Divine Allotment

"He drove out nations before them and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance; he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes." (Psalm 78: 55 NIV)

To "allot" (allotted, allotting) means:

1 : to assign as a share or portion - "allot 10 minutes for the speech"
2 : to distribute by or as if by lot - "allot seats to the press"

It also means to distribute by the casting of lots. Lord God had specially instituted, in Israel, a very unique method of deciding questions by the use of two lots, called "The Urim and the Thummim."

"And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the LORD: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation." (Numbers 27: 21 KJV)

"And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim." (Nehemiah 7: 65; Ezra 2: 63 KJV)

The casting of these lots, by the high priest, was in order that Lord God might, by this means, give to the priest answers to the most pressing "national emergency" questions. It very well could be that this Urim and Thummim was simply a white stone and a black stone, representing either a "yes" or a "no."

Or, perhaps, they were stones that changed colors or lighted up and disclosed some kind of letters. In whatever precise manner, the casting of lots was a very ancient practice for "lettting God decide" a given matter. It is equivalent to a person today, in attempting to decide a question, tosses a coin into the air, with "heads" being "yea" and "tails" being "nay."

"The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD." (Psalm 16: 33 KJV)

This was not a condonining of the heathen practices of divinition, but was restricted to the high priest in Israel, on behalf of great impending national questions, and when they could find no answer of the Lord by any other means. It was a way too of keeping things "fair," letting fate or destiny decide a matter. It is like our "drawing of straws" to see who is selected by God or fate.

"The land is to be allotted to them as an inheritance." (Numbers 26: 53 NIV)

"When they had finished dividing the land into its allotted portions, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them." (Joshua 19: 49 NIV)

Thus, a man's "lot" was his "portion" and "inheritance," that which was "allotted" or "apportioned" to him by the casting of lots, or by the tossing of a coin, or by the drawing of straws, or by the will of God.

Though the words "lot" or "portion" were initially mostly references to a man's real estate, or to his family "estate" or "heritage," to his alloted inheritance of land, yet the words "lot" and "portion" were enlarged in meaning to include all that a man "receives" in his lifetime.

Thus each man has his "allotted time" (I Samuel 18: 26 NIV) on earth. He has his allotted times and moments, both of joy and grief.

"Like a slave longing for the evening shadows, or a hired man waiting eagerly for his wages, so I have been allotted months of futility, and (allotted) nights of misery have been assigned to me." (Job 7: 2, 3 NIV)

"For what does he care about the family he leaves behind when his allotted months come to an end?" (Job 21: 21 NIV)

"God that made the world...having determined allotted periods..." (Acts 17: 26 Revised Standard Version)

Thus, each man has a destiny or lot that Lord God has assigned or apportioned to every man. A man's duty is to discover the will of God for him individually, what Lord God has purposed in regard to him, and seek to fulfill it rather than rebel against it.

"The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot." (Psalm 16: 5 KJV)

Notice how a man's destiny is his "lot" and his "cup" and his "portion" or "inheritance." Lord God is viewed as a surveyor who divides land. Surely the Psalmist had such a view of God in mind when he said, at the close of life and at the close of a year -

"The lines (survey lines to separate inheritances) are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage." (16: 6 KJV)

That is to say, the Psalmist recognized that he was favored above many others in what has been apportioned to him in his life.

No wonder he could say - "Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness." (65: 11 KJV)

The casting of lots is seen in the ancient method of removing the sin of Israel by the use of scapegoats.

"And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness." (Leviticus 16: 7-10 KJV)

When the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world, he fully recognized his appointed destiny, what was his "lot in life," saying - "And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined." (Luke 22: 22 KJV) He became the "scapegoat" to "bear the sins of many" (Hebrews 9: 28 KJV), the lot being said to "fall to him" to fulfil this destiny.

Some have a calamitous destiny, a fate that ends in utter ruin and loss.

"A flood will carry off his house, rushing waters on the day of God's wrath. Such is the fate God allots the wicked, the heritage appointed for them by God." (Job 20: 28, 29 NIV)

"Yet how often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out? How often does calamity come upon them, the fate God allots in his anger?" (Job 21: 17 NIV)

On the other hand, others are destined for salvation and eternal glory.

"The scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous, for then the righteous might use their hands to do evil." (Psalm 125: 3 NIV)

"For the LORD's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted inheritance." (Deuteronomy 32: 9 NIV)

"Look in the scroll of the LORD and read: None of these will be missing, not one will lack her mate. For it is his mouth that has given the order, and his Spirit will gather them together. He allots their portions; his hand distributes them by measure. They will possess it forever and dwell there from generation to generation." (Isaiah 34: 16, 17 NIV)

These are promises made to those who are righteous in Christ and who will recieve a "goodly heritage," a "favorable lot," an "eternal inheritance" of nothing but blessing and good, and of untold wealth. Each Christian is like Daniel, having his own glorious lot and destiny to be realized when Christ returns and resurrects the dead and inaugurates a "new world wherein dwells righteousness."

"As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance." (Daniel 12: 13 NIV)

"And some of them are persuaded, and were allotted to Paul and Silas, both a vast multitude of the reverent Greeks, and of the foremost women not a few." (Acts 17: 4 The Concordant Literal New Testament)

This doctrine of "lots" and of the "divine allotment" is connected obviously with predestination and Lord God's sovereign eternal purpose with regard to every man. It is a great encouragement to know that we, as soul winners for the Lord, have certain sheep assigned to us, to whom we shall be the instruments in their coming to know the Lord!

Friend, what is your lot or destiny? If you believe that Jesus is the Christ, and trust in his sacrifice for sin, then you are truly one who has been destined for eternal greatness. If you reject him, however, your lot and portion will be with all hypocrites and liars, to be confined to the Lake of Fire, God's eternal prison.