BIBLICAL VIEW | CHANCE (2)

1. Introduction

Proverbs 16:33 New Living Translation (NLT)

³³ We may throw the dice (lots),
    but the Lord determines how they fall.

2. Let's consider what casting of lots was used for... 

a) Canaan was divided in accord to Jacob's prophecies...

Numbers 26:55 New Living Translation (NLT)

⁵⁵ But you must assign the land by lot, and give land to each ancestral tribe according to the number of names on the list.

Joshua 18:8 New Living Translation (NLT)

⁸ As the men started on their way to map out the land, Joshua commanded them, “Go and explore the land and write a description of it. Then return to me, and I will assign the land to the tribes by casting sacred lots here in the presence of the Lord at Shiloh.”

b) Offender brought to justice...

i) Achan’s Sin

Joshua 7:16 New Living Translation (NLT)

¹⁶ Early the next morning Joshua brought the tribes of Israel before the Lord, and the tribe of Judah was singled out.

c) No-one doubted these decisions...

i) Saul was acknowledged to be King by lot.

1 Samuel 10:20-24 New Living Translation (NLT)

²⁰ So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel before the Lord, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot. ²¹ Then he brought each family of the tribe of Benjamin before the Lord, and the family of the Matrites was chosen. And finally Saul son of Kish was chosen from among them. But when they looked for him, he had disappeared! ²² So they asked the Lord, “Where is he?”

And the Lord replied, “He is hiding among the baggage.” ²³ So they found him and brought him out, and he stood head and shoulders above anyone else.

²⁴ Then Samuel said to all the people, “This is the man the Lord has chosen as your king. No one in all Israel is like him!”

And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

ii) Matthias was numbered among the apostles by lot.

Acts 1:26 New Living Translation (NLT)

²⁶ Then they cast lots, and Matthias was selected to become an apostle with the other eleven.

iii) Haman's lot was cast profanely, but GOD overruled.

Esther 3:7 New Living Translation (NLT)

⁷ So in the month of April, during the twelfth year of King Xerxes’ reign, lots were cast in Haman’s presence (the lots were called purim) to determine the best day and month to take action. And the day selected was March 7, nearly a year later.

Esther 9:1-2 New Living Translation (NLT)

9 So on March 7 the two decrees of the king were put into effect. On that day, the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but quite the opposite happened. It was the Jews who overpowered their enemies. ² The Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the king’s provinces to attack anyone who tried to harm them. But no one could make a stand against them, for everyone was afraid of them.