or “lit up” could you believe the determination of the Thummim, if not lit, then God did not want to answer that question. I can see the importance of that! Only the light could authenticate the Will of God. It has connections with “shed light on the situation.”
Aside from any theory, the Urim and Thummim were God’s way of revealing his Will, only through the high priest and only during that time in history as He allowed. But in many cultures, casting lots, or rolling the dice, was a pretty common way of making decisions. Even today, we “flip a coin,” to decide who to follow. Today we know that’s “random” and is not really a reliable way to determine God’s will. But we believe the Urim and Thummim were not random but truly revelatory. So, why would God remove that means of knowing His will? I’ll get to that in a moment.
Some cultures used the entrails of animals. We know that the stars were also used. That’s how the Magi found the baby Jesus. It’s pretty common for people to want to know and to have the assurance that their decision is backed up by something more than themselves, partly, so that they are not fully to blame when something doesn’t work out, and partly so that you have a bigger opinion to offer than just your own when trying to sway others to follow your will.
Before the coming of the Holy Spirit, it is true that God certainly could reveal His will by the casting of the dice, as He certainly did in Jonah’s case. With the children of Israel, He established a system that He promised to speak through, to guide them in the right directions. “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” That was before the Holy Spirit.
“Casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart.” You can also see how letting the dice make the decision would end a dispute. It was assumed that there was divine intervention. God settled the matter. That’s how it worked out for Jonah. The lot fell to him and that was that. The crew asked, “What have you done?” Jonah confessed and didn’t even beg for his life but agreed to be tossed overboard to appease God’s anger with him.
The last time casting lots is mentioned in the Bible occurred when the eleven remaining disciples felt the need to replace Judas. There had to be twelve leaders. But who among the other early followers would be God’s choice? Peter believed that it was a time to cast lots after they had done their best to narrow the field to two candidates. He was certainly doing what had always been done. He even used scripture to back his motivation. Was he right in taking this action or was he rushing ahead and stepping out of the boat, so to speak, again, without the Lord’s permission? But this was before the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost.
However, there are those who believe that Paul, appointed by the Holy Spirit, was God’s intended replacement for Judas and that Peter was jumping the gun, a bit here. Yes, one of the two men named in Acts 1:23 was chosen, but we never hear about him again. We also know that this is the last time that this technique is mentioned for decision making in scripture.
The Church has now been given the Holy Spirit to guide our every decision. We also have the completed Word of God both in the Bible and in Jesus. So, we have all the information we need, and we have a direct link to God Himself to present our requests and needs to learn from Him what His Will is. We no longer need mechanical means. God wants us to use more faith than take chances. In addition, with priesthood of ALL believers, there is no “high priest” to be in charge of any decision making apparatus.
Everything we need has been given in Christ. He has promised that He will never leave us. He has promised His guidance. What He requires of us is patience for His Will to be revealed in His time. “I am still confident of this. I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord. Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:13-14) That is probably one of the hardest things to do, to wait for the unseen world to move in the seen world, but when we can, I believe that we will find that the Lord will make it worth our wait. He does reveal his will. Isaiah 30: 21 says, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.””
Prayer: Father, thank you so much for being so near and so involved with my life! I will walk by faith in your care and concern for me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: In Christ Alone
Comments
Post a Comment