The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. (Quality: Very good)

[0:00] The book of the Proverbs, the 16th chapter, verse 33. The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.

[0:17] The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.

[0:31] The fixtures, powers of chance, and fortune I defy. My life's minutest circumstance is subject to thine eye.

[0:49] And so we believe. And so we should regard it. Guard the text here in that light. That the lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.

[1:07] In former days, and to some extent in the present day, the casting of lots was a means to an end.

[1:21] But we shall not tarry upon that point, but rather look at these words in connection with the work of God.

[1:37] We may see it from our viewpoint. We may look at it from God's viewpoint.

[1:47] Because of our restricted views and limitations, we have to say concerning events, the lot is cast into the lap.

[2:01] When we look at it from God's view. When we look at it from God's viewpoint, then we are able to say that the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.

[2:15] The Lord worketh all things after his eternal mind, and bringeth to pass that which he wills.

[2:27] In the first place, may we consider the lot insofar as it refers to our individual lives.

[2:40] That is cast into the lap of time. We know not how it will develop. We go on from day to day. We have our hopes and fears.

[2:53] We have our expectations. We have our downcast moments. But the lot is cast into the lap.

[3:07] And the whole of our life is before God. As we look at it, it appears so to be like the casting of a lot.

[3:19] With all the elements of chance that that may convey. The Ecclesiastes tells us that time and chance happeneth to them all.

[3:37] This is to indicate things as man views them. A man chance to go down that way.

[3:49] We read in the scriptures. That's how we view. The men appearing in certain places at certain times.

[4:02] That's the only way we can view it. And yet, the man that chance to go down that way. Went down that way by divine appointment.

[4:15] And in order that God's purposes might be disposed. And so it is. Our lives.

[4:27] Through various scenes are drawn. And vexed with trifling cares. Whilst thy eternal thought moves on. By undisturbed affairs.

[4:39] Can we see? In the words of Dr. Watts. The lot is cast into the lap. And the whole disposal thereof.

[4:50] But the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. I feel it is good for us sometimes. When our faith looks beyond the present scene of turmoil.

[5:05] And tossing and tempest. And is able to see the almighty God. Sitting upon his throne. Directing all things. After the counsel of his own will.

[5:18] Saying to some. Go forward. And to others. Stand still. And yet to others. Thus far shall they come. And no further.

[5:31] All according to the divine operation of God. God. All such things. May affect our paths. All such things.

[5:41] May be in our paths. As we walk along from time to time. So then. The lot. Is cast into the lap.

[5:54] We are reminded. Of. One of our hymns. Which. Speaks to us sometimes. Very forcibly. Sovereign ruler of the skies.

[6:10] Ever gracious. Ever wise. All my time shall ever be. All my times are in thy hand. All events at thy command. His decree.

[6:22] Who formed the earth. Fixed my first and second birth. Parents. Native place. And time. All appointed. All appointed. Were by him.

[6:34] And the hymn writer. In saying these things. He gets a glimpse. In the true balances. Of the lot.

[6:45] Being cast into the lap. And the whole. Disposing thereof. Being of the Lord. Can you sing the praises of God.

[6:58] In respect to your birth. Your natural birth. Can you see God's hand in it. Can you see God's purpose. That you should be born in a certain place.

[7:09] A certain parent. At a certain time. Because that is the beginning. So to speak. Of the lot of your life.

[7:23] And then. If you are born again. In the spirit. You will be able to think about. Your second birth. All appointed.

[7:34] Were by him. We cannot hurry births. People have to acknowledge this.

[7:45] A child. Will be born. According to God's appointment. Not according to man's design. And how much more.

[7:57] This applies to our heavenly birth. Can you say. With regard to. Your heavenly birth. That the lot. Is cast into the earth.

[8:09] Into the lap. It was in the mind of God. It was in his covenant. Of which we. Sang in our opening hymn.

[8:22] To bring about. At the appointed time. That we should know God. The only true God. That we should.

[8:35] Know something about. The blessings of eternal life. And whilst. We may look at it.

[8:47] And have no power over it. And therefore say. The lot is cast into the lap. Yet at the same time. May we rejoice in this truth.

