Old Testament Gambling
Bible verses about gambling
Many people wonder is gambling a sin? Although there might not be a clear cut verse from what we learn in Scripture I strongly believe it is a sin and all Christians should stay away from it. It is terrible to see that some churches are bringing gambling in the house of God. The Lord is not pleased.
- Job Loses Everything - Job’s sons and daughters were having a feast in the home of his oldest son, when someone rushed up to Job and said, “While your servants were plowing with your oxen, and your donkeys were nearby eating grass, a gang of Sabeans attacked and stole the oxen and donkeys! Your other servants were killed, and I was the only one who escaped to tell you.” That servant was.
- The key word is “sanctified” (vs.3). In the Old Testament the same Hebrew word (qodesh) is translated consecrate (set apart), dedicate and holy. It means to set apart for the service of God. Worship is in its essence.
- Gambling is inconsistent with the work ethic of Scripture. Throughout Scripture the importance of work is emphasized. In several places, the correlation between working and eating is stated. The Old Testament reminds us that generally, “Those who work their land will have abundant food” (Proverbs 12:11).
Many people are going to say, well the Bible doesn’t specifically say you can’t do it. The Bible doesn’t specifically say you can’t do a lot of things that we know as sin.
The Old Testament shows the first followers of God living alongside other cultures that essentially worshiped sex. For example, folks called the Canaanites celebrated the mating of a sky god with an earth goddess—and sometimes re-enacted it.
Many people find any excuse they can give for what is wrong, but just like Satan deceived Eve he will deceive many by saying, did God really say you can’t do that?
Old Testament On Gambling
Quotes
- “Gambling is the child of avarice, the brother of iniquity, and the father of mischief.” – George Washington
- “Gambling is a sickness, a disease, an addiction, an insanity, and is always a loser in the long run.”
- “Gambling can be just as addictive as drugs and alcohol. Teens and their parents need to know that they’re not just gambling with money, they’re gambling with their lives.”
- “Gambling is the sure way of getting nothing for something.”
Gambling is of the world, it is very addicting, and it will cause you harm.
Gambling is loving something that is part of the cruel world, not only is it dangerous especially back in the days where many were being plotted on and murdered for their money. Gambling is very addictive, you can go into a casino one day thinking I’m going to spend this much, then leave without your car. For some people it’s that bad and it can become even worse.
I’ve heard many stories about people losing their lives for owing money and people losing their lives by committing suicide because of the money they lost. Many people have lost their houses, spouses, and kids over their gambling addiction. You might say that I don’t gamble that much, but it doesn’t matter. Even if it is small fun gambling it is sin and it should not be done. Always remember that sin grows overtime. Your heart becomes harder, your desires become greedier, and it will turn into something that you never saw coming.
1. 1 Corinthians 6:12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say–but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”–but I will not be mastered by anything.
2. 2 Peter 2:19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity–for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”
3. 1 Timothy 6:9-10 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
4. Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is his good, pleasing and perfect will.
5. Proverbs 15:27 The greedy bring ruin to their households, but the one who hates bribes will live.
Gambling leads to more sin.
Not only does gambling lead to deeper and deeper covetousness, but it leads to different types of sin. When you go to the movie theater and buy popcorn they make it extra buttery so you will buy their expensive drinks. When you go to casinos they promote alcohol. When you are not sober you will be trying to kick back and spend more money. Many people who are addicted to gambling are also living in drunkenness. Prostitutes are always near casinos. They entice men who seem like high rollers and they entice men who are down on their luck. It is not a surprise that most casinos promote sensuality and women.
6. James 1:14-15 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
Scripture teaches that we are to be on guard against covetousness.
7. Exodus 20:17 Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
8. Ephesians 5:3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints.
9. Luke 12:15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
As Christians we are to fix our attitudes on money.
Old Testament Bingo Printable
10. Ecclesiastes 5:10 Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.
11. Luke 16:13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
What is your eye gazing upon?
Your chance of winning the lottery on a single ticket is one in 175 million. That means that someone has to really be greedy and have dreams of riches to still try and play the lottery. You have to pay for more and more tickets because of your greed and what you are really doing is emptying your pockets because of your covetousness.
Most gamblers throw money away. Most people who go to casinos lose money that could have been used for paying bills or on the less fortunate, but instead people would rather throw it away. It is wasting God’s money on evil, which is similar to stealing.
12. Luke 11:34-35 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.
13. Proverbs 28:22 Greedy people try to get rich quick but don’t realize they’re headed for poverty.
14. Proverbs 21:5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.
15. Proverbs 28:20 The trustworthy person will get a rich reward, but a person who wants quick riches will get into trouble.
We are to be hard workers.
The Bible teaches us to work hard and worry about others. Gambling teaches us to do the opposite. In fact, many of the people who play the lottery are poor. Gambling destroys something that God intended for good. You have to understand that the devil is using it to destroy the foundation of work.
