Request your free, three-month trial to Tabletalk magazine. You’ll receive the print issue monthly and gain immediate digital access to decades of archives. This trial is risk-free. No credit card required.
Try Tabletalk NowAlready receive Tabletalk magazine every month?
Verify your email address to gain unlimited access.
Judges 6:36–40
“So Gideon said to God, ‘If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said—look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor’” (Judg. 6:36–37a).
As the Israelite tribes summoned by Gideon gather to go to war, they undoubtedly are excited that God at last is raising up someone to lead them against their Midianite oppressors. Meanwhile, however, that someone is having second thoughts.
Gideon has experienced a visitation of the Angel of the LORD, has seen the Angel call fire out of a rock to consume his offering, has received and obeyed God’s call to destroy pagan shrines, and has been empowered by the Holy Spirit to summon Israel to war—all in a day or so. Yet now he seeks another sign from God to confirm that he is indeed God’s chosen instrument to save Israel from Midian. He seems to be rather ashamed of his doubts, for he acts by night, just as he did when he destroyed the altar of Baal. This is the famous incident of Gideon “putting out his fleece,” asking God to perform a supernatural work in a certain way to answer a question in his mind.
We should not take this story as a blueprint for seeking divine guidance. Rather, it serves to illustrate the kindness and graciousness of God toward His weak and faltering children. Far from reproaching Gideon as he struggles with his doubts, God grants him the sign he seeks, not once but twice. First He causes the overnight dew to soak a fleece left on a threshing floor while the ground around it stays dry. But Gideon’s faith needs yet more assurance. He asks one more sign, but to his credit he asks very humbly, begging God not to be angry; he is not presuming on God’s kindness. And so God causes it to be as he asks; the next morning, the ground is wet while the fleece remains dry, a definitive miracle given the power of wool to absorb and retain even the least moisture. His faith thus bolstered, Gideon is now ready to lead his troops. “See how tender God is of true believers though they be weak, and how ready to condescend to their infirmities, that the bruised reed may not be broken,” Matthew Henry writes.
While God may choose to honor a Christian’s “fleece,” we should not seek Him in this way. We have a rich exposition of God’s will in the Scriptures, and the Holy Spirit works to illumine it to our understanding. Furthermore, we have means of grace (Scripture, prayer, the sacraments) to strengthen our faltering faith. Beyond these, we must walk by faith, not by sight, trusting our loving Father to lead us aright.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Have you used a “fleece” to seek God’s will? Did He answer? How can you be sure the “answer” was from Him? Beware of seeking His guidance via subjective tests; instead, rest on Biblical principles. And when your faith wavers, turn to the Word (preached and written), prayer, and the sacraments to be reminded of who it is who loves you.
for further study
- Psalm 23:3
- Psalm 27:14
- Psalm 48:14
- Philippians 4:13
- Colossians 2:7