Playing the Lottery: Is it a Good Bet? Selected Scriptures

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1 Playing the Lottery: Is it a Good Bet? Selected Scriptures Introduction: Someone asked me recently if I would speak to the issue of playing the lottery. I am happy to do so, because it is an issue which can divide Christians and cause much disagreement within the body of Christ. What does the Bible say about gambling in general, or about playing the lottery in particular? How should Christians understand these issues, especially from a biblical perspective? What is the proper Christian response toward the spending of our time and money in socalled games of risk or chance? Let me give you five key principles regarding gambling. I. What is Gambling Anyway? One of the difficulties in getting a handle on the issue of gambling is trying to determine exactly what constitutes the concept of gambling itself. If you just took a standard definition of gambling from an English dictionary, say the The New Little Oxford Dictionary, it would define gambling as something like this: verb to play games of chance for money stakes; take risks (with)... noun Risk, risky undertaking. That definition is however, very general, and doesn t really help us get to the heart of gambling itself. Others, in trying to get more to the heart of what gambling is actually constituted as being, both in its essence and result, say gambling is taking something of value (more often than not, money), and attempting to reap something of greater value in return (usually again, money). The word gambling is derived from an old English word gamen, which is of course where we derive the later English words we use today: game, gamble, gambling, and gambler.

2 2 The continuing problem we have though is that we often take something of value, in a game for instance, with an attempt to win something of greater value, a victory of some sort, without ever really gambling, at least in the classic sense of the word gamble. We do that when we play cards or a board game, Monopoly as an example, without really gambling in the real world sense. We also do that when we either participate in an athletic contest, like a football game. We invest something of value in either a board game or a football game time and effort in order to win the game, which presumably fulfills the literal definition of receiving something of greater value in these cases of our examples, winning the board game or securing a victory in a football game. But that still doesn t get us closer to seeing why Christians would be so opposed to gambling. What is it about most Christians that would see playing card games or board games, or participating in a basketball or football game as neutral, but betting on a horse or dog race, or going to a casino, or even playing their state lottery? I ll tell why I think it is that Christians object to when the subject of gambling comes up. II. Gambling Can Lend itself to Someone Believing that Natural Fate or Blind Chance are Rivals to God s Sovereign Control of the Universe I suspect that Christians are uneasy about most forms of gambling because most forms of gambling seem to imply that the universe is controlled by unseen forces which are capricious, arbitrary, random, risky, a life full of variables, intangibles, or at worst just luck, fate, chance, instead of a world controlled by a sovereign God, who providentially controls every minute element of His world with His divine Word and Ways. It seems that when it comes to gambling, we can so easily shift into a mode of thinking which can ignore God s sovereign control of all things, even the most apparent and seemingly mundane or remote details of life.

3 3 Superstition in a godless universe reigns supreme in most of the world s gamblers, and it is because they don t recognize God as the One who providentially controls the universe down to the most elemental level. Matthew 5:43-45 Matthew 6:19-21 Matthew 6:25-34 Matthew 7:7-11 Matthew 10:26-33 James 1:17; 3:17 Isaiah 65:11-12 The Hebrew word for Fortune, is gad, and many commentators believe that Isaiah was condemning Israel because they were pursuing a Syrian god that meant the god of good luck. The second reference, translated Destiny, is the Hebrew meni, and could be a reference to the Arabian goddess Manat, and stood as the god of back luck. What Isaiah was therefore condemning was Israel s replacing the sovereign God of the universe, Yahweh, with the Syrian and Arabian gods of good and bad luck! Ask yourself the question: Do I live my life as though I don t believe God sovereignly rules over the universe, and in His place, I see the world as controlled by good or bad luck? Do you cross your fingers and hope for the best in life? Do you knock on wood in the hope that your life will turn out alright? Do you avoid the 13 th floor of buildings? Do you wonder if evil will befall you on Friday the 13 th? Do you gamble, and if so, do you do so as if God is not in control of the universe, replaced by natural fate or blind chance? If this is your underlying worldview, you are probably not even a Christian anyway, and therefore you should examine your heart relationship before God before you examine the matter of your gambling.

