Joel M Bradshaw

36Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, 37behold, 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.” 38And 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. 39Then 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.” 40And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.–Judges 6

Gideon is one of the judges that most people remember. He was in a tough situation and he was scared. We all get that. God calls us to each be faithful in our situations. For example, to live out the Gospel means to forgive what seems unforgivable. To trust God can seem risky. It’s no different for Gideon.

And yet, no character in the book of Judges received more divine assurance than Gideon. He was the only judge that God spoke directly to. And yet, he remained fainthearted. Here are a few points about the fleece episodes.

1. DIFFERENT. Gideon doesn’t get that Yahweh is different from Ba’al. He thinks he has to resort to a pagan style divination ritual to determine God’s will. Even though God had already spoken and given direction to Gideon.
2. FLEECES. The first sign was normal. Paper towels pick up liquid and leave the floor relatively dry. Maybe God had changed his mind? The whole thing set up a ‘yes’ answer. The second fleece was asking for something abnormal. Miraculous even. Both fleeces revealed that Gideon didn’t trust God or take God at his word.
3. GRACE. God was not obligated to respond to Gideon’s tests. But he did so anyway. God is in the business of extending grace to the undeserving. This gives hope to you and me. It is by that grace that we are saved.

Gideon was in a tough spot. But he used his opportunity to not trust instead of trusting. He tried to manipulate and test God instead of trusting and obeying. How are you with all that? Are you more like Gideon than you think?Your situation may also be rough.–JMB