[LearsFool]

The drawing of the lots may have represented a low place in their faith, a low place which would not last.

Not sure I agree with you here. Certainly there was a lack of understanding and of knowledge on the part of the apostles at that time - which would be rectified on Pentecost.

That's not the same as lack of faith though. I just don't see any indication of lack of faith (or low place in their faith), whether in this instance or any time after Jesus' ascension.

I agree with you, though, that a lottery (coin flip, drawing straws, etc.) is a way to remove the choice from man's hands. As long as that's the only purpose in it (as you said), I don't know of any objection to it in the Scriptures.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Well, I mean small faith vs. larger faith. Not utter faithlessness.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Faith needs a revealed object in which to believe. Pentecost would give them direction, and direction is also one purpose of a lottery.

I’m thinking it is possible, though undocumented in the bible, that Jesus consistently referred to “the twelve of you” while with them physically on earth. Now that they learned through events that this couldn’t have meant the original group, they wanted to reconstitute it to 12 men. But this is just meant to be sanctified imagination, not some infallible deduction.

It’s interesting that we never hear of prospective missionaries (a post-Pentecost phenomenon) ever drawing lots about it. They pray, they seek, and eventually they end up with a mission field, which might be different from what they had envisioned.