Running Head: Session 4 Assignment: The Casting of Lots in the Bible 1

Math in the Bible Session 4: The Casting of Lots in the Bible

Michele Gough

MAT-113A-ON152-SP21: Math Concepts- Block 1

Colorado Christian University

Jason Ocvirk

January 30, 2021.

Session 4 Assignment: The Casting of Lots in the Bible 2

The Casting of Lots in the Bible

Casting lots is an activity used to make unbiased decisions, similar to the tossing of a

coin. The casting of lots is a tradition that is referred to on several occasions in the Bible. The

purpose of casting lots in various occasions identified in the Bible was to enable fairly impartial

decisions to be made on critical issues. Traditionally, it was always difficult for people to dispute

the decisions made through casting of lots because in most cases, they were not arrived at due to

human influence.

While fleeing away from the Lord, Jonah boarded a ship for Tarshish, instead of

Nineveh. At sea, a calamity of strong winds and violent storms hit the ship to the point that it

was about to capsize. At that moment, the men on the ship agreed that they would cast lots to

know on whose account was the calamity striking them (Jonah 1:7). And when Jonah was

thrown into the sea, the storm calmed. In another incident in the Bible, the apostles needed to

continue spreading the gospel after the resurrection and ascendance of Jesus Christ, and yet,

nobody had replaced Judas Iscariot. Therefore, the apostles gathered to cast lots among

candidates available, and the lot fell to Matthias, who was then added to the eleven (Acts 1:26).

Another example can be found in Mathew 27:35 where the men who crucified Jesus divided up

his garments among themselves by casting lots. From the above-mentioned incidences in the

Bible, it is no doubt that many people believed in the accuracy of the results of casting lots. To

some of those who presided over the process, the decisions made from the casting of lots was

influenced by the Will of God. That is explains why people never disputed the decisions made

from the casting lots – they were considered God's will. The question remains whether the

decisions made and the outcomes of these events were destined to happen or they just occurred

by chance. Answering this question needs an understanding of the truth behind each event. For
Session 4 Assignment: The Casting of Lots in the Bible 3

instance, Jonah was identified as the reason why the storm wanted to sink the ship he boarded

while running away from God. The outcome of the casting lots made him to be thrown into the

sea, got swallowed by “fish” that naturally took him up to the shore of Nineveh, where he was

destined to go deliver God’s message. Therefore, in this case, the outcome of the decision made

by casting of lots were destined to happen, and not necessarily a chance. In the case of selecting

Mathias as the candidate to replace Judas Iscariot in the discipleship, it was rather by chance that

he was chosen. Chance is considered as a possibility for something to occur while destiny is a

predetermined state or necessarily fate.

In conclusion, the different incidences of casting of lots in the Bible were intended to

help make unbiased decisions. And to many people, the outcome of casting lots was considered

accurate to the extent that no one ever disputed the results. As noted, the difference between

destiny depends on the situation or event.

Session 4 Assignment: The Casting of Lots in the Bible 4

References

Burger, E. B., & Starbird, M. (2013). The heart of mathematics: An invitation to effective

thinking (4th ed.).

The Bible: Acts 1:26; Replacement of the twelfth apostle after the death of Judas.

The Bible: Jonah 1:17; Identification of Jonah as the cause of Calamity at Sea.

The Bible: Matthew 27:25; Distribution of the garments of Jesus Christ after his Crucifixion.