16. Ephesians 4:28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
17. Acts 20:35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.
18. Proverbs 10:4 Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich.
19. Proverbs 28:19 Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.
Old Testament Bingo Cards
Gambling and betting is giving the appearance of evil.
What would you think if you went inside a casino and you saw your pastor holding money in one hand and rolling dice in another? That picture just wouldn’t look right would it? Now picture yourself doing the same thing. Society does not look at gambling as being honest. The betting industry is a dark world filled with crime. Google treats gambling websites like pornography websites. Gambling websites contain a lot of viruses.
20. 1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
Many churches want to turn God’s house into a place to play bingo and other gambling activities, which is wrong. God’s house is not a place to make profit. It is a place to worship the Lord.
21. John 2:14-16 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!”
Gambling is not trusting in the Lord.
One of the greatest problems of gambling is it takes away from trusting in the Lord. God says I will provide for your needs. Satan says roll the dice there might be a chance that you win and become filthy rich. You see the problem. When you trust in God nothing is by chance. God provides for our needs and God gets all the glory. Gambling is showing that you don’t really trust in the Lord.
22. Isaiah 65:11 But because the rest of you have forsaken the LORD and have forgotten his Temple, and because you have prepared feasts to honor the god of Fate and have offered mixed wine to the god of Destiny.
23. Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
Reminders
24. Proverbs 3:7 Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
25. Proverbs 23:4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness.
In conclusion.
You have a higher chance of being struck by lighting than winning the lottery. Most gambling is not made for you to win. It’s made for you to dream about what if I did win. Gambling fails in its attempt to give people hope because most people spend thousands of dollars for nothing. Just take a thousand dollars and throw it in the garbage that is exactly what gamblers do over the course of time. When you have greed you will always lose more than you gain. Gambling is bad for your health and it violates many Scriptures as seen above. Seek hard work and trust in the Lord with your income.
Related Topics:
Answer: Although the words 'gambling' or 'lottery' are not in the King James Version Bible, numerous verses denounce the attitudes that are behind them. They include idol worship and greed, which are the foundations that encourage this kind of behavior.
People often indulge in gambling, be it playing the lottery or going to a casino, because they hope to 'get lucky.' Scripture states that such things as fortune, fate, luck and destiny are as foreign gods in whom the people foolishly place their hope.
The Eternal clearly states that not only does not like the attitude behind gambling he is willing to punish people for indulging in such foolishness. Through the prophet Isaiah he states, 'But you who forsake the LORD . . . who prepare a table for Fortune, and who furnish the drink offering to Fate, Therefore I will destine you to the sword; and you will all bow down to the slaughter . . .' (Isaiah 65:11 - 12, HBFV).
The TEV Bible translation of Isaiah 65:11 states that those who reject our Creator worship gods of 'luck and fate,' the two primary characteristics that underpin gambling. A passage in the book of Proverbs states, 'Worthless, wicked people go around telling lies. They wink and make gestures to deceive you, all the while planning evil in their perverted minds . . .' (Proverbs 6:12 - 14, TEV).
The CEV translation states that liars go around 'winking and giving signals' to deceive others. Such signals between people are the same kinds of stereotypical signs often associated with those seeking to tip the gambling odds in their favor.
One of the deceptive beliefs behind gambling is that by making a small 'investment' one can become rich. This attitude leads to what the word of God defines simply as GREED. Games of chance where money is involved also encourages the false notion that a person can get something for nothing. Being greedy is ultimately a waste of time and distracts a person from what is truly important in life.
Someone once stated that the person who dies with the most toys (cars, houses, other possessions) wins at life. It is this type of materialistic drive and the desire to have more that helps fuel an obsession with gambling. The world's wisest man, Solomon, stated several times how foolish is was to pursue riches (Proverbs 23:5, 27:20, 24).
One day a person shouted to Jesus from a crowd asking him for help in dividing a family inheritance between him and his brother. Jesus' sharp, to-the-point response first stated that his purpose on earth was not to be a judge or arbitrator between people to settle their disputes.
The word 'arbitrator' used in the NASB and other translations for Jesus' response in Luke 12:14 come from a Greek word whose meaning is very similar to the word 'destiny' in the Hebrew. Both words have in common the same concept of portioning out or dividing that gambling businesses partake in when they take the wealth of one person and give it to someone else.
Jesus warned the man who screamed for his help to be wary of covetousness (greed) since God never intended a person's life revolve around the accumulation of physical things (Luke 12:15). He then gave what is known as the parable of the foolish rich man who built bigger barns (verses 16 - 21).
The book of Jeremiah also warns us not to be 'greedy for gain' (Jeremiah 6:13, 15). In short, the Bible says that gambling, especially with our hard earned money, is something we should not pursue or indulge in.