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Can
We Use Lots?
Can we use lots today to make a decision? Will God control the
lot? We will start by looking at Proverbs 16:33
which reads as follows in the literal Hebrew:
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Into the lap is cast the lot but from Yahweh all the judgment
of it. Proverbs 16:33
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The meaning is now easier to understand. The word "judgment"
comes from the Hebrew word MISPAT. It has the idea of justice
or judgment. The passage simply says that the result of the
lot is just, because God is guiding it. When the sailors in
Jonah's boat cast lots, they did not know that God was going
to guide the lots to give an accurate result. The apostles had
prayed and asked God to guide the lot, and God did. When the
Old Testament priests used the Urim and Thummim to determine
God's will, God guided the result. On other occasions, God is
the unseen and unrecognized person controlling the result.
Conclusion:
Ultimately, God is guiding every thing, even the lot. If He
needs to move you in a direction He will even flip the lot to
get you where He wants you to be. Harry Ironside once said this
about Proverbs 16:33.
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There is no such thing as chance, though it seems so to
the man who looks only "under the sun."
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Will God guide the lot to answer our questions? Can we throw
the lot after asking God ten different questions and have God
answer all of them with the lot? If so, then why did Jesus ask
us to pray? He could have just asked us to throw a lot. I believe
the lot was used in special situations by the priests and the
apostles after much prayer and seeking God's will.
Today, I would encourage you to
pray and ask God to guide you by opening and closing doors.
On occasions I have asked God to give me a "sign"
just as Gideon did (Judges 6:36-40). God has always been faithful.
He was faithful to the priests, the apostles, Gideon, and He
will be faithful to those who honestly and sincerely seek His
will.
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