4 4 III. Gamblers Views of Random Choice and Lady Luck are themselves Never Outside the Specific Purview of God s Will and Design What may look like random choices and variables, or lady luck and blind fate to non-christian gamblers, the Bible declares is not out of God s sovereign purview. But some will say, Wasn t the OT casting of lots to determine the future and isn t this a form of gambling? Yes, it is true that the Bible records, especially in the Old Testament, the practice of the casting of lots, but that was to ascertain the will of the Lord in regard to a number of things God wanted done, not to be anyone s personal program for success in gambling or sport. The casting of lots in the Old and New Testaments were designed by God to make a choice uncontrolled and unbiased by the human participants. That s why in Joshua 18:8, the casting of lots was said to be performed before the Lord. People cannot take the Old Testament s casting of lots and make it sound like spiritual gambling! Even so, if a person chooses to gamble in any form, even every outcome of the roll of dice is destined to occur by God s sovereign will design: Proverbs 16:1, 9, 33 Proverbs 18:18 The casting of lots in the Old and New Testaments was a far cry from today s various forms of gambling: Numbers 26:55; 33:54; 34:13; 36:2; Joshua 14:1 The casting of lots were used in the allotment of land within the tribes of Israel; Psalm 22:18; Joel 3:3; Obadiah 11; Nahum 3:10 The casting of lots were used to determine the division of spoil in battle, or the disposition of a criminal s property, similar to what to Jesus garment after his death on the cross;

5 5 Judges 20:9; Ezekiel 21:21 The casting of lots were used in deciding when and where to attack in battle; Luke 1:19 The casting of lots were used to determine when the Levitical priests would be chosen to serve in the Temple, as when Zechariah, John the Baptist s father, was chosen; 1 Samuel 10:16-26 Casting of lots was used in the selection of Saul, Israel s first king; Joshua 7:14 Achan s sin was discovered by the casting of lots; Jonah 1:7 Jonah was selected as the problematic man on the ship by the casting of lots; Acts 1 Matthais was selected as Judas replacement by the casting of lots; We shouldn t therefore equate Old Testament forms of the revealing of God s will (like the High Priests use of the Urim and Thummim), especially the casting of lots, or any other form of OT revelation, like dreams and visions and prophecies, with our present day forms of 21 st Century forms of gambling and sport. Having said that though, we must admit an additional principle, this time a principle that is actually from the Bible s own silence: IV. The Bible does not Specifically Condone or Condemn the Practice of Gambling We should all acknowledge that the Bible doesn t specifically disallow or condemn gambling per se, but neither does it condone its practice either. Therefore, especially with respect to things like the lottery which by the way, is derived from the old casting of lots or lottery, we can t easily and automatically condemn the practice. Having said that however, the Bible does condemn what is often associated with practices like gambling:

6 6 Colossians 3:5 1 Timothy 6:9-10, 17 Matthew 6:3-4, 24 Ask yourself, If I gamble, will it be a desire motivated by greed, avarice, monetary accumulation for the spending on my own pleasures, without thought of giving to others? V. Before I Consider Gambling of Any Kind, I Need to Check the Checking Principle The checking principle is a way to check out my motives for wanting in this case to gamble. I must be diligent to check my heart before I involve myself in any gambling. Timothy Warren, in an article in Kindred Spirit, a publication of Dallas Seminary (summer 1997, vol. 21, No. 2, p. 5), challenges us to consider several things and I will summarize his article below so that we can check our heart motives before I become involved in gambling: If you consider gambling a form of entertainment similar to gardening, fishing, watching baseball, or attending a concert, then you might be able to participate. If you can steward a wager expecting to lose, enjoying the game itself, then gambling might be a safe liberty for you. The principle here would be 1 Corinthians 10:31. If you don t consider gambling a form of giving, then gambling might not become a problem. Some people think of gambling as giving to their favorite charity. Still, it may be better to make an outright donation than to confuse gambling with giving. The principle here would be 2 Corinthians 9:7. If you don t view gambling as an investment strategy, then you might be able to take part. Some people, however, suppose that buying a lottery ticket is a smart

7 7 investment program. The chances of that person becoming a millionaire would be much better if he or she invested $10 a week over 40 years. The principle here would be Proverbs 13:11 and (I would add to Warren s v listed verse), Proverbs 12:11. If you do not consider gambling a form of earning, then you might be free to indulge. Some people however, dream of making money gambling. The principle here would be Luke 12:15. If you can gamble without becoming addicted, it might not be a sin for you. Some people can pay out a provident amount, perhaps weekly or yearly, and stop at that. Others can t stop once they start. The principle here would be Proverbs 25:28. If you can gamble without encouraging a brother or sister in Christ to participate in gambling against their conscience or to become addicted, then you might be free to gamble. The principle here would be Romans 14:13. Conclusion: If you can t do any of those things listed above, all with a clear conscience yourself, then stop gambling, or better yet, don t even start! You might very well be better off if you simply stayed away from it completely! If you do gamble however, as a believer in Jesus Christ, make sure you understand all the spiritual implications!!