"Now all the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples joined forces and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel. Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, so that they too went up to meet them. Gideon said to God,
“If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.”
And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.
"Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew."
Gideon stood before the presence of God. He received the patience of God over his life. He saw a miracle before his very eyes. He got hit with the power of the Holy Spirit. And then he still tries to bargain with God.
He delayed obeying God because he wanted more proof. What makes us want to wait on a sign from the Lord before we step out in faith? Fear. Ugly fear.
Asking the Lord for a sign, after He has already given us a word, exposes our lack of trust in his heart.
We shouldn't rely on what we can see to usher us forward. God's word is the only assurance of what we can't see, that gives us what we need to trust and obey.
I've heard people say, "I'm just laying out my fleece before the Lord, and I will see what happens." That's just a gross way of saying "I really don't trust what God said, so I am going to delay obeying Him, and hope he changes his mind."
It's trying to put limitations on the Lord. Trying to make God fit into our expectations. Trying to prolong doing what we know we should, that we don't always want to do.
Partial obedience, is still disobedience.
Even though Gideon was slow to obey, told the Lord he didn't trust Him enough, and demanded a sign from Him (not 1 sign, but 2!), God was still patient and faithful to fulfill His plan.
"God made it happen that very night." v 40
The Lord loves us so much that He uses His miracles to encourage and strengthen us, even when He doesn't have to.
He didn't have to make the fleece wet the first night, then dry the next. He did it because even in our weaknesses, He still loves us. Even in our lack of obedience, He still pursues us. Even in our ugly fear, He still does miracles.
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