Remember As You Play....

The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. - Proverbs 16:33

We've read a lot lately about lots. Not the property where you live or some chain of discount stores - but "lots" used in the Bible.

That's because Wednesday was "Yom Kippur" or the Day of Atonement for many Jews and some Christians. In ancient times, lots were used on that day to make a choice between animals....

He is to cast lots for the two goats - one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat.... the goat chosen by lot for the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat. - Leviticus 16:8, 10

The NIV Study Bible says in commenting on Proverbs that ancient lots may have been pebbles "drawn out or shaken to the ground." It sounds a bit like throwing dice. But can you see how it could relate to poker - with cards shuffled and dealt blindly by a dealer?

When it comes to people choosing a goat for a sacrifice, a lot is no big deal. (Well, except maybe to the goats.) But when it comes to other things, lots can be big. Some poker cards are potentially good ones, while others are worth only a quick fold.

Yet don't overlook the last part of that verse in Proverbs: "Every decision is from the Lord." As our study Bible puts it, "God, not chance, is in control."

This admittedly is a very hard thing for many people to believe, especially in the heat of a hand. We figure the odds of making a straight or flush, and those odds are mathematically accurate. But can we believe God controls how things work out?

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. - Proverbs 16:9

Believe it or not, the sooner we believe that, the more comforting our poker games might become. You do all that you can to succeed. But trust God with the outcome - and accept it, even if it hurts.

This is not a case of appealing to "the poker gods." There's only one true God:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. - Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Go all-in to love the real God - and He might take control of some poker hands. But more importantly, He'll take control of big events in your life....

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28

Remember As You Play....

Then the sailors said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity."  They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. - Jonah 1:7

Yes, we know -- this verse seems to refer to throwing dice, instead of playing poker.  But there's a lesson here in how God sometimes takes control of things you don't expect.  Consider what led up to this throw....

But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.  He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port.... - Jonah 1:3

God gave Jonah orders to preach in Nineveh.  Instead of heading east toward the Tigris River, Jonah went west to the Mediterranean Sea.  But he didn't run away from God at all:

Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. - Jonah 1:4

We heard a Baptist preacher on radio say recently God controlled the weather in this case -- and then God controlled the toss of the lot, as it accurately pointed to Jonah as the reason for the storm.  (He even provided that great fish, for which Jonah is most famous.)

If God can control a form of dice (and lots were used by Jesus's apostles in Acts 1 to determine a successor to Judas), we think He also can step into poker rooms at times.  We've had enough success at unexpected moments to reach that conclusion.  And we thank God for every blessing He brings - at the table, or away from it.

Going By the Book

When we play in live poker tournaments and bring up the things of God, we often encourage players to read the Bible. One recent night, we mentioned you might find some surprising things there.

What kind of surprising things? We could list many -- and in fact, one journalist did in a recent eye-opening book. One item on Joe Kovacs's list admittedly threw us for a moment -- the claim that "God ran lotteries."

Plenty of people who gamble in poker cash games also play lottery games, especially at bars. But lots were used in Bible times for more serious matters -- such as who would replace Judas Iscariot among the 12 disciples.

Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles. -- Acts 1:26

The followers of Jesus did this to seek God's will in a matter -- a little different from the purpose many modern gamblers have for playing a cash game.

Other examples of lot-casting can be found in I Chronicles 26 and Nehemiah 11. But we won't quote those in detail here. Read those sections of the Bible for yourself. As we say, you might be surprised.

Ministry Moment: Anywhere but here?

During Wednesday night's poker tournament at Club H2O, David sat at our right. And he grabbed our "Jesus as your Savior" coin to look at it before we brought it up.

"Do you agree with the message on it?" we asked.

He had to check it a second time, to read what it said. "Yeah, but not when you're playing poker," David answered. "Gambling is a sin."

We could have responded to this in several ways. We could have quoted the interview with Canadian poker pro and committed Christian Daniel Negranu. Or we could have gone to a Bible concordance, and noted the English word "gamble" is nowhere in the Bible.

Before mentioning how we replied, let's stop there a moment. That second answer might surprise some people, who have been taught various "old-time religion" lists of vices over the years. You know, the ones against playing cards or dancing. They may be traditional, but they're not Biblical.

LOTS OF DRAMA
But hold on, you may be saying -- what about that incident when Jesus was crucified? Didn't soldiers gamble over the Lord's clothing?

Matthew 27:35 says this, from the New International Version: "When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots." (Only the Contemporary English Version uses the word "gambled.") This moment actually fulfilled an Old Testament prophecy of Jesus's death (Psm. 22:18).

The same Greek words for "lots" appear in Acts 1:26, but with a very different purpose. The apostles used lots to decide who would replace Judas Iscariot -- and they did this after Jesus was resurrected, and had ascended to heaven.

The Greek for "casting" admittedly is different. In Matthew, something was thrown. In Acts, something was given. The paraphrase The Message says the candidates "drew straws," and the CEV says they "drew names" as if out of a hat.

But one Bible commentary pointed us to a bigger difference. The apostles prayed for guidance before the drawing (Acts 1:24-25). We say Christians who play poker should do the same thing -- yes, pray before you play. Pray that you'll be a good example of Jesus Christ FIRST, above anything else. Put your witness first, then trust God with whatever blessings come at the table.

THE WRONG PLACE?
Now back to our chat with David. We tried to explain how all of us "gamble" in life by taking risks every day. Even driving on the freeway can be a gamble, because an aggressive or drunk driver might cross your path.

David seemed to understand that -- but he explained: "My Mom would say, 'What if Jesus came back right now? Would He want to find you here?'" As in a club, among drinkers and smokers (he was the latter).

David might have been surprised to learn he was sharing a poker table with the Executive Director of a local faith-based charity. He's attended poker nights for awhile, and describes poker as a game "with some thinking involved." We're not sure how much he uses poker as a witnessing tool, but he's there.

We didn't mention that man, since he was playing under a nickname and might not have wanted us to blow his cover. But we told David Jesus might not mind our location, as long as we were being a godly example.

Keep in mind that Jesus was accused of being "a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and 'sinners.'" (Matt. 11:19) But then Jesus added: "Wisdom is proved right by her actions." Wise people realize our Savior was not a sinner at all. Instead, He preached the Gospel TO them by spending time around them. And that's one of our goals as well.

THE RIGHT QUESTION
"However, when the Son of Man comes," Jesus asked elsewhere, "will he find faith on the earth?" (Lk. 18:8) It's not necessarily where you are when Jesus comes back, but what you'll be doing when He comes.

Will you be displaying faith in God, by your daily actions -- whether you're on the job, in your home or at a poker room? It's actually possible in all of those places. If you're not sure how to accomplish that, pray to God for wisdom and help.