Casting lots, in the minds of religious authorities, may now be associated with many Eastern religions (like Chinese Taoism and the I Ching). It is also associated with fortune telling techniques. Indeed, throughout history, people have looked everywhere except within for the answers they need. People will look to astrology (the placement of the stars and planets), they look to cartomancy (using playing cards or Tarot cards), or Palmistry (reading palms), or graphology (studying handwriting), and even padomancy (the study of the soles of one's feet) to name just a few.

Many Christians do approve the use of Bibliomancy (randomly opening the Bible or other book to see what the Lord has to say concerning the problem being faced. This is also done when Bible verses are placed in a container and are randomly drawn.) Also, many Christians still "lay a fleece" to seek God's will, as Gideon did twice in the Old Testament. As this book will illustrate by its many examples, it would be better to err on the side of trusting God, believing He can manipulate a tossed coin than to do what most practice in this age of "rationalism," which is to rely totally on our own intelligence or educated guesses. Truthfully, how can we know all the ramifications that surround the daily decisions we have to make? How can we know the hearts of the people around us (for invariably most of our decisions involve, in some way, other people)? Only God is omnipotent and omnipresent and, of course, He speaks to us through His Holy Spirit but can't God utilize the toss of a coin to clarify what the Holy Spirit may be whispering to us in our hearts? With this world's loud, noisy clanging, persistently swaying us this way and that, the still small voice of the Lord may be difficult to hear.

The association of casting of lots with all the worldly tainted methods of trying to “see the future,” may have caused us to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Though many good things are said about casting of lots in the Old Testament, it is not mentioned past Acts in the New Testament, as I said before. The consensus of many theologians today, therefore, is to not give casting lots any credence, stating that since Jesus asked us to "wait upon the Holy Spirit" during Pentecost, this is what we are to do today. Some even go so far as to point to the selection of Matthias as a step out of God's will. This book will propose to those willing to hear, that God still wants to speak to us in this way today, if we do not taint this process with our own will. Total relinquishment of our will and trusting God DOES allow God to speak to us in this way (and, surprise of all surprises, the Holy Spirit frequently speaks to our hearts in conjunction with this process).

Is God real or is He just a figment of our imagination? The secular humanists and "rationalists" so prevalent in today's world, have blasphemed God Word, stating that most of the miracles of the New Testament and the mighty workings of God in the Old Testament are myths, or embellished story-telling, handed down from generation to generation, becoming more fantastic with each telling. This is even taught in some seminaries. To the rationalist, casting lots and getting a genuine guidance from God, Himself, is a ludicrous notion. But, if God is real, why should we not expect Him to help us with our immediate decisions—preventing us from stumbling through this fallen, carnal world? His hand has (in Biblical history as well as modern times) touched many people miraculously. His hand has done things physically, that we cannot understand scientifically (like when Jesus turned water into wine or fed thousands with only a few loaves and fishes). If God is truly God, and, as Isaiah says, His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, then perhaps God inspired and approved a way in which we can reverently inquire of Him today, casting the lot, as we prayerfully flip a coin, thereby getting practical answers from Him.

He knows we all struggle so desperately to separate our carnally influenced thoughts from His pure ones. He also knows that many people don't really desire to hear Him that much. He reads hearts and the deepest desires of our hearts He promises to give us. Could we have an increased desire to know His will? Do you not cry out, as I have, for some way to be able to hear Him with undeniable certainty?

God gave us Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Jesus gave those who believed access to a supernatural dose of the Holy Spirit during the Pentecost, which was needed as the foundation on which to establish His church. Throughout the Old Testament, however, God's Spirit is seen often, so Pentecost was not the first time God's Spirit has communicated with or come upon man. Let's consider Saul, who was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

1Sa 19:23 So he (Saul) went on to Naioth in Ramah; and the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went on he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
1Sa 19:24 He took off his royal robes and prophesied before Samuel and lay down stripped thus all that day and night. So they say, Is Saul also among the prophets? [I Sam. 10:10.] (AMP)

1Ki 19:11 And He said, Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake;
1Ki 19:12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [a sound of gentle stillness and] a still, small voice. (AMP)

Those who find God hard to believe in, have no problem believing in all sorts of externally based practices such as mentioned in the following article from Wikipedia, the Internet's free encyclopedia. (I realize that this Internet encyclopedia is not considered a scholarly source and I only utilize it now as it defines the word "divination.")

