Acts 1, 23-26

[CFoster]

23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed, and siad, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen
25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his won place.
26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

My question is this, what do they mean by they gave forth their lots? What do they mean by lots? Did they debate it, or throw dice, what? Lots seems like an odd term, when Jesus could have made his will on the matter known to any one of the Apostles.

 

[ChristianCandy]

From what I understand, casting lots in the Bible days is similar to casting dice in our time.

 

[Nazarite]

I would agree with Candy that casting lots was a pretty common practice of the day. But the choice was still that of GOD.

The lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is from the LORD (Proverbs 16:33).

 

[Serapha]

23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed, and siad, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen
25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his won place.
26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

My question is this, what do they mean by they gave forth their lots? What do they mean by lots? Did they debate it, or throw dice, what? Lots seems like an odd term, when Jesus could have made his will on the matter known to any one of the Apostles.

Hi there!




The disciples turned to the scriptural way of determining the sovereignty of God. They "cast lots". The exact meaning of the term is not known, but the general understanding is that pieces of rock or shards of pottery were marked and placed within a container. The container was shaken until the name of the one selected by God would shake out of the container. The understanding was that the sovereignty of God through His omniscience and omnipotence would select the right person.



Casting lots is referenced several times in the Old Testament, but after the selection of Matthias and after the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, there was no need for casting lots. The believer now had the Holy Spirit to lead, to guide, and to direct them. The discernment of God could be found in the Spirit.



At Masada, excavations found what they believe to be an example of casting lots as identified in the writings of Josephus wheras by "lots", the people killed their designated members and then commited suicide themselves. They were about a dozen potsherds, which are pieces of broken pottery, with names written on them found in the excavatons. (See Josephus Jewish War 7.8.6-7)


Another form of "lots" was the use of colored stones, whereas all the stones would be one color, say "black", except for one stone which would be white. Each participant would draw out a stone, and the one drawing out the odd-colored stone would be the choice, again by the providence of God.


I hope this helps in your understanding....


~serapha~