God permitted the use of lots for certain purposes, such as making decisions when people sought his will (see Leviticus 16:8; Joshua 18:6; 1 Chronicles 26:12–16; Acts 1:26). However, divination in general, as it was practiced throughout the ancient world, displeased the Lord because it sought guidance apart from him (Deuteronomy 18:9–13).
who is responsible for this calamity that is upon us: In the ancient Near East, people often believed that disasters or bad events happened because a god was angry. They assumed that someone had caused offense and needed to be identified.