Gideon and the Fleece

Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.” And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.” And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew. (Judges 6:36-40 ESV). Today’s verses refer to the famous “throwing out the fleece” story of Gideon. Gideon wanted to be certain of what God was calling him to do, so he threw out a fleece and ask God to do a miracle with it. If you know the passage then you also know that God did just as Gideon requested and Gideon asked him to do it again. God performed two miracles to help Gideon overcome his uncertainty and fear. In my many years as a Christian I have heard people “throwing out a fleece” many times. They will attempt to put God to the test to insure that God is indeed speaking to them. I’m not going to advise anyone NOT to “throw out a fleece”, but I am going to caution against putting God to the test. Christians today have a distinct advantage over Gideon. Gideon lived in the days of the law. We live in the days of grace. Gideon had the rare opportunity to talk with God face to face. Not everyone in those days had that experience. Today, if you are a Christian, you can talk to God anytime, because you have within you the Holy Spirit of God. Again, I’m not saying don’t use the fleece test, but what I am saying is that God wants a relationship with you and me that is so strong that we can clearly understand the counsel of God through the Holy Spirit’s influence in our life. God wants us to be able to discern His guidance. God has given us His Spirit, and the counsel of others who also have His Spirit within them, so that we can walk in the Spirit of God and always know and obey His commands. If you are having trouble understanding God’s plan for your life or hearing from God, my advice would not be to improve your testing of God’s will, but to improve your relationship with God. In the coming days, we will see some practical ways to do that. Until then, measure the voice you hear by the words you have read in the Scripture. They should be the same!