[8:59] That the whole disposing. That the whole disposing. Is of the Lord. when we are able to see these things is there not a sense of stability in our faith cannot we leave all things in the hand of God knowing that he controls all things the lot is cast into the lap speaking in general terms concerning our lives there have been certain important landmarks in our lives and maybe we thought the lot at that time was going to be cast that way and to our astonishment it was cast the other way and all because of this but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord in the lot of our life we shall see men and women appear sometimes we shall see children appear they may walk on the stage of time and walk off it again when they have performed that which God performed which God had in mind and purposed in order that certain things might be brought to pass and here again we may look at it from a twofold point of view that is in respect to our lives and earthly advancement or perhaps we may say our earthly retirement and also in regard to our spiritual growth that lot is cast into the lap so we may be moved about from one place to another we may wonder what the reason is maybe afterwards we can see that there was a purpose of God in it that the lot in respect to that matter is cast into the lap and when we can see this we shall praise God and if it has taken place in our life in the past it won't stop now it will continue and if we should feel that we cannot see clearly how wonderfully the lot is cast into the lap we shall certainly see clearly when God opens our eyes to behold that the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord and though the lot may be cast into the lap we shall see the Lord's coordination never can it be more emphasized than in the Lord's work let all things be done decently and in order everything is regulated in the Lord's work in our lives

[13:00] we may wonder at times why certain things are hindered why certain plans are overturned but God knows and sometimes we might have lived long enough to bless God for the overturning and preventing of certain events and in considering of these events we might more and more consider that the lot is cast into the lap we know not what a day nor an hour may bring forth and therefore in a sense we live from day to day on what may appear to many to be the horns of chance but the people of God do not see it that way rather do they see it in the way that Dr. Watts speaks about his providence unfolds the book and makes his counsel shine each opening leaf and every stroke fulfills some deep design when we get a view of our lot of our life under the disposing of God's rule we shall be looking out for the opening leaves and for every stroke to fulfill some deep design how often we have to remember what the Lord said to Peter what I do thou knowest not now but thou shalt know hereafter

[15:14] God's ways with us are often mysterious we do not know what his work is what he is accomplishing what he is accomplishing in other people's lives in order to bring about a situation in our lives an unexpected situation an unlooked for situation an earthquake situation which will turn us upside down and inside out until we are able to see the whole disposing is of the Lord we should not think that when literal earthquakes take place in the earth that it is without a purpose of God it brings in its wake destruction indeed the whole life of a town even of a nation is altered overnight that it is all under

[16:32] God's rule and if God brings an earthquake into our life spiritually it will be under God's rule thus people have been uprooted when their roots have been deep because God's purpose has to be fulfilled and so the lot is cast into the lap the whole of our lives are cast into the lap of God's time and but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord so he disposes all events everything that happens the minutest detail the insignificant things that we overlook and think of no accounts how many great changes have hinged on a very small circumstance and maybe you can look into your life and I might be able to look into my life and see the glory of these words the lot is cast into the lap but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord but if we come to consider the more important and essential things of spiritual life here we shall see that the lot is cast into the lap the time of our new birth we've already mentioned the time of blessing they're all as it were as the lot cast into the lap do not let us think that the times that God blesses us are just random times they are following

[18:57] God's design perfectly timed timed timed in such a way that they might produce at the same moment a balancing we read in the scriptures of the balancing of the clouds and God does balance the clouds so that we can see with William Cowper ye fearful saints for his courage take the clouds ye so much dread are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head the lot is cast into the lap but the whole disposing of

[19:57] God's blessings is of the Lord if we examine our lot our life and think upon the blessings which we have received shall we not be able to observe and to trace a purpose in the timing of those blessings they did not just come at random it was not the result of a whim or fancy of God but they came sometimes before a trial came upon us sometimes when we are in the midst of deep waters sometimes when we are at the end of our tether and we are ready to faint then

[21:00] God appears and blesses the soul and when we speak of blessings what are we speaking about that principally we are speaking about revelations every truth that the people of God know is truth revealed secret things belong unto God but the things that are revealed belong unto us and to our children but there's a time for things to be revealed have we such a lot have we such a life that is cast in the ages of time wherein we can see that the whole disposing their office unto the

[22:03] Lord begin to see a pattern we begin to see that his purposes will ripen fast unfolding every hour the bud may have a bitter taste but sweet will be the flower if you read through the scriptures which you with myself will find a great deal of instruction in relation to the word of God here the lot is cast into the lap you may take the lives of Abraham Isaac Jacob David Samuel Paul Peter many others in the scriptures and there you will find that the lot is cast into the lap but the whole disposing is of the

[23:04] Lord they receive their blessings when God determined that they should receive those blessings in the prophecy of Ezekiel we have some very definite and clear indications of God's specific working in the first chapter we read now as I beheld the living creatures behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures with his four faces the appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the color of a barrel they four had one likeness and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel and when they went they went upon their four sides and they turned not when they went and when the living creatures went the wheels went by them when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth the wheels were lifted up now this is the important point whithersoever the spirit was to go they went thither was their spirit to go and the wheels were lifted up over against them for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels and then we may pass on to the third chapter where again we may see the lot is cast into the lap and the whole disposing thereof is of the

