Does the Bible forbid playing the lottery, or any other forms of gambling?
The Bible does not explicitly address gambling; however, there are many principles we can glean from the Word of God that help us understand His attitude towards such practices. Consider the following texts:
“A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.” Proverbs 28:20
This text highlights the fact that it is not good for us to hasten to get rich quickly. Self-seeking pride often accompanies a heart that desires riches for all the wrong reasons:
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1 Timothy 6:10
Greediness is a sin, plain and simple. Money itself is not evil, but the selfish desire and love of money leads to all kinds of evil. As the text says, it often leads people to stray from the faith, and at the very heart of gambling is the selfish desire for quick riches we call greediness. That last line, “pierced themselves through with many sorrows” hits home to anyone who has lost wealth, houses and family to gambling. Remember, gambling agencies make huge profits and dole out meager rewards.
“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” Hebrews 13:5
“Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, but he who gathers by labor will increase.” Proverbs 13:11
These texts teach that greediness and the strong desire to have more than what we need is a violation of God’s holy Law and lead to covetousness. It is important that we gain our income and wealth honestly—with honest labor. Gambling is a manipulation of the system that God intended for His people to follow.
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24
The Bible teaches that we seek after what we treasure most. If we love God and put Him first, then we will be content with what He chooses to bless us with. As stewards of His resources, we will not seek after our own selfish gain for the purpose of getting rich quickly. We will recognize that the money and resources we have all come from God. If we gamble it away, we are misusing and abusing the resources He has entrusted to us.
We either make God our Master and follow Him, or we make the ways of the world our master and serve money. Let us always surrender our will to the Lord, and He will bless us beyond what we could ever imagine. If we put Him first, then everything else will be added to us according to His divine will.