Scapegoat

Priests used lots to select a scapegoat on the day of atonement (Leviticus 16:8-10).

Joshua used lots to locate Achan the troubler of Israel; Achan was a scapegoat, whose death cleansed the people so they could defeat Ai.

Haman threw lots, trying to pinpoint the time for offering the scapegoat Jews.

And the sailors threw lots to determine whether Jonah should be tossed into the sea. This last is particularly interesting: The sea (of nations) is in turmoil, and the sea is calmed when the Israelite prophet is thrown in. This is an image of exile, but gives a specific spin to the exile: Israel’s exile is not just a punishment for her sins, but the atonement that calms the churning nations. Every day of atonement, the seas were calmed as Israel’s impurities were borne away by the scapegoat.

This is what it means to be a chosen people: Israel is chosen (by lot) to be the scapegoat of the nations, to offer herself for the peace of the world.