God’s Directions May Not Always Make Sense To Us. Listen To God’s Leading Voice In Your Life. Why Did Gideon Put Out a Fleece? And Should We? Putting Out A Fleece Is Not A Positive. On The Contrary, It Is A Sign Of A Lack Of Faith. Why Is God Patient With Our Lack of Faith?
As Humans, We Are Short-Sighted And Weak. We Fall Time And Time Again When We Trust In Our Strength Instead Of Striving To Find And To Do God’s Will In Our Lives. Gideon Was About To Experience This Firsthand In His Life.
When he heard this, Gideon must have thought, “Don’t you know how weak and afraid I am?” Of course, God knew this, but He chose Gideon anyway. God knows our personality and our weaknesses, our tendency towards sin. But it is not a mistake that He has chosen us.
Those who see themselves as the greatest, the strongest, the wisest will have a hard time hearing God’s voice above their high thoughts and opinions. However, those who are lowly, with open and receptive hearts, will be able to become God’s men of valor, ready to do His will. The Bible story about Gideon is incredibly inspiring for all of us! How would you feel leading 300 men against an army? “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor! You shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites!”
An oppressed nation: Because the people of Israel had turned away from God, He allowed the Midianites to terrorize Israel for seven years, destroying their land and livestock. Judges 7:12 says the Midianites were “as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.” In their need, Israel cried out to God. In His mercy, God stepped in and decided that Gideon would lead the poverty-stricken, oppressed, fearful Israelites to victory.
The uncertain leader Gideon took on the role reluctantly. He asked God for signs time and time again. First, the Angel summoned fire to consume the food Gideon had brought. Afterward, Gideon put out a fleece of wool on two consecutive nights, first asking for the fleece to be wet and the ground to be dry, then for the fleece to be dry and the ground to be wet.
Why Did Gideon Put Out a Fleece? And Should We?
It is time to put this whole “putting out a fleece” madness to bed. The expression “putting out a fleece” comes from Judges 6:33-40, where Gideon requests God’s guarantee of victory through two tests. Gideon puts a fleece garment on the ground in the first test and asks God to miraculously cause dew to only collect on the garment, not on the rest of the ground. Then, in the second test, Gideon reverses the test- now, he asks for the fleece to be dry and the ground to be covered with dew.
Many Christians have taken this narrative as a positive and adopted the practice of “putting out a fleece”- testing God to determine his will. For example, in a dating relationship, someone might say, “God, if they send me a card in the next 6 hours, then I’ll know you want me to marry them.” Nope! Let me be as transparent as possible: putting out a fleece is not a positive. On the contrary, it is a sign of a lack of faith. So, let us set the record straight on a few aspects of Judges 6:33-40.
Gideon was not asking God to reveal what he should do. God had already told Gideon what he should do by special revelation (Judges 6:14, 16). Gideon was trying to get a guarantee that the God who was speaking to him would grant him victory. This was a common practice in these cultures, but Gideon sought confirmation on his terms rather than God’s. Thus, Gideon’s test betrays a Canaanite theological perspective.
Gideon was trying to get a guarantee that the God of Israel was greater than Baal. This is the least known and yet most crucial piece of information regarding Judges 6:33-40. Baal was the Canaanite God of the storm (rain, lightning, etc.). In one Baal tale, his weakness results in a drought of both rain and dew. Baal’s daughter Talia is thought to be responsible for dew. Guess what the Hebrew word for dew in Judges 6:33-40 is? Tal. There is no doubt that Gideon here is testing God to see if he is more significant than Baal. Gideon (who fought with Baal in Judges 6:25-32) is not entirely convinced that Baal is not the real deal yet. So, the fleece tests result from Gideon’s Canaanite way of thinking, and his lack of faith in Yahweh, the God of Israel.
Putting God to the test is sinful. In Deuteronomy 6:16, God says, “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.” In Judges 6:39, Gideon says, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me TEST just once more with the fleece.” Gideon even uses the same verb for testing found in Deut. 6:16. If we count Gideon’s request for a sign from God’s messenger Judges 6:17-18, he has tested God three times so far.
So why does God put up with Gideon’s lack of faith? Why does he answer the tests? Why does he even offer a fourth sign later in Judges 7:8-14? The only answer to these questions is God’s covenant faithfulness or his grace. His condescension to Gideon’s Canaanite worldview is not meant to condone testing God or demanding signs. Instead, God’s patience shown to Gideon highlights the greatness of his grace towards both Gideon and Israel. He essentially holds Gideon’s hand throughout the entire process, thus addressing his lack of faith, faulty theology, and fear.
