| Q. Where in the Bible does it tell us not to gamble? (Submitted by: Peggy) A. Gambling has been around forever. The first known gambler was an archangel named Lucifer. He was possibly the most beautiful angel God created (Ezekiel 28:12-15) and, for a time, was perfect in all his ways. His gamble was that he attempted a coup to take over God's throne (Isaiah 14:12-14). He lost, of course, and was cast out of heaven (Luke 10:18). The next gambler was Eve. She knew God had told Adam not to eat from the tree of good and evil, nor even to touch it. But, when Satan, disguised as a serpent said, "Go ahead. You won't die," Eve accepted the gamble, and lost (Genesis 3:1-19). When there's gambling, someone always loses. In Queen Esther's day King Ahasuerus was given some wrong information, and passed an edict that would have resulted in wiping out all the Jews in his kingdom. His advisors held a lottery to determine when the massacre would take place (Esther 3:5-11). Fortunately Queen Esther was able to help counter the plot, and her people were spared (Esther 8:4-9:16). Haman, the one who brought the evil information to the king, lost his gamble and was hanged on the gallows he had built for Esther's uncle Mordecai (Esther 9:13-14). Lot's wife took a gamble. Although the angel told Lot and his retinue not to look back at the devastation falling on Sodom and Gomorrah, Mrs. Lot gambled with God, and lost (Genesis 19:17-26). Possibly the most famous gambler in the bible was Judas Iscariot. He agreed to turn Jesus over to the mob, gambling that he would be punished, then released. But when Judas realized his plot had gone wrong, and Jesus would be crucified, Judas hanged himself (Matthew 26:21-25; 47-56; 27:1-5). So, Peggy, although there is no Thou Shalt Not Gamble in the bible, the evidence is great enough against it that we should consider it part of the tenth commandment -- Thou shalt not covet (Exodus 20:17) -- because gambling involves the desire to have what belongs to another, and someone always loses in the end.
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