"Divination is the attempt of ascertaining information by interpretation of omens or an alleged supernatural agency. If a distinction is to be made with fortune-telling, divination has a formal or ritual and often social character, usually in a religious context; while fortune-telling is a more everyday practice for personal purposes. Divination is often dismissed by skeptics, including the scientific community, as being mere superstition. Advocates say there is plenty of anecdotal evidence for the efficacy of divination. Divination is a universal cultural phenomenon which anthropologists have observed as being present in many religions and cultures in all ages up to the present day."

Many religious authorities of today have apparently bought into the scientific opinion that all divination is superstitious and have discounted it. And, indeed, the Bible itself condemns the occult throughout its pages. Specifically, look at Deuteronomy 18:9-14:

Deu 18:9 When you come into the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of these nations.
Deu 18:10 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire, or who uses divination, or is a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer,
Deu 18:11 Or a charmer, or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
Deu 18:12 For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and it is because of these abominable practices that the Lord your God is driving them out before you.
Deu 18:13 You shall be blameless [and absolutely true] to the Lord your God.
Deu 18:14 For these nations whom you shall dispossess listen to soothsayers and diviners. But as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do so. (AMP)

From the Encyclopedia of Religion, Second Edition:
“The throwing of lots with the Urim and Thummin (Yes and No), articles kept in the priest's apron, was accepted as a means of discerning the divine will.”² During the vast time period associated with God's inspired writings in the Old Testament, the casting of the lot was used by priests to determine which of two goats was to be sacrificed as a sin offering and which one would be sent away as the scapegoat. In addition, it was used to divide up and distribute the Promised Land, once it was taken. It was also used to appoint people to all the various jobs that running a temple required. For instance, they cast lots to determine who would be the musicians, gatekeepers, or who would perform miscellaneous chores, and so forth.³ This kept disputes about appointments down because, with the casting of lots, there was no favoritism or nepotism possible. A Proverbs says:

To cast lots puts an end to disputes and decides between powerful contenders. Proverbs 18:18. (AMP)

As with any gift given to us by God, casting lots can be misused and abused. But God even used this abuse to His glory. Didn't God allow the casting of lots for Jesus' robe (which the Roman soldiers did at the foot of the cross)⁴ to be a prophetic message in Psalms to help us recognize that Jesus was the Savior, Messiah sent by God?⁵

Eventually, the common people found it much fun to gamble while casting lots and the church leaders of the day strongly condemned gambling, even excommunicating those who participated in this.⁶ However, over time, the lottery games condemned were fewer and fewer until today, many churches hold bingo and other lottery games as church fund raisers. Such frivolous casting of lots bears no resemblance to casting lots to sincerely seek God's will.

Ancient Israel really enjoyed a close relationship with the Lord and did not find it odd to use the casting of the lots to determine God's will. It was accepted as a legitimate method and no one doubted for a minute that God's hand was on the casting of the lots. Here is another Proverb:

The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is wholly of the Lord [even the events that seem accidental are really ordered by Him]. Proverbs 16:33. (AMP)

I reviewed some of the older, Wesleyan influenced literature, recently and ran across the information that a group known as the Moravians still believed in the process of casting lots to hear God's will. I found them on the Internet and wrote the following inquiry:

One of the old books I read indicated that the Moravians believe in the casting of lots (as done in the Old and New Testaments). Can you confirm? Thanks, Victor

Your email to the editor of The Moravian was forwarded to me. I am the archivist for the Moravian Church (Northern Province) and I am happy to give you some information on the use of the lot by Moravians. I see that you promote the use of the lot by modern Christians, so I am sure this information is interesting to you.

The Moravians began using the lot around 1730. They believed that it was possible to consult Christ through the lot when it came to important decisions.

Other Christian groups have used the lot in a similar way. As you said, there are also biblical examples of using the lot for important decisions.

