Method of Discerning God's Will
Casting Lots
Also called cast lots, the lot
The ancient practice of throwing marked objects (likely stones or sticks) to make a decision, used throughout Scripture on the conviction that the outcome, though it looked like chance, was actually directed by God — most memorably when Roman soldiers cast lots for Jesus's clothing at the cross.
Casting Lots in the Old Testament
Israel used lots for decisions considered too important, or too liable to human favoritism, to leave to ordinary judgment. On the Day of Atonement, Aaron cast lots over two goats — one 'for the LORD,' sacrificed as a sin offering, and the other the scapegoat sent into the wilderness bearing the people's sin (Leviticus 16:8-10) — letting the lot itself, not the priest's preference, decide which goat played which role. When Israel divided the Promised Land, Joshua 'cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD,' assigning each tribe's territory this way rather than by negotiation or seniority (Joshua 18:6-10). Proverbs states the underlying conviction plainly: 'The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD' (Proverbs 16:33) — what looked like chance was, in Israel's own understanding, God's own hidden direction.
The practice wasn't unique to Israel — the pagan sailors on Jonah's ship also cast lots to identify who had brought disaster on their voyage, and the lot correctly fell on Jonah (Jonah 1:7), showing the same basic mechanism recognized even outside Israel's faith, though Scripture credits the true God, not chance, with the actual result.
Casting Lots at the Cross
All four Gospels record that the Roman soldiers who crucified Jesus 'divided his clothing among them, casting lots' for at least one piece (Matthew 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:34; John 19:23-24) — an ordinary bit of soldiers' business, dividing up a condemned man's few possessions, that John explicitly ties to prophecy: 'that the Scripture might be fulfilled, which says, "They divided my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing"' (John 19:24, quoting Psalm 22:18). Psalm 22 was written centuries before crucifixion existed as a Roman practice, yet describes both the piercing of hands and feet (Psalm 22:16) and this exact detail of soldiers gambling over a dying man's clothes — read by the New Testament as a striking advance confirmation that this suffering king was the one the psalm anticipated.
Casting Lots in the Early Church
After Judas's betrayal and death, the remaining apostles wanted to restore the Twelve's full number before Pentecost. Having narrowed the field to two qualified candidates by prayer, 'they drew lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was counted with the eleven apostles' (Acts 1:26) — the last recorded instance of casting lots in Scripture, and notably the last time the church is shown using this Old Testament-style method to discern God's choice; after Pentecost and the coming of the Spirit, the book of Acts moves instead toward decisions made through prayer, apostolic authority, and the Spirit's leading (as in Acts 13:2 and Acts 15:28) rather than lots.
Scripture references
- Leviticus 16:8-10 — Lots cast over the two Day of Atonement goats
- Joshua 18:6-10 — The Promised Land divided among the tribes by lot
- Proverbs 16:33 — 'The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD'
- Psalm 22:18 — Prophesied centuries before crucifixion existed
- John 19:23-24 — Soldiers cast lots for Jesus's clothing, fulfilling Psalm 22:18
- Acts 1:26 — Matthias chosen by lot to replace Judas among the Twelve
Further reading
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