Texts in Conversation
Joshua divides the land among the tribes by drawing lots, letting a random draw decide each share. Proverbs says that while drawing lots looks random, God decides how it falls, which interprets that randomness to say God is still the one who chooses.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Joshua 18:6
Hebrew Bible
5 Divide it into seven regions. Judah will stay in its territory in the south and the family of Joseph in its territory in the north. 6 But as for you, map out the land into seven regions and bring it to me. I will draw lots for you here before the Lord our God. 7 But the Levites will not have an allotted portion among you, for their inheritance is to serve the Lord. Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their allotted land east of the Jordan, which Moses the Lord’s servant assigned them.”
Proverbs 16:33
Hebrew Bible
30 The one who winks his eyes devises perverse things, and one who compresses his lips has accomplished evil. 31 Gray hair is like a crown of glory; it is attained in the path of righteousness. 32 Better to be slow to anger than to be a mighty warrior, and one who controls his temper is better than one who captures a city. 33 The dice are thrown into the lap, but their every decision is from the Lord.
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Notes and References
... Origen devotes an entire homily to the matter of the lottery, perturbed by the apparently crude identification of fate or Lady Luck, seemingly represented by the lottery, with revelation of the will of God. After a wide-ranging survey of the lottery in the scriptures, he comes to the conclusion that 'when prayer preceded, it was no longer by chance but by Providence that the lot announced divine judgment.' Citing the prophecy in Deuteronomy 32 about the destinies of the twelve tribes, Origen holds forth on the predestination of God manifested in the lottery results: 'Not even for a single one of us does anything come to pass except by a lot of this kind that is dispensed by the judgment of God.' ...
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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