Readings for today: Joshua 15-18
Several years ago, I had the privilege of traveling to Israel. Among the many amazing sites we visited was Masada. The site where Jewish zealots made their last stand against the Roman Empire from 66-73BC. Once Rome built a siege ramp and breached the wall, they engaged in a final act of desperation. They committed mass suicide rather than submit to a foreign oppressor. The method they used was a biblical one. They cast lots. In fact, you can actually see the “lots” today. They look like dice. According to the Jewish historian, Josephus, the men chose to kill their wives and children first to spare them from enslavement. Ten men were then chosen by lot to kill the rest. The ten men then cast lots and one man was chosen to kill the other nine and the last man standing then killed himself.
Why cast lots? As I said, it was a deeply biblical practice. The priests in Leviticus cast lots to determine the “scapegoat” that would be sent into the wilderness. In the Book of Jonah, the sailors cast lots to determine who is the cause of the storm they find themselves in. In the Book of Joshua, lots are cast to find out who sinned against the Lord by taking sacred things from Jericho. And in our reading for today, lots are cast to divide the inheritance of the Promised Land. It’s a bit of a confusing practice. To a Western eye, it looks like gambling or a game of chance or luck. But for the ancient Israelite, this was an acceptable and normal way of discerning God’s will. They believed God was sovereign and the outcome of whatever lots were cast illustrated God’s control over events. They also believed casting lots eliminated the potential for favoritism. Finally, because they believed the outcome was determined by God, they accepted it peacefully without any kind of resistance or violence.
I don’t know many Christians who cast lots but we do engage in all kinds of different discernment practices as we seek the will of God. Just last evening, I gathered with the elders of the church I serve. We ate together. Prayed together. Studied together. And sought the will of God together. No lots were cast but lots of discussion was held. Lots of opinions offered. And now we will take what we discussed to prayer. We will specifically ask the Holy Spirit to guide our conversations and future decision-making. We will search the Scriptures together to test what we believe we are hearing from the Lord. And as we engage in these practices, I believe God will make His will known. No longer do we need to rely on mechanical methods like rolling the dice to determine where God might be leading. We have a much more certain and secure method. We have the benefit of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit which makes all the difference.
Readings for tomorrow: Joshua 19-22