[25:06] Lord so we read moreover he said unto me son of man eat that that thou findest eat this roll and go speak unto the house of Israel so I opened my mouth and he caused me to eat that roll and he said unto me son of man cause thy belly to eat and fill thy barrels with this roll that I give thee then did I eat it and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness there's a great deal of truth expressed in this simile in the scriptures there is that of the truth which is learned by our so to speak eating it it may be eaten in the bitterness we may refer to the

[26:09] Passover lamb it was to be eaten with bitter herbs eaten and the people of God are called upon at times to enter into the blessings of the Passover lamb in bitter circumstances in opposition in persecution but when they've eaten it and the bitterness has subsided then we find it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness and he said unto me son of man go get thee unto the house of Israel and speak with my words unto them that they were the words that the prophet had eaten and the experiences that he had had and the

[27:17] Passover lamb the glory of Christ that he had eaten and enjoyed and rejoiced in in the midst of bitter experiences and so as we have it in the opening verse of our chapter the preparations of the heart in man and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord the lot is cast into the lap the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord may be again seen in Ezekiel's life then the spirit took me up and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing saying blessed be the glory of the Lord from this place

[28:17] I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touch one another and the noise of the wheels over against them and the noise of a great rushing so the spirit lifted me up and took me away and I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me Ezekiel could therefore tell us something about the words of our text the lot is cast into the lap but the whole disposing their office of the Lord what a mercy it is to be moved and led by the spirit of God to be lifted up by the spirit of God to be moved along by the spirit of God now let us look at our lives is there any of

[29:17] God's disposing in our lives can we see the wheels of providence but not just the wheels of providence the wheel within the wheels but not just the wheel within the wheels but the spirit of God moving the wheels and moving them into such places whereby we may be profited we have spoken of the Lord's disposing of blessings the revelations that are given in God's appointed time revelations which reveal Christ to a poor and wretched sinner ready to perish revelations concerning the glory of a priesthood of Christ revelations concerning the riches of

[30:18] Christ's grace and so we hint at just one or two but how many revelations there are our lot is cast into the lap of time can we see in it any of God's disposings relative to revelations no Paul he says now I come to visions and revelations of the Lord and both are in the plural which indicates to us that the Lord does not give just one revelation I know you'll be thankful if he has given just one revelation but the Lord makes it very clear where he says if I will go if I go away

[31:18] I will come again and again he says I will see you again and your heart shall rejoice and your joy no man taketh from you but also in God's disposing there is instruction can we find this point in our lives he bindeth up the hand of every man has God bound up our hands so we have not been able to perform that with what we purposed but that's not the end of it there's nothing that God does but what he does for his honour and glory for our advantage and benefit so he sealeth up the hand of every man in order that his own glory may be revealed

[32:32] I think it is Job that also speaks about God sealeth instruction now there is an importance in respect to that word God sealeth instruction a document may be written it becomes authentic when it is sealed the truth may be written in your heart that that truth becomes authentic indeed when it is sealed Paul speaks in writing to the church at Ephesus of the sealing of the spirit perhaps we can look at that point as the hymn writer puts it though

[33:35] God's election is a truth small comfort there I see till I am told by God's own mouth that he has chosen me God has a variety of ways of bringing this about the sealing of the spirit so that you feel you've got the truth with authority in your hearts now the lot the life of the child of God is cast into the lap of time God the glory of God's appointments is of the Lord instruction must come under the heading of blessings maybe you have reason to bless God for his instruction it is one of God's promises I will instruct thee

[34:36] I will guide thee in the way that thou shalt go I will keep thee as the apple of mine eye how good it is to see God's disposings in those three points I know it may sometimes appear as we have it recorded in Psalm 107 they wandered about in a solitary way they found no city to dwell in perhaps our life seems like that sometimes but God shows us his thoughts verse 2 farther on and this is these are the thoughts of God he led them forth by the right way that they might go to a city of habitation and God was leading them forth by the right way when they had come to the conclusion that they were only wandering that they were going from place to place aimlessly they didn't realize that all this came into the under the heading of God's disposings and everything was necessary

[36:17] God does nothing he leads people here and there with a divine purpose in mind nothing is done without a divine purpose in mind we come in our lives sometimes and we say why ah why how many times have you said that and have I said it why well we may inquire of God you know do not we have many examples in the word of God that will encourage us to inquire of God why shall we take a point when hosts of enemies rise up to fill us with dismay why the answer is clear the Lord will make his goodness pass before thee in the way it was a strange lot cast into the lap that we might read about in the book of Exodus concerning the children of Israel and Egypt and they might well have asked many a time why when plague upon plague came coming upon the Egyptians seemed and in fact did increase the bitterness of their servitude but the time was coming when the song of Moses would be sung a time was coming when they would see their enemies dead upon the seashore and they would sing to the Lord's glory and rejoice in what God had done surely they would take up the words of the psalm and say as for God his way is perfect just think of it now while those people were undergoing increased severity in their servitude that they would ever live to see the day when their enemies would be dead upon the seashore my lot my life is cast into the lap of time and the whole disposing is of the Lord it is a disposing in God's time it is a disposing in God's way but there's instruction in the meantime instruction maybe we need to be instructed in this scripture not by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord we might be ready to say well I know that