Yes, God is patient with our lack of faith, our faulty theology, and our fear. But the message is not to imitate Gideon but rather to learn about God and us from his experience. This narrative encourages us to believe in God without the extra drama. Once again, in Judges, Othniel’s simple faith stands out when contrasted with Gideon (Judges 3:7-11). Let us learn from Gideon’s experience. God is greater than any false God, he is able and willing to save, and he is motivated by his grace. Do not test God. Believe him.
Was God discouraged by these constant requests? Did He begin to reconsider His pick? No! All these signs and wonders occurred, giving Gideon the strength and faith, he needed! God refused to give up on Gideon, even when Gideon had given up on himself.
Fast forward to a short time later: Newly armed with the Spirit of the Lord, Gideon stands at the head of an Israelite force of 32,000 warriors. Now, this is a mighty army to be reckoned with! Then comes a new order from God: Everyone who is afraid should go home! God knew that Israel would claim the glory of victory, celebrating its strength instead of rightfully honoring God who was in command.
“There are still too many!” Overnight, 22,000 of Gideon’s soldiers left. This must have been a severe blow to Gideon. As a leader of 32,000 men, he would have begun to think it was possible. But, with only 10,000 men, it was nearly impossible!
Then God spoke again: “There are still too many!” Still too many? This new command went against all human reasoning! And that is precisely the way God wanted it.
First, some background: What exactly does the word judge refer to? In the Book of Judges, the term “judge” (shofet שׁוֹפֵט) is not a magistrate or a judicial officer who sits in a court of law. Instead, this refers to a warrior whose victories over Israel’s enemies are deemed divinely mandated “justice.” The Period of the Judges was an interlude of approximately two centuries, beginning with the conquest of the Land by Joshua (1200 BCE) and ending with the enthronement of the first king of Israel, Saul (1050 BCE). This era was marked by anarchy and disunity, as the Israelites had not yet dominated all the indigenous Canaanite tribes, and authority was not centralized. The Bible clearly expresses a negative assessment of this period: “In those days there was no king in Israel; all the people did what was right in their own eyes.” (Judges 17:6). Because there was no central authority, leadership sprung up episodically in local chieftains known as judges, including Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Barak, Gideon, Abimelech, Jephthah, and Samson. The Harod Spring at the foot of Mount Gilboa in northern Israel, where Gideon tested his soldiers.
In chapters 6-8 of the Book of Judges, we read the story of Gideon combating the Midianites and Amalekites, two Transjordanian tribes who routinely crossed the Jordan River to raid the northern tribes of Israel.
Next, he takes his army to the Harod Spring and gives them an odd drinking test to further reduce the military to a core group of 300 elite fighters. Here is the passage which describes the ordeal:
So, Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog lap from those who kneel to drink.” Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.” Judges 7:5-6 NIV
There are two groups of men: (1) the “lappers” and (2) the “kneelers.” The smaller group of 300 “lappers” are chosen to remain while the larger group of 9700 “kneelers” are sent home. But the exact details of how each group’s drinking style differs are confusing. We tend to picture the “lappers” lying on their bellies with their tongues in the water drinking boorishly like dogs, whereas the “kneelers” are genuflecting down on one knee politely using their hands as a cup. According to this interpretation, Gideon favored the “lappers” because they were less civilized, more animalistic, and perhaps even less intelligent than the “kneelers.” Thus, the opportunity for God to magnify his role in the victory becomes more significant.
I want to suggest a solution. Regardless of which translation you choose to follow, I think that the phrase “lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps” is not meant to be taken literally. The “lappers” are not drinking in the same way that dogs drink. They do not insert their mouths directly into the water, as this is a very inefficient – even impossible – way for human beings to drink (try doing this without inhaling water through your nose!). Physiologically, humans cannot drink water exactly like dogs because their tongues function differently. A dog sticks his long tongue into a pool of water and curls it back and up to form a small cup. He then uses this “tongue cup” to scoop up a portion of water, then flicked back into the mouth. Human tongues simply cannot accomplish this feat, and the dog reference in verse 5 is therefore meant to be understood metaphorically. The “lappers” use a single cupped hand in the same way that a dog uses his tongue: to scoop up a portion of water and to flick it into their mouths quickly. Much water is lost in the process, but it is quick and easy. This would mean that the “lappers” are not lying on their bellies but rather crouching down, still standing on their feet. They remain alert and unexposed, which is crucial on the battlefield.
The “kneelers,” by contrast, are entirely prostrated, down on their knees beside the spring. They too drink by using their hands but in a different way: their two hands are joined to form a bowl from which they can comfortably sip. Although this is a better, less wasteful method of getting water into one’s mouth, the kneeling position leaves the soldier vulnerable to attack because he has his face to the ground. Thus, Gideon needed an elite force of 300 alert soldiers who would not endanger themselves by taking long water breaks. So, as far as they are dog-like, the “lappers” were not chosen because they were more vicious or vulgar than the “kneelers” but because they were less indulgent. Ultimately, however, the “lappers” were selected because they were the minority. From the outset, God indicates that he favors a small army of a few hundred instead of a few thousand to emphasize that the victory is due to divine providence, not a human achievement.
