That title got your attention, didn’t it? A reflection on the National Lottery? Well, yes, in fact – the original national lottery: today’s passage describes those families who were chosen to settle in Jerusalem. The method for selection was casting lots, and those included were drawn from across the country – hence national lottery. Imagine neighbours looking at each other as the lots were drawn, thinking: it could be you?!
Let’s rewind a little: after the completion of the wall and the renewing of the covenant, there still remained a very practical problem – not enough people were actually living in Jerusalem to make it defensible or indeed to serve as a true capital. Fresh blood was needed, which could only be derived from other parts of the country. The leaders led by example – v1 tells us that they settled in Jerusalem regardless. However, more families were needed. How to choose? They cast lots.
If this seems strange, a bit of biblical context is useful at this point. Casting lots is a frequently mentioned practice in scripture, going all the way back to the giving of the law (first mentioned in Leviticus 16:8). The worldview of the Old Testament is that God is in control of everything, everything happens according to His will, and thus God allows the Israelites to cast lots in order to determine His will for a particular situation. Indeed, Joshua used the practice numerous times to allocate the land in the original settlement hundreds of years previously; so, it was the natural solution for the people of Nehemiah’s day.
Not surprisingly, those who were chosen and obeyed the decision were ‘commended’ for doing so (v2) – presumably very few of them would have chosen to leave their ancestral land and their community connections. By faith they understood, though, that it was the will of the Lord.
The practice of casting lots continues throughout scripture right up to the choosing of Matthias as the new twelfth apostle just before the Day of Pentecost (Acts 1:26). It is noteworthy, however, that this is the last mention of the practice: once the Spirit is poured out on all believers, we no longer need such methods to make decisions; we can be guided into all truth (John 16:13). We can also observe that the practice, once stripped of its religious motives, quickly became associated with gambling – most soberingly at the foot of the cross, where the soldiers cast lots for Jesus’ clothing.
You probably didn’t find this passage the most thrilling read – but there is a profound point lying under the surface. This seemingly random process led to a dramatic life change for thousands of people; all faithful, all trusting the Lord – and yet called to something they probably didn’t wish or expect. God’s will surprised them, and they must have journeyed to Jerusalem with all their belongings, faced with a clear choice: to trust and obey, or to resent and complain. Perhaps you have faced a similar moment in life, when you sense that God has shut one door you wished had remained open, and maybe opened another that you didn’t really want. Perhaps you find yourself in this place now. The call to trust suddenly seems painful. Yet, the message of scripture is that all such trust is rewarded: God always repays. If you find yourself in unexpected territory, pray for grace to accept, even to embrace – the Lord works all things to good for those who love him. Amen.