[39:56] I know it's not by might I know it's not by power I know it's by the spirit of the Lord but we've got to have it in the experience we've got to have the seal of that teaching upon our own spirits so that without any question at all without any vibration in our voice that might convey just a little bit of doubt God leads his people about and he instructs them and he keeps them as the apple of his eye in order that they might say without any fear of contradiction and if they are contradicted they will say but you're wrong it is not by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord how this is demonstrated in the lives of the godly has it been demonstrated in our lives if it has we shall be able to understand something in relation to this the lot is cast into the lap but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord we may also relate this scripture to growth we look around the world and we shall see different degrees of growth in all sorts of people the short and the tall the fat and the thin as we say now they've all grown according to

[41:54] God's disposal and whatever our shape and size is is according to God's ordering what about the growth in grace do we not make a mistake sometimes thinking that if we're the children of God we must be all the same shape we must be all the same height or the same width we need to bear in mind the analogy of our natural parts now the whole disposing is of the Lord in respect to our growth some may start off with a gentle growth we might even go as far as to say this some are born bigger than others have greater strength of faith in their beginnings than others but do not compare yourself with those people and say all their experience was wonderful mine doesn't bear putting by the side of it just think of it that the disposing of growth is in the hand of

[43:19] God and speaking naturally some of the weakest babes have developed into the strongest man so it is in grace some of the appear very weak in their beginnings because the whole disposing is of the Lord they have grown to be strong men and in spiritual things have become fathers in the passing of time there were those that were ready to cast them on the dust heap and to say they're not worth bothering about but God has a purpose for them some of the servants of God in their early babyhood were so weak it didn't seem possible that they could ever be reared at all that it was God's purpose that they should be upon the walls of

[44:26] Zion they should declare how great God was maybe they could speak a little more definitely what growth was but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ now growth therefore is under the hand of God growth must be in our lives one significant feature of our being alive is growth there is growth in the body there is growth in the intellect and this may apply also to the spiritual life of a person there is growth in the heart in affections there is also growth in the mind in understanding how good it is if we can look at ourselves or at others for that matter that we may rejoice with them and say the lot is cast into the lamp but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord

[45:43] Paul was well aware of it can you not think upon those precious words and see how aware of it he was he says by the grace of God I am what I am in other words by the grace of God he grown to a certain stature a stature that was acceptable in God's sight men despised him according to his account they despised him they said his presence is weak and his speech is contemptible he made it very clear that what he was in presence so he was when he was absent a lot is cast into the lap that the whole disposing thereof is of the

[47:07] Lord now we may come to the end of our lot we think of the words which conclude the prophecy of Daniel go there thy way till the end be for thou shalt rest and stand in thy lot at the end of the days now we have a blessing significance here what was the lot of Daniel a lot of God's inheritance a lot of God's people he will give grace and glory no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly and the whole disposing is of the

[48:07] Lord but we have this assurance that our lives if we the people of God will come to a successful conclusion our growth will reach maturity when we are called upon to give up the ghost here you remember what one has said thou shalt see my glory soon when the work of grace is done partner of my throne shall be save for sin and loves thou me and when we think about God's growth in grace and the attaining to maturity in the spiritual life it is a growing down getting smaller in our own eyes and Christ becoming larger in our own view how good it is when we have that kind of growth and we have no power to bring about that kind of growth but

[49:22] God has power and he does bring about that power to bring people to have a small view of themselves so that they may take out very humble language in the presence of God and they may see that if they are saved they are saved entirely by grace entirely by the love and mercy of God entirely and the lot is cast into the lap time in respect to our lives is to be used in order that the souls of our souls might be brought to maturity ere we pass the swellings of Jordan and in order that may be so we have to say the whole disposing thereof is of the

[50:27] Lord now we cannot but see these things without bursting forth in adoration and praise it is not surprising that the psalmist should burst forth in the 107th psalm again and again oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men if we reflect upon our lives should we have to come to that conclusion if we were walking along the road should we be bursting forth and people might wonder what was the matter with us oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works toward the children of men let the redeemed of the Lord say so whom he hath redeemed from the east and from the south and from the north and from the west from all nations from the lot is cast into the lap but the whole disposing thereof is of the

[51:38] Lord may we discover it and discovering it in our own lives rejoice and give thanks and praise God from whom all blessings flow Amen