Besides being gaming pieces, dice are symbols of fate, gambling, and chance. They represent Fortune personified and unmerited favor or preference. Dice often take the place of the ancient lots (stones, bones, or pieces of wood) which were cast in the same manner as dice are today. In addition to being used in gambling, these were often cast to determine a course of action and to decide who would perform certain duties or receive various goods. Usually lots were cast simply as a means of being fair without any intention of discerning the will of the gods. Proverbs relates, "Casting lots causes contentions to cease, and keeps the mighty apart" (Prov 18:18).
After a city was taken, soldiers would often cast lots over the spoils of battle including the soon-to-be slaves (Oba 1:11; Nahum 3:10). In order to weaken captured nations, lots were cast to determine which of the captives would be killed, which would be taken into captivity, and which would remain in the land (Joel 3:3). In a similar manner, David made the Moabites lie on the ground while he measured them off with a piece of rope. Those who fell under the first two lengths of rope were put to death while those lying under the third length were allowed to live as Israel's servants (2 Sam 8:2). A city "on which no lot has fallen" is utterly destroyed (Ezek 24:6).
At the foot of the Cross, Roman soldiers cast lots to determine who would take the seamless robe which belonged to Christ (Mt 27:35; Mk 15:24; Lk 23:34; John 19:24). This was to fulfill the prophecy, "They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots" (Psa 22:18). This is a vivid image of the wicked forming their plots against the children of God (Joel 3:3).
In many cultures lots were cast as a means of making decisions with the assistance of the gods. In his Treatise on the Cardinal Virtues, Thomas Aquinas concludes that the casting of lots to decide a matter is not sinful as long as chance and not the power of demons is thought to control the action of the dice. This he terms "sortilege of allotment" and, since there are many examples in the Scriptures of righteous men acting upon the casting of lots, Aquinas reasons that it is not a vice to divide goods or duties by this means (Lev 16:8; Josh 7:14-15; 1 Chr 24:5; Neh 10:34). However, in most cases, the Holy Spirit will be our guide - a help which was not so readily available to the characters of the Old Testament (Summa Theologica v. 3). Of course no matter is truly left to chance; the Proverbs declare that "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD" (Prov 16:33). God provided the Mosaic high priest with the mysterious Urim and Thummin to assist the Israelites in making official decisions in accordance with His will (Ex 28:30; Lev 8:8; Num 27:21; Deu 33:8; 1 Sam 28:6; Ezra 2:63; Neh 7:65).
The Jewish Feast of Purim gets its name from the lots that Haman cast to determine which day would be the best day to exterminate all the Jews in the Persian empire (Est 3:7; 9:34). Haman planned to kill the people of Mordecai for his refusal to offer him divine worship. Luckily, Queen Esther foiled his wicked plans. The Jews were given the right to defend themselves and Haman, along with ten of his sons, was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for her Uncle Mordecai. An improbable legend (similar to that of the cross) claims that this gallows was actually a thorn bush since all the trees of the land refused to be made into an instrument of death for the innocent Mordecai. Today the Feast of Purim is celebrated as a reminder that God is wiser than the lot.
As part of the scapegoat ritual, the Jewish priest cast lots to determine which of two goats would be the bearer of the people's sins into the wilderness and which should be sacrificed upon the Temple altar. According to Adam Clarke, two lots were made of stone or wood. On one was written the word "Lashem" (meaning the Name) for the Temple sacrifice. On the other was written "Laazazel" for the scapegoat. The priest stood before the goats and after the lots were shaken in a kalpey, the priest put his hands into it and drew a lot out in each hand. He then put the lot he had drawn with his right hand on the head of the goat standing at his right and vice versa. Clarke writes that the Messianic prophecy - "Behold I lay a stone in Zion" - refers to this ritual and means that God has chosen Christ for His scapegoat and determined that the guilt of all the sins of the world should be borne by Him (Is 28:16; Rom 9:33; 1 Pet 2:6; Clarke's Commentary - Lev 16:8-10).
Lots were also thrown to discover who had sinned and incurred the displeasure of the gods so that the whole community would not suffer for the sins of one man. Thus it was found that Achan had disobeyed the Lord and stolen from the spoils of Jericho, and Jonathan had unwittingly sinned against the Lord by eating a bit of honey after his father Saul had rashly sworn an oath that his soldiers would fast until his enemies were defeated (Josh 7:14-15; 1 Sam 14:41-42). When Jonah was running from his prophetic duties, a great storm came upon the sea. The sailors of the ship he was on cast the lot to determine whose guilt was the cause of their present danger. The lot fell upon Jonah and he was thrown overboard. Thereupon the storm ceased (Jonah 1:7).
