JOSHUA 16

Did you think the lottery was a modern invention? Well, it isn’t. At least not according to the Bible. It dawned on me today, as I was reading Joshua 16, that the parcels of land in Canaan were being doled out to the various tribes via a lottery (or, the casting of lots). It seems that the Israelites did this quite a bit, and it was a practice still in use when the Roman soldiers famously cast lots for Jesus’ clothing as He hung on the cross.

Solomon (and, perhaps, the entire nation of Israel) saw casting lots as something more than just a game of chance, however. In Proverbs 16:33, he wrote, "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord." So, with that in mind, it seems that casting lots wasn’t just a way of making decisions at random; rather, it was a way that the Israelites allowed the Lord to have a hand in matters.

That may be harder to swallow in the case of land allotments in Canaan, but consider that casting lots was also used to identify Achan, who had stolen from the Lord (Josh 7). And the same process was used to select Israel’s first king, Saul (1 Sam 10). God later said He had personally chosen Saul to be king.

To me, the fact that God worked through this method to convey His will (or the truth about things) to the Israelites suggests that God likes it when we consult Him about things. When we ask Him a question, He will answer. He is eager to give us insight and understanding into the problems we encounter in life. As for my track record with consulting God, I could certainly do a lot better! Often, I’m so busy making my own plans and working out the details myself that I simply forget to ask God what He thinks.

But God is eager to speak. That’s why Jesus said, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." (Lk 11:9) God likes it when we consult Him!

Ask. Seek. Knock. A.S.K.