Casting Lots

Lots are mentioned several times in the Old Testament and a few times in the New Testament. In Jonah we first read about this practice in Jonah 1:7. Does your Bible have any cross-references for Jonah 1:7? One way to learn about something you might not understand is to read all the cross-references for the verse or verses that contain something unfamiliar to you. If your Bible doesn't have cross-references, here are the ones listed in my Bible (NASB): Joshua 7:14-18; 1 Samuel 10:20, 21; 14:41, 42; Acts 1:23-26 and two others. Look up at least two of these. From what you read, what does the practice of casting lots appear to do? What seems to be its purpose? Who seems to be the one in charge?

Another way to try and figure out what it means is to look up "lots" in Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. Under "lots," you'll find a list of verses that all use this term. You could read them all, doing what you did with the cross-references, trying to figure out the meaning from the context. Or, you could look up the original word that was used and see what it means. The Old Testament verses all list #H1486. If you look up that number in the Hebrew dictionary in the back of Strong's, you find that the Hebrew word used in the original text was "goral." It meant "to be rough (as a stone), properly a pebble, i.e. a lot (small stones being used for that purpose); figuratively a portion or destiny (as if determined by lot)." All but one of the New Testament verses list #G2819. If you look up that word in the Greek dictionary in the back of Strong's, you find that the Greek word used in the original text was "kleros." It meant "through the idea of using bits of wood for the purpose; a die (for drawing chances); by implication a portion (as if so secured); by extension an acquisition (especially a patrimony, figuratively)."

Some Bibles have informational footnotes that might describe the purpose of casting lots. Or you could go to a Bible dictionary. Here is some of the information I learned when I read about casting lots in my Holman Bible Dictionary:

• They were objects of an unknown shape and material used to determine the divine will.
• People in the ancient Near East, especially priests, used them to make difficult decisions.
• The people in the Old and New Testaments believed that God influenced the fall or outcome of the lots. Casting lots was a way of determining God's will.
• Non-Israelites and non-Christians also used this practice and believed that their gods influenced the outcome.
• God communicated information unknown to human beings through lots. For example, who was responsible for the storm in Jonah 1?
• Lots helped God's people make a fair decision in difficult situations. For instance, the Promised Land was divided by lot.