Proverbs 16:33 Commentary and Bible Study

The proverbs of Solomon are always elegant, concise, and profound. The elegance of this proverb is that it astutely selects a particular case which has all the elements of the broader category that it represents. It is so much the more interesting because it is not cast as a generality but as a concrete example which the skilful reader can easily extend to all applicable cases.Here is the ultimate chance event and one which is designed to be so – the casting of a lot, a dice. It is useful to man just because it puts a decision beyond his reach and hands it over to apparently random processes. But nothing is beyond the control and knowledge of the Lord, and so this device is effectively a way of handing a decision over entirely to God. The unbeliever however for the most part does not see this. Looking beyond this concrete example, he does not see that the many chance events in his life are anything more than chance events. He does not believe in a sovereign God who governs all things by a secret providence that leaves nothing to blind chance and causes every event to serve his purpose. He is ready to say that there are many random happenings in life which are outside the influence of anyone, even the Lord. He likes to believe that life operates in this way because he is terrified by the idea that his life is so closely directed by the Lord. How almighty the Lord would have to be to achieve that. Such a God would be deeply alarming to him because he would not be able to get away from him for a single moment and his power over his life would be inescapable. If God was over every chance twist and turn in his life, then nothing would be out of his reach. And yet the Spirit tells us that every decision of the lot is in the hands of the Lord, for he knows that the lot will be acted on and he makes its outcome a part of his eternal plan. Man cannot see a few moments into the future, but to God the whole eternal plan is mapped out in advance. We proceed along a path which God has prepared for us. Let us therefore be careful how we live, for God will judge us for every choice we make, and he will turn seemingly chance events to work for us or against us depending on whether we are his or not.