Proverbs 16:33,  The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.

This proverb is about the sovereignty of God.

Sovereignty means that God is in all and God is over all.

There are no events that God is not in and there are no events over which God does not have authority.

God is the source of all creation and all things come from and depend upon God.

God is the Lord of creation, the source of all things.

God brought the world into being and he guides His creation toward a meaningful or purposeful end.

Therefore God's creativity is not the result of chance or randomness.

It holds promise and purpose which God intends.

Therefore if man does not believe in the Creator he may believe that happenings are random or by chance or by luck.

But as God did not create by chance or by randomness God does not allow randomness or chance or luck to alter, change or affect his plan.

If things were random or by chance or by luck the promise of:

Romans 8:28  would be vain,  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

That verse contains no luck.

That verse contains no chance happenings.

That verse is a precision mechanism powered by a sovereign God.

He allows no deviation in the turn of the gears, there is zero tolerance in their making, there is no wearing out or repairs needed, the timing is right on!

It is as a precise time piece, with never a loss of time and God never lets it unwind.

Chance or luck is not in God's vocabulary!

It is alien to him because it does not fit a sovereign God.

God's essential nature is moral and chance is immoral.

Chance points to a Godless creation. Randomness seemingly needs no creator.

That is why gambling is immoral because it attempts to elevate chance which is against the very nature of God.

That very nature demands that God pay attention to the lot that is cast into the lap.

He watches because he intends to do something about the result.

He governs it. He will not allow the result to be disposed of without him.

He attends all the lottery drawings.

He is at every poker game. He goes to the horse races.

He knows every book of the bookie.

He witnesses every cast of the lot.

He at times has commanded the lot in his word.

Canaan was divided by lot yet Zebulon's lot fell as Jacob had prophesied hundreds of years earlier.

Achan, the thief, was revealed by lot.

The governors of the sanctuary and the house of God were chosen by lot.

Those chosen to live in Jerusalem in Nehemiah's time were determined by lot.

Matthias was numbered with the eleven apostles by lot.

Proverbs 18:18 instructs that,  The lot causeth contentions to cease, and parteth between the mighty.

We use the coin toss lot on the ball field.

Many times in the past land was divided by lot and that is why your property is called a lot.

The word lot is derived from the materials which were used in the lot.

The lot is the pebble or small stones that were used to be selected.

The Hebrew word translated here as lap, in most places is translated bosom.

It means to conceal or hide from view, it means a hidden place.

So the writer is here saying:

The pebbles are cast into a hidden place and one is selected as if by chance because the pebble selected cannot be seen.

Each pebble stands for a course of action or choice which is to be taken.

Perhaps a division, a selection, or a revelation,

But only one is selected by a man and that man is free to choose which pebble is selected.

When he selects the pebble he thinks he knows the options available as a result of that selection.

The options are advertised ahead so he thinks that is what they will be.

But this proverb does not end with the selection of the lot.

God enters the picture in this proverb.

Man proposes but God disposes. Chance is out the window!

Man has the freedom to make choices but the outcome of those choices is not yours to control.

Without God all choices are like a lot.

Man thinks that his choice will result in something but all his choices are governed by God's plan, within God's economy, within God's word.

Man may think that he knows where that choice will lead but in reality selecting that choice is no different than a man selecting a pebble for the lot.

All the choices of man without God are like the lot for man does not have control of the outcome of any choice.

God is in control and he has told of the outcome of the choices of man.

Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

In other words whatsoever a man chooses God's word tells us that the result will fit into the plan of God.

God will allow no deviation from his order of things.

Man's choices will not affect God's order of things.

Boiled down man has only two choices.

To go with God or to go his own way.

To go with God means to yield his choices to God and let God choose.

It is an understanding that only God knows where a choice will lead and wisdom dictates that without God, man is simply a losing gambler of life.

A man who chooses to go his own way gambles on every choice he makes.

A man without God does not know where his choice will lead him.

To go one's own way keeps the choices in one's own hands.

To go God's way places the choices in God's hands.

But either way God disposes.

The man who goes God's way trusts in the LORD with all his heart;

He does not lean to his own understanding.

In all his ways he acknowledges God and God directs his paths.

But the man who trusts in himself with all his heart; leans to his own understanding.

In none of his ways does he acknowledge him but be sure! that which befalls him on his paths will be determined within God's order of things.

He cannot escape that because God is in control.

As the pebbles of the lot are withdrawn from a hidden place to determine a course so are the choices man withdrawn from the heart.

The heart is the hidden place where the choices are.

Man reaches into the heart and selects the choice.

What that choice is depends on the treasure of the heart.

Jesus said in: Mat 12:35,  A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

The good man's choices withdrawn from the heart are choices that will result in good because they are choices blessed by the word of God.

They are good treasure choices.

The evil man's choices withdrawn from the heart are choices that will result in evil because they are choices that promote a man going in his own way apart from the word of God.

They are evil treasure choices. They are a sinner's choices.

God disposes in either case but the disposal of the case of good treasure is always good

The man whose lot consists of good treasure can say,  Whatever my lot thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.

His choices always result in a well soul.

Blessed are those that give themselves up to the will of God; for God knows what is good for them.