Jesus chose twelve apostles to follow Him, learn from Him, and help lay the foundation of His church (Luke 6:12–16; Ephesians 2:20). After Judas betrayed Jesus and died, the remaining eleven apostles sought someone who had followed Jesus from John’s baptism through His ascension and could testify to His resurrection (Acts 1:21–22). Two men met those qualifications: Joseph Barsabbas, also called Justus, and Matthias (Acts 1:23). Rather than choosing by personal preference, the apostles prayed, asking God—who knows the hearts of all people—to reveal His choice (Acts 1:24–25). They then cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias, who was counted with the Twelve (Acts 1:26). Although some argue that Paul was God’s intended replacement, the Bible never says the apostles made a mistake or presents Matthias’ selection as illegitimate. The biblical account therefore points to Matthias as God’s chosen replacement for Judas. God is sovereign even when His guidance comes through means that may appear random to us.
When the
disciples selected Matthias, God had not yet sent His Spirit at Pentecost. This
is key when understanding how to apply this passage to our lives. While Scripture teaches that nothing is left to chance and that even a “random”
lot is still sovereignly controlled (Proverbs 16:33), we are not called to make
decisions by lot because we now have the Spirit. He was given to the church and
all believers shortly after this decision, and from that point on in Scripture,
no one again uses lots or other related tests to discern God’s will.
Instead, the Bible tells us we already know God’s will: to keep His commandments (1 John 2:3–5; 1
Thessalonians 4:3) and to love one another (John 13:34–35). So, as we obey and love by walking in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16), we do what God wills
for us. That means that we live, trusting that He is sovereignly orchestrating our
lives. We demonstrate trust in His guidance by praying and asking that He would
give us wisdom in our daily decisions (James 1:5).
In summary, at this unique event, the apostles cast lots, consistent with Old Testament practice, to determine
who should replace Judas. But we have the completed Word of God, which is “profitable
for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that
the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy
3:16–17).
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Email