In obedience to God’s leading, Gideon took the army to the river to drink. Only those who lapped up the water with their tongues, drinking like a dog drinks, were allowed to stay, while everyone else was sent home. When the dust had settled, Gideon was left with only 300 men! At this time, Israel had fallen into sin and idolatry, and—as a judgment—God permitted vast hordes of Midianites to invade their land each year and rob them of their harvest. One day, while Gideon was furtively threshing wheat in a winepress—to hide it from the Midianites—the Angel of the LORD appeared to him and said, “The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!” (Judges 6:11–12). The Lord saw Gideon quite differently from the way that he saw himself. Gideon saw himself as young, weak, and ineffective. Yet, the Lord hailed him as a “mighty man of valor.”
The Lord then commissioned Gideon to lead Israel in the battle against the Midianites. In response, Gideon assembled an army by the well of Harod, with the Midianites encamped to the north. What were the numbers on both sides?
Gideon’s army 32,000: Midianites 135,0002. Thus, Gideon, with 32,000 men, faced 135,000 Midianites. He was outnumbered by more than four to one. Imagine Gideon’s reaction when the Lord told him, “The people who are with you are too many!” (Judges 7:2). The Lord instructed Gideon to send away all those in his army who were fearful and afraid. As a result, 22,000 men departed, and Gideon was left with 10,000. At this point, he was outnumbered by more than thirteen to one. But God was not finished! To Gideon’s astonishment, He said, “The people are still too many.”
Then He instructed Gideon to bring his men down to the water so that He might test them there by the way they drank from the water. All those who went down on both knees to drink were eliminated. Only those who lapped like a dog passed the test (Judges 7:4–7).
One Essential Character Requirement: The test focused on one single character requirement: vigilance.
Picture first those who drank in the usual way. Laying aside their shield from the left arm and their spear—or sword—from the right arm, they went down on both knees and buried their faces in the water. In this posture, they were vulnerable to a surprise attack. They could not see any approaching enemy, nor did they have their weapons ready to use. In the time they took to get themselves ready, the enemy would have overcome them. What about those who lapped like dogs? When a dog drinks, it does not bury its nose in the water; it stretches out its tongue and laps the water up into its mouth, usually splashing some water around. How, then, should we picture the men who lapped? They went down on one knee only. Retaining their shield on their left arm, they set down their spear or sword beside them with the right arm. Then, with a cupped hand, they scooped up the water to their mouths. In this posture, they remained alert, constantly watching for any surprise attack. Their shields were already in position, and they could instantly pick up their spear or sword and have it ready to use. There was no possibility of the enemy taking them by surprise. Only 300 of Gideon’s men passed this second test. They were facing 135,000 Midianites. They were outnumbered 450 to one!
In the outcome, of course, Gideon and his 300 broke through the Midianites and threw them into total confusion. After that, other Israelites rallied behind them and inflicted a total defeat on the Midianites. The proportions are illuminating. Only 300 men fulfilled the qualifications for making the initial breakthrough. But once the breakthrough was made, thousands of Israelites were eager to pursue the fleeing Midianites.
This whole account vividly illustrates how different God’s ways are from ours. Left to himself, Gideon would indeed have concluded, “The people with me are too few. I need to get reinforcements.” But God’s perspective was precisely the opposite. “The people with you are too many.” In the end, Gideon was left with less than one out of a hundred of those who initially joined him. For God, the question is not “How many people?” but “What kind of people?”
A Personal Assessment
In the light of this account, we each need to make a personal assessment. If God should gather an army today like Gideon, would I be one of the few who qualify? Or would I be like the first 22,000 who gave way to fear? Or like the second 10,000 who laid down their weapons and buried their faces in the water to drink? It is easy—and often normal—to bury our faces in the business of daily living; to be absorbed in all the practical needs that confront us every day; to forget that we are in a spiritual conflict with unseen forces of darkness who are continually watching for an opportunity to catch us unprepared.
To maintain unceasing vigilance in every situation demands conscious, personal discipline. It goes beyond all our everyday concepts of Christian conduct and morality. Yet the New Testament clearly warns us: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). If we ignore this warning, we become vulnerable to subtle, unpredictable assaults of Satan.
Once again, God coaxed Gideon on. He instructed Gideon to spy on the camp, and here Gideon heard that the Midianite soldiers were also afraid. One spoke about a dream where a Midianite tent was knocked down by a loaf of barley bread. “This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash, a man of Israel!” the Midianite soldier cried. “Into his hand, God has delivered Midian and the whole camp.”
