pharoah

I find the above passage to be pretty bizarre. Did God answer their prayer by telling them to cast lots to choose a disciple? Or did he ignore them and the lot-casting was just the backup plan? Does this means that Christians have the approval of God to roll dice or flip a coin to make momentous decisions in their lives? How does this differ from using astrology, Tarot cards or ouiji boards to make decisions?

MiddleMan

Very good question. I suppose astrology, tarot cards and ouija boards are ok as long as you ask the Lord to reveal his plan to you through those devices first. That way you stave off any demonic attacks.

Ben C Smith

Every culture has culturally approved (and unapproved) methods of arbitrating difficult decisions. The more religious the culture, I think, the odder the custom will probably appear to us modern Westerners.

In ancient Judaism casting lots had the approval of the Hebrew scriptures. Proverbs 16.16; 18.18:

The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from Yahweh.
....
The cast lot puts an end to strife and decides between mighty ones.

These verses, by the way, are a good antidote to the creationist notion that the God of Abraham would never use a process of chance (like evolution) to accomplish his will.

Ben.

Splarnst

Since it's in the Bible, Christians will defend it tooth-and-nail but since it's absurd, they would condemn any repeating of it. Very similar to the story of Abraham almost killing Isaac by the order of God.

jonesg

Maybe Abraham mistook his directions from God, 'a son would have to die' , but Jesus understood what it meant and carried out His directions.

God wasn't testing Abraham, Abraham was just too dumb to figure it out.

Mageth

The Bible disagrees with you:

From the NKJV:

Gen 22:1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, [here] I [am].
Gen 22:2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only [son] Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

The word translated as "tempt" there (nacah) means:

1) to test, try, prove, tempt, assay, put to the proof or test
...a) (Piel)
.......1) to test, try
.......2) to attempt, assay, try
.......3) to test, try, prove, tempt

Later in the same chapter:

Gen 22:10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. Gen 22:11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here [am] I. Gen 22:12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only [son] from me.


Sure sounds like God was testing Abraham to me.

judge

As I understand some denominations today "draw straws" to decide who the elders will be. I can't remember which denomination.