For Moravians there were different ways of using the lot. One way was having three lots: a yea, a nay and a blank lot. After posing the question, a lot was drawn. A blank lot could mean the question was not formulated the right way or it was not the right time for a decision. Another way of drawing the lot was writing the various options on pieces of paper, that were rolled up and placed in a lot holder.

Moravians also casted lots to decide if two people should marry. Unlike some opponents of the Moravians have claimed, this was not a lottery where the names of the various brides were put in a bowl and someone would draw the name of the "lucky one". When a couple wanted to get married, the lot was asked to determine if Christ agreed with this match. If the lot said no, but the couple still wanted to get married, this was possible, but they would have to leave the church.

The lot for marriages was abolished in 1818 in America and in 1819 in Europe. The Moravians did away with the lot altogether in 1889.

yours,

Dr. Paul M. Peucker
Archivist of the Northern Province
Moravian Archives
41 W. Locust St.
Bethlehem, PA 18018-2757
USA
 

As I reverently and prayerfully began using the method of flipping a coin, (or casting lots), I knew that it was NOT to be used in fortune-telling. I was only to use it to get immediate help. I will elaborate more on this later.

Divination assumes the influence of God. Faith is a prerequisite to our relation with Him as well as anything He does through us or for us. Jesus said many times, by your faith you will be made whole.⁸ Let it be understood that my personal use of prayerfully flipping a coin is about trusting and knowing God's hand is on the flip. And, beforehand, it is about truly knowing God is real and desires to make His will known to us, in anyway we are willing to listen. If the method this book describes is abused, it will be because people will not grasp the importance of the following two sentences: Casting lots is never about a coin flip to talk to God. It is about talking to God from the bottom of our hearts and knowing He will use any means to communicate to all of us who are open and ready to receive His direct word upon our hearts.

In the next part of this introduction, I will share with you some insights I have received through my use of casting lots (or prayerfully flipping the coin). Keep in mind that there is no place in the Bible where a divine authority ever asks us to stop using the process of casting lots. Indeed, I believe many leaders have made some erroneous assumptions when they say that a Christian should not utilize this method as one way of perceiving the will of God. We have assumed that when Jesus said we are to wait on the Holy Spirit during Pentecost, in Acts, that from that day on we weren't to do anything else but just sit and wait on the Holy Spirit, to rush in upon us in the same way. However, I believe, and my experience confirms, that it IS the Holy Spirit who takes charge of a prayerful casting of lots. It is He we are listening to and it is He whom we are willing to follow. But, please keep in mind, even if casting lots failed to work, doing it in the right spirit at least shows the Lord that you have a strong desire to hear Him and are willing to follow His counsel, disregarding your personal agenda. He loves it when we attempt to follow His will, even if we stumble awkwardly as we reach for Him in our childlike manner. The following chapters, however, can prove to those willing to hear that, not just casting of lots, but trust that God's hand is in the process of casting of the lots, will lead to valid and helpful advice as well as a greater understanding of God. There will be those who insist a Christian should just "hear the Holy Spirit" and not resort to such foolishness as casting the lot. I am happy for those who have such a gift as to always hear so clearly. However, some of us have a bit more difficulty with our discernment, perhaps lacking in such confidence.

¹ "Lots, though a form of divination, were never a forbidden practice in ancient Israel as were the other major forms of divination. (See Deut. 18:9-14)" International standard Bible encyclopedia. Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. Back

2 From http://www.jameslindlibrary.org/essays/casting_of_lots/casting.html. "Although the masses were forbidden by Jewish law to cast lots for divination-which was the prerogative of the priests--God's authorities on earth were allowed to use lottery devices to guide judgments. Thus the chief priest carried sacred stones inside his breastplate, through which he sensed divine intentions. The Urim and Thummim stones gave God's answer, determined when the 'Yes' or the 'No' stone was drawn out." Back

3 http://www.cezwright.com/books/elements.html#_TOC364291234. Back

4 Matthew 27:35 and John 19:24. Back

5 Psalms 22:18. Back

6 http://www.jameslindlibrary.org/essays/casting_of_lots.html. Back

7 http://www.jameslindlibrdary.org/essays/casting_of_lots/casting.html. Back

8 Matthew 9:22 is one. Back

Back

TOC

Next