The Procedure of Dice

February 9, 2009

Today's Reading: Exodus 29, 30 and Acts 1

Considering the way that God has Moses consecrate the priests, one might draw a conclusion that God has that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder that I’ve been hearing so much about.

I mean, look at how meticulous these rituals are. In fact, I can’t help but be bored reading them. They are filled to the brim with “lay hands on this, burn this, sacrifice this”, and the sheer repetition and non-repetition just wears the mind down until all that is left is a yadda yadda yadda. Man, I think about everything but this consecration every time I read this.

I guess there is something about the OCD nature of these rituals that makes me want to shut my mind off. Have you ever worked for a job that required a procedure with no margin for error? In other words, it didn’t matter what you did, but how you did it?

Maybe you’ve worked for a boss who had this thing about control. Like if you use the clipboard to chart progress of a project, then you had to use a specific color of ink. Sometimes there are adequate reasons for these procedures, and sometimes they are just leftovers from an era where the exact procedures might have mattered. Other times, the man just wants to keep you in line!

As for me, I like procedures. You know, like due process. If someone gets out of line, arrest them, book them, let them defend themselves, and justice will hopefully win out in the end.

Unfortunately, Exodus and other books of the Torah are boring because they talk endlessly about procedures. In all honesty, I’m not looking forward to these next two months dealing with books like Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy because they talk about what to do in case of this, what to do in case of that.

Now, you would think that with all the procedures in the Bible, there would be some sort of procedure of what to do if a disciple commits suicide and you have to replace him. Apparently, there isn’t, and the disciples discovered that if you are down to two disciples, then you roll dice.

Funny, something really important, and they cast lots. Einstein once said that “God does not play at dice”, but it looks like godly things can happen by shooting craps. After all, didn’t Jesus say that there were twelve thrones that He and His disciples would fill. I’m guessing Judas doesn’t have one, and now Matthias will, or does.

So, what can we learn from this. Do we need procedures or can we just roll the dice? Why take one or the other when you can have both? Funny, I’ve been saying that a lot lately on this blog.