Hearing this renewed Gideon’s faith. With his 300 men armed with nothing more than trumpets and torches hid inside clay pitchers, the Israelites crept to the outskirts of the Midian camp. The Israelites broke the pitchers on the signal, revealing the torches, and blew their trumpets, yelling, “The sword of the Lord and Gideon!” Surprised and thinking, a large army ambushed them; the Midianites panicked, fighting against one another before eventually fleeing into the night. Their mighty strength had been overcome by a mere 300 men led by Gideon, a man of God.
The 300 men were then divided into three groups of 100. Gideon had them put a trumpet in their hands which represents praise. Then he had them take an empty pitcher which represents the body. After the pitcher was emptied out, we must empty ourselves of the flesh, then they could put in the lamps which represent the Holy Ghost. So, Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: And the three companies blew the trumpets, and broke the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. (Judges 7:19-20)
Gideon and his men blew the trumpets first. They praised first and then they broke the pitchers; breaking the pitcher lets the light out. Breaking the pitchers represents us being broken in spirit; the Holy Ghost can then come out and shine to the world.
The enemy had an interpretation of a dream that Gideon was going to defeat them, so when he and his men shouted, “the sword of the Lord, and of Gideon,” the enemy knew this was foretold.
And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled. And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath. (Judges 7:21-22)
When God Goes Into Battle, Victory Is Guaranteed! So, before you dare to doubt that you are well equipped and well able to win your every battle with God on your side, remember that the Battle is HIS, and HE has NEVER lost, and NEVER will!
This is an excellent example of people wanting to do something they were not called to do. They did what they were supposed to do, and it benefited all. We have people like that today that think their role assignment is not as important as others. When everyone does their assignment as they should, then the whole, body functions properly and the good of the body is served.
And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them.
When I began to do a study of how Gideon fought, the thing that stood out to me was, “they were faint, yet pursuing.” Many of us quit when we are tired. Yet Gideon’s army kept going. The enemy started with 130,000 men and 120,000 were killed leaving 10,000. The Lord did a great work when He took 300 of Gideon’s army and slew 120,000.
Hear His Voice. Listen to God’s leading voice in your life. As we go from day to day, we may feel like we come up against walls and insurmountable obstacles; moments when we see our enemy – the sin that is rooted deeply in us – and we become tempted to feel afraid that we do not stand a chance to win this battle. But He knows who we are, and He has chosen us before the beginning of time to emerge as victors over our indwelling sin! When we put God in charge of leading our decisions, we will become conquerors, just as we read in the Bible story about Gideon! God had Already declared Israel the victor in battle. This was not about hoping and believing and wishing and praying that God would do something, it was walking by faith in what God had Already done!
And even though victory looked impossible for Gideon, God delivered with 300 men who followed Gideons orders that God had given him. With this being reiterated, it is vital that I give you an added admonishment: Make sure that everyone is with you, is with you! This needs to be of one accord! Look at it this way: You do not need to be on the East “Shouting”; with some on the West “Complaining”; some in the South “Murmuring” and some up North “Whispering Defeat”! This is important because 300 men GOES IN TOGETHER!
So, make sure you are not taking the wrong people right IN! Allow God to select them for you, His guidance never fails.
Whether it is buying a house; a car; starting a business or ministry; beginning school; changing careers; Be Careful to Leave Pessimistic, Negative, Doubting, Fault-Finding, Complaining, Murmuring, Lazy People Behind! Because the reality is, this will not be your first, only, or last battle! Your faith will be stretched again! And there are some people who just barely made it by in this battle but will be a bigger danger than your enemies in your next attack! It is not enough to win the battle, but you must make sure you have the right soldiers!
Instead, take those who walk by faith, who depend on the Lord, who trust God, who believe in the Promises of His Word, those who actively open their mouths in a Shout of Faith knowing that God cannot lie and cannot fail! Take those who see what you see, because they will help you to seize what you see! Take those ready to fight, even if all they will have to do is hold a light! Take those equipped to go the distance, even on days when the journey does not look so victorious. Take those who do not get stuck in the bumps along the path. Take those who Shout in advance over Promises fulfilled! You need soldiers who are obedient, determined, those who know how to take orders (even when they make absolutely no sense). You need those who are not afraid to Advance, March, Blow Trumpets, Carry the pitchers and shout if needed! God is giving you the Victory, but that does not mean you get Lazy Soldiers!
This is about to be an All-Consuming Victory! You will Defeat the Enemy in Every Direction! So, look around you today and see who you have in your company! You cannot afford blind-spots, and doubters, you cannot afford distracted and easily deterred soldiers! This is about to be an “On Every Side” Victory, so you better make sure the folks you have on your side, are really On Your Side!
Blessings
J.P. Olson
www.journeyintotheword.com
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