Question on Casting Lots

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reneweddaybyday

Senior Member
#74
Mar 23, 2016
7,166
1,726
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#74
ChrisG33 said:
My question is: why did Peter even feel the need to cast lots in Acts 1? I know that was still before Pentecost but Peter literally just prophesied and interpreted psalms of David! He was clearly in the Spirit when he did that! So why cast lots?
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your question got me looking into the casting of lots in OT ...

Proverbs 18:18 The cast lot puts an end to quarrels, And decides between the mighty ones.

Casting lots was a method of resolving disputes.


also found this in Jonah:

Jonah 1:

3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

4 But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.

5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.

6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.

7 And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

8 Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?

9 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.

10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.

11 Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.

12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.

13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.

14 Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee.

15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.
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J

JimiSurvivor

Active member
#77
Mar 8, 2025
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#77
ChrisG33 said:
First let me say I understand and agree with the widespread explanation of why we don’t do it anymore. That Jesus promised when the Holy Spirit came He would lead us in all truth and the other verses in the epistles that teach us to walk in the Spirit that we might know the will of God. I know this and yes it makes perfect sense to me.

The Apostles learned a lot about following the Spirit after they were filled with Him. The particular technique of finding Gods will by "casting LOTS" has luckily not been described in detail or else people would probably STILL be doing it, or else we would assign the task to specialists to do it for it for us (would would make people follow them rather than the Spirit

On the end of the spectrum we would have a growing number who would cease trying to seek God's will except in for the general principles set forth in the Bible. Trying to use the general principles of the Word for specific guidance is a mistake too IMO. If we doubt that consider how the Reformers, Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, who probably knew the Word better than anyone, became obsessed with non-traditional groups like the Anabaptists and persecuted them to the point of killing thousands over such matters as infant baptism and practices of worship

Among the many warnings they and we are given is this:

39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in THEM you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about ME, 40 yet you REFUSE TO COME TO ME that you may have life.
(John 5:39)
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posthuman

posthuman

Senior Member
#79
Jul 31, 2013
38,910
13,906
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#79
Haidabo said:
There's a fine line
Between persistence
And stubbornness

Matthew 25:10
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Luke 18:1-8

Surely the stone will cry out...​
Cry out from the wall​
And the rafter will answer back​
It is finished He has loved them all​
​
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