GIDEON AND THE FLEECE
We have been looking at the life of Gideon together, and we have reached this incident in Gideon's life which, after the battle engaged in with torches, pitchers and trumpets, perhaps, is the one we most remember. Gideon and the fleece. The fleece being, we may presume, the skin of a sheep, with all the wool on, which Gideon put out at night.
One of the things that is so helpful, at least to me, as we have been looking at this incident, is how ordinary, how very much like us, Gideon was. He was not a great man. He was not full of courage, or wisdom, or strength. In actual fact he comes through in the narrative as one which most people in the world would not look at twice, and would pass by. Certainly he is represented as someone who has not got all those qualities for getting on in the world. The qualities to strive, and push oneself forward, and so on.
It was God who made Gideon what he was; but as he went along with his many irritating weaknesses, God did not get impatient with him. That I believe is the message for us as we read this chapter. God did not get impatient with him, but was so gracious to him in his spiritual weakness, and immaturity. This is revelation from God of the way he deals with his people, from which we can learn and receive comfort in the present. God is the same yesterday, today and forever.
The passage which we are to consider is Judges 6, verses 33 to 40.
Let us make no mistake, Gideon asking for the sign in the fleece is not to be commended, or copied. If you thought that, I am sorry to disappoint you. It was the result of spiritual failure. It is an example of a young Christian who has not matured very far. But having said that I find that the whole incident, and God's action in it, is most comforting, because even after 35 years of ministry I find I am still very much like Gideon was here.
Let us look at the passage. The first thing that it teaches us is about God. It is what it teaches us about God, in his relationship to us, which is so lovely. The first thing that we see in passing, and as a bye-product of this failure of Gideon, is that of God's power and authority over creation. All creation. Gideon should not have found it necessary to have asked God for these two signs, but there is no doubt that from them came this powerful demonstration of God as creator.
God turns our weaknesses and failings to good. If Gideon hadn't been like he was here, we wouldn't have had this demonstration of creative power for us to hear of today. It wouldn't have been recorded, because it wouldn't have happened; but it is now recorded and it did happen, and we can see it.
What did Gideon do? He asked that he may put out this fleece of wool, this sheep's skin, in the open ground at night. He spoke to God and said, "Please, God make that wool so that it is filled with the dew, but let the ground all round it be dry." And God did this for him.
Then, not being content with that, Gideon said, "Lord, do not be angry with me, please do not be angry with me. I want to put the fleece out again, but will you do things the other way round this time. Make the ground all wet, and the fleece dry." And God did that as well! It seems, perhaps, a little thing, but none but God could have achieved it. It is an impossibility. You try watering a fleece with the hose, and not getting the ground round about it wet also. And it is even harder the other way round. Because even if you do get the hose very near, and you go carefully around the fleece trying not to wet the fleece, the water will run in and over the fleece. God did this as well. In fact the nature of dew falling is such that it is not selective, but God made it so on these two occasions.
This action reveals this fact about God - his complete control over his creation. It reveals that it is his creation, and that he is a God who is not standing back from it. Some people have said that God created the world, and then like a clock maker, set it going, stood back and let it run. No! God is active every moment of every day in upholding the universe by the word of his power. And when he wishes he can step in and change the very order of his creation. These incidents with the fleece were changes in the order of creation, demonstrating that God is the creator, the fashioner, and the controller. The one who has everything in his hands.
The fleece is not the only experience of God's power over creation that we find in the Bible. The miracles of Jesus are demonstrations of it also, but perhaps one of the most startling examples is in the book of Kings, second Kings chapter 20 and verses 8 to 11. King Hezekiah had been struck with a fatal illness. He had prayed to God for deliverance. The prophet Isaiah was sent to inform Hezekiah that his prayer would be answered. Hezekiah, however, lacked assurance and wanted some reassurance that this would happen, so God, not only stopped time, but he made time go back. The shadow cast by the Sun on the staircase of Ahaz went backwards over ten steps. Now can you imagine that?
God is in control of his creation. And as we trust him we can be sure that he has the whole world in his hand, and he is active there.
However that vision of God of itself would be terrifying, if it wasn't for the way we find God dealing with Gideon. God is so gracious to him in his weakness. You see God had spoken to Gideon, and this had been no small event. Look at verse 33. "All the Midianites and the Amalekites, and the Eastern people had joined forces and crossed over the Jordan, and had camped in the valley of Jezreel. You can imagine Gideon's natural reaction would be to say, "Golly! - I'm going to hide".
But in verse 34 we are told "The Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon." This was a powerful act of God, and though Gideon's natural reaction was to run away from confrontation with the enemies of Israel, Gideon found himself gathering the people together to oppose this horde of enemies. God, understanding Gideon's natural reaction, had graciously acted. "The Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon." God put courage and strength in him to motivate him for the action, and provide the strength and initiative for it.