Lots were often cast to fairly decide who would perform certain duties. Under King David, lots were thrown to determine the order in which the teams of priests should begin their eight day terms of service (1 Chr 24:3-19). By the time of Christ, Temple priests had to cast lots four times each day for the performance of the various sacred duties. According to Alfred Edersheim, this was done by the counting of fingers. (Mosaic law prohibited the counting of persons.) Each priest held up as many fingers as he desired, and the presiding priest chose a number such as fifty. The person holding up the fiftieth finger won the right to perform the duty in question. The most coveted duty was that of offering incense to the Lord (Lk 1:8-9; Alfred Edersheim - The Temple, Its Ministry & Services). The guarding of the Temple gates was also determined by lot (1 Chr 24:31). The first king of Israel was selected by lot (1 Sam 10:20-22). However, God's hand must have been guiding the lot since He had previously revealed His choice to Samuel (1 Sam 9:17). Military duties were sometimes determined by lot (Judg 20:9). When Nehemiah rebuilt Jerusalem, he had the lot cast to bring one tenth of the Israelites to live within its walls (Neh 11:1). Since the Nethinim servants did not return to Judah following the Captivity, lots also had to be cast to determine the order in which each Hebrew district should provide the wood for the Temple sacrifices (Neh 10:34). When it became obvious that Masada would fall, its rebellious inhabitants cast the lot, selecting one of their members to kill them off, lest they suffer the wrath of the Roman soldiers. The last Biblical account of the distribution of duties by lot was the pre-Pentecostal election of Matthew to take the place of Judas Iscariot among the Twelve (Acts 1:26).
The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew claims that the grandfatherly Joseph requested some virgin companions from the Temple to accompany Mary into his home while she awaited her wedding day. The girls were given cloth to make articles for the Temple and they cast lots to determine which piece each should make. When Mary won the coveted right to make the purple veil for the Temple, the other virgins began teasing her and calling her "Queen of Virgins." Suddenly an angel appeared declaring that these words spoken in jest were indeed prophetic. Later, Mary is shown to be working on the temple veil at the time of the Annunciation (The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew Chapt. 9-10).
Joshua gathered the Israelites at Shiloh and divided the Promised Land amongst their tribes and families by lot (Num 26:55-56; 18:6-10; 33:54; 34:13; 36:2-3; Josh 13:6; 14:2; 15:1-23:4; 1 Chr 6:54-65). David rejoiced that the Lord was his portion or allotment (Psa 16:5-6). To idolaters, God announced that the stones they worshiped would be their portion in Israel (Isa 57:6). When Judah forgot the Lord, He declared that shame and exile would be allotted to them (Jer 13:25). Because so many of the Israelites swindled land from the poor, the Lord declared that it would be given to foreigners and no one would be left in Israel with the authority to divide it by lot (Micah 2:5). When the Millennial Kingdom arrives, the Promised Land will once again be divided by lots. This time the gentiles will receive an equal portion with the Israelites (Ezek 45:1; 47:22; 48:29). The Lord cast the lot for the birds and the beasts when He divided Edom indicating that He would leave it desolate (Isa 34:17).
The Early Church, frowning upon idleness and gambling, forbade dice-playing in their Canons (Sixth Ecumenical Council - Canon 50). St. Chrysostom warned that this game led to "blasphemies, injuries, anger, reproaches, and a thousand other things more fearful still" (Homily 15). Clement of Alexandria wrote that dicing stemmed from idleness and an unchristian love of riches (The Instructor, Book 3, Chapt. 11).
Early Christian writers, including Augustine and Tertullian, deplored the Greco-Roman myth of the dicing temple warden who, being bored, gambled with one hand for Hercules and the other for himself. The warden decided that if he should win the game, he would provide himself with a fine meal and a temple prostitute from the temple funds but, if Hercules should win, the warden would provide the same luxuries for his god. Hercules won and supposedly enjoyed both the harlot and the meal, albeit in a dream (Augustine - The City of God; Tertullian - Ad Nationes - The Disgraceful Features of Greco-Roman Mythology).
The Egyptian, Rhampsinitus, played dice with Demeter in Hades and won a golden napkin which he displayed as proof of his escape from the netherworld. The Thriae cast lots as they prophesied. Dice are an attribute of the Three Graces or Charities (personifications of beauty, love, and charm) which represent the randomness of their gifts. Dice were used by the Titans to lure the young Zagreus into their clutches so they could kill the child. Fortunately, he was later born again as Dionysus of the Eleusian mysteries.
All scripture quotes are from the NKJV Bible unless otherwise indicated.
Comments© 1998 by Suzetta Tucker
To cite this page:
Tucker, Suzetta. "The Weapons of Christ - Dice or Lots."
ChristStory Christian Bestiary. 1998. http://ww2.netnitco.net/users/legend01/dice.htm
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