Joshua 18
Joshua 18: 8-10
8 So the men arose and went, and Joshua charged those who went to write the description of the land, saying, “Go up and down in the land and write a description and return to me. And I will cast lots for you here before the Lord in Shiloh.” 9 So the men went and passed up and down in the land and wrote in a book a description of it by towns in seven divisions. Then they came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh, 10 and Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord. And there Joshua apportioned the land to the people of Israel, to each his portion.
In ancient times casting lots was viewed as a means of revealing the will of God. The terminology is mentioned at least seventy times in the Old Testament and seven times in the New Testament. God told Moses in Numbers 26 :55, “And the land shall be divided by lot”, and the casting of lots figures most prominently in the Old Testament with the tribal division of the Promised Land. Lots could have been sticks, flat stones, or an object like what we know as dice today. They were often marked with words, symbols, or painted assorted colors. Casting lots was used to determine the offices and functions of the temple, to decide who would bring wood for the altar, by the sailors on Jonah’s ship to ascertain who was the subject of God’s wrath.
The last time casting lots is mentions in the Bible is in the New Testament when the disciples cast lots to determine Judas’s replacement, Matthias at the end Acts chapter 1. In Acts chapter 2, the fulfillment of Jesus’s promise, the Holy Spirit, came at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit changed everything for the apostles and for us. We do not need to cast lots. We do not need to seek psychics or palm/tarot card readers. Through the Holy Spirit indwelling in us, we have direct access to God. We have the God’s Word in its entirety., not just the Old Testament. We have salvation through our faith in Jesus Christ and the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. When faced with tough decisions we ask for wisdom as directed in Romans. 11. The only casting, other than with a rod and reel, we should be doing is what Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5: 6-7:” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, please be patient with us as we don’t always cast our anxieties, burdens, and problems on you. We all too often think we can handle things on our own, when, we cannot. Forgive us for not coming to you with everything great or small; for not following your commands which you gave us so that we can live our one and only life on this earth according to your plans. In Jesus name, Amen.