Verifying God’s Direction

The angel causing fire to come from the rock and burn the sacrifice had been enough to convince Gideon to destroy the altar of Baal, because he knew God had forbidden the worship of other gods.  While the need to drive the Midianites out of Israel was equally obvious, It would take far more than just destroying a single altar, and would affect thousands of people.  Before he embarked on such a project, Gideon wanted to be sure he was following God’s direction, rather than his own emotions or sense of need.   Just because one has a specific burden, does not mean God has called him to fix the problem.  David saw a need for a permanent Temple, but God forbade his building it, designating Solomon to build it instead.

When we allow our burden to override God’s plans we can get ourselves into trouble.  Paul had a deep burden for his own people, the Jews, but God had called him to be an apostle to the Gentiles.   In Acts 19:21, Paul made up his mind to go to Jerusalem before going to Rome.  “After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”  Please note that the spirit referred to is his human spirit, not the Holy Spirit.  Passing near Ephesus, he had the church elders meet him in Miletus, where he told them that his burden was making him go, but that God had warned him that it would result in his being imprisoned, in Acts 20:22-23.  “And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.”

When he came to Tyre, the Holy Spirit used the Christians there to tell Paul he should not go to Jerusalem, as Acts 21:4 tells us.  “And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.”  Paul continued to Caesarea where he was warned again not to Go, in Acts 21:10-14.  “And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus.  And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.  And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem.  Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.  And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done.”  Within a week of his arrival in Jerusalem, Paul was arrested and imprisoned for three years before being sent to Rome as a prisoner.  One can only speculate how much different his results might have been if he had listened to God instead of following his concern for Israel.

Gideon knew that God had said he was to set Israel free, but he did not want to make a mistake like Paul made, putting his own feelings ahead of what God wanted.  He asked for a specific sign that He was doing What God wanted, in Judges 6:36-38.  “And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.  And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.”  Dew is formed when moisture in the air condenses and collects on the ground or things around.  That enough dew formed on the fleece to wring it out while none formed on the ground would not be normal. 

However, it was possible that the wool might be cooler and thus cause more dew to form on it than on the ground around it so the next night Gideon asked for the opposite effect to ensure that there was no possibility of misunderstanding the sign, in Judges 6:39-40.  “And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.  And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.”  If it was just a natural effect, the wool should have been wet both times.

It is important to note that in putting out the fleece, Gideon was not seeking God’s direction, but only trying to verify that he had understood God’s direction properly.  He also made sure it was something that could not happen naturally or by accident.  This is a great deal different than the pastor who tries out for a church and bases his decision whether to take the church if he is called on whether they have a certin percentage of the people vote for him.  Even if one hundred percent of the people present vote for him, it is not proof God wants him there, because if the people are desperate for a pastor they may vote in favor even if they don’t like the man, or because they listened to some influential member.  Likewise, a lower percentage does not mean it is not where God wants him.  Too often, putting out a fleece becomes an easy substitute for actually seeking and obeying God’s will day by day.  When we have clear directions by God, we don’t need to put out a fleece.  We just need to obey him.