Now if you have been following the previous two chapters, you have realised that Gideon was not going to do anything himself. He would not have dreamt of going to all the rest of the Abiezrite tribe under his own initiative, and saying "Come along, we are going to fight the Midianites." If he had, they would have replied, "Stuff it" or some such equally definite and dismissive word.
Can you imagine going down the road to the next door church and saying, "Come with me, we are going to engage in some marvellous evangelistic event." They would say, "Well, we haven't had that guidance", and they wouldn't go with you. The reason the Abiezrites went with Gideon was because Gideon had been given this command by God, and so he was sure, as he went to call them, that they would come. And not only the Abiezrites, he went to the other tribes, Manasseh and Assher and Zebulon and Naphthali, and they all began to come in to support him. Gideon had had a very powerful word from God.
The Spirit of God came upon him in power, and when you have had some experience like that, you know its real. And in the strength of that his timid personality had changed, and he had gone out and asked these people all to join him, and they had done so. We can see, also, that he had - Gideon testifies that he had - a promise from God that God would be with them, and exercise his power on their behalf. But when he asks for the fleece in the end of verse 37, then he says, "then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand as you said."
Gideon had had this word from the Lord. He had had this promise. God had assured him, and God had given him that feeling of strength within his soul by the Spirit of God. And yet, even though he had had this word of promise, Gideon was afraid. Gideon doubted. When the Spirit of God came on him and he heard the word; well! he went out and he was strong. But then he began to think of all the implications. As we all know, when we begin to think in this way, the devil is very good at making us think in a negative way. When Gideon began to think, he wasn't quite so sure. It is not certain what his problem was. It may have been that he felt, "Will God keep his promise?" And a pretty odd sort of lack of faith that would be in the circumstances. Or it could have been that he was doubting even God's power. He could see all these Midianites, the Amalekites, this huge host of people. How, and what power could defeat them?
It may have been a mixture of both. We don't know. But he doubted, and he wanted assurance of a visible sign. God had promised, but he had not actually seen God working yet. Not on this occasion at least. In the previous chapter he had seen God delivering him out of the anger of the other people. He had found God putting his father on his side, and so on, but this was another experience. Isn't this true with us. We look at the past, and God had done things for us, but in the present, faith is still a problem. Our weakness and our failure overcome us and our doubts flood in. Gideon showed failure in faith, and problems of faith, that we can all too easily identify with.
What Gideon wanted - and isn't this so like us - was a physical sign. He wanted a demonstration of God's power, and so he comes to God, and says, "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised, then give me a sign. Make the fleece wet, and the ground around it, dry." And God did it for him.
Then the next day still he was troubled, even though God had given him this powerful sign of his power. He knows he oughtn't to have done it, but he says "Do not be angry with me, let me make just one more request."
I wonder what you would feel like if somebody came to you in this way. You had given him your word of promise. The past has assured him that you keep your promises. Then he comes and wants reassurances, and then when you gave him a reassurance, that isn't enough. You are asked to give more. It would be quite natural for us to think that God would have said to Gideon, "You are a disgrace. Why do you doubt me? Why do you treat me like this? Isn't my word enough?" Yet God was so gracious, and patient, and forgiving, and gave him all that he desired, so that Gideon would go forth in strength.
How kind is our God; how gracious; how loving; how patient; how accepting. For as we go on in the story of Gideon, and as we look at our own lives, we don't seem to improve very much. We are up, and we triumph in God's strength, and then we are down, and we seem to have not learnt anything from God's dealings with us. The same occurred with Elijah. There was the great triumph on Mount Carmel, and then when Jezebel threatens him, he runs for his life. This is like us - we are weak people, but God is gracious to us, and this is an assurance and a strength for us, because with all the renewal of spiritual life which we see in many directions today, this same spirit of weakness and failing faith, that was in Gideon, is with us.
We want signs and wonders, and God is gracious. We have the Word of God, and everything is there. Gideon did not have the Word of God like we have it. The promises of God are there, and we have proved his promises, but still we want these outward signs and wonders, and God graciously gives them to us, even though it is an expression of weakness and lack of faith on our part that we desire them. Let us be comforted in this revelation of our God. He is a forgiving, patient and gracious God.
Just one last thing before we close this study. If God is like this, and this has been a particular message to my own heart, I must be like this with others. If God is patient with me, then I must be patient with others. If God does not expect me, or does not give me up when I don't seem to learn, then I must be willing to accept others when they don't learn. If God is willing to meet the needs of Gideon in his weakness, then I must do so to in my relations with others.
And this must be the whole pattern of our relationships with each other. As God deals with us in grace, so let us deal with others. And if we feel that others haven't seemed to learn very much, and are still the same, and are not listening to what we say, and so on, never mind. Give them what they ask as God gave Gideon. And in God's good time, as in Gideon's life, we learn and we move forward.
Let us leave this study with this assurance that God loves us so much that his grace never ends towards us.