Gideon - An Unexpected Hero Series

4 A Special Assurance from God

This is perhaps the best known part of this story of Gideon. Despite all that he’s seen, Gideon still isn’t ready to go out and face the enemy. It isn’t that he doubts the call of God, notice. He knows God has called him to lead his people. He just wants some added assurance that he’ll be victorious. You see to be used by God you don’t have to be a particular personality type. It isn’t just those who are always sure of themselves that God can use. God equally uses those who need multiple signs, who are emotionally vulnerable, who suffer from anxiety and depression and self-doubt. And so God gives Gideon the sign he asks for - twice. What we find here is another example of just how patient and long-suffering God is. How often he allows for our shortcomings; how often he condescends to deal with us in a way that allows us to serve him despite our failings.

But at the same time we need to be careful that we don’t see this request by Gideon as a model for seeking God’s guidance. You hear people talking about the need to put out a fleece if you want to know what God wants you to do. But the danger with that advice is that it ignores the facts of this situation.

First, this is a one-off event. You don’t find this sort of guidance being used anywhere else so it’s dangerous to make it into some sort of model.

Second, this is an Old Testament event. That is, it happens prior to Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Remember that Jesus promised he’d send the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. So Paul, in Colossians 1 prays that "God will fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding." So to suggest that the use of fleeces is a normal method of guidance would seem to deny the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.

Thirdly, the fleece wasn’t a way of finding out God’s will at all. Gideon already knew what God wanted him. What he needed was reassurance that God could do what he promised. He wanted his confidence boosted by this supernatural act. So his asking for the fleece was in fact a sign of the weakness of his faith. The fact that God did what he asked wasn’t to show us how to determine God’s will. It was an example of how patient and kind God can be to those he loves. So don’t use this as a model for seeking guidance. Rather learn to trust God to do what he promised. Which is the point of the last step in Gideon’s growth as a leader.

5 Learning to Trust God against the Odds

Gideon prepares to go forth against the enemy with the 32,000 men who have answered his call, but God stops him. He says: "The troops with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand. Israel would only take the credit away from me, saying, ’My own hand has delivered me (7:2).’" Gideon and the people of Israel need to learn this important object lesson. The victory they’re about to win will be won by God, not by their own strength. So he begins to whittle away their numbers. First he tells any who are scared to go home. That gets rid of 22,000. They were the honest ones! But even 10,000 are too many. They might still be enough to win if they’re lucky. So he gets them all to drink at a stream and those who lap the water from their hands are picked while those who kneel down to the water are sent home. Now despite what you may have heard from your Sunday School teacher, it wasn’t the fact that these 300 stayed alert as they drank that mattered. What mattered was that God only wanted 300 of them in his army. This was going to be the Magnificent Seven magnified a thousand times. Humanly speaking the odds were impossible. But what mattered was that the victory was to be without doubt the result of God’s actions. Their war cry says it all: "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!" As they fought, it was for the LORD that they were fighting. And it was the LORD who would give them the victory.