Making Sure Of God’s Leadership

 Gideon had believed God enough to destroy the altar to Baal, and to call for the people to come help against the Midianites, but he was still unsure of his ability to lead them.   Perhaps he was just to start the ball rolling and let someone else lead.  He asked for a sign that he personally was to lead, 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.”

 

The fleece was soaked while the ground remained dry, but Gideon wasn’t completely sure.  He knew that some things collected more dew than others, so the second night he requested the opposite to make sure it was not just a natural phenomenon, 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.”

 

One of the most basic laws of science is that the same situations will always produce the same results.  Different results can only occur if something is different.  When the results were the opposite, it was clear this was not a natural phenomenon.  He could no longer doubt it was God’s plan for him to lead Israel.  With that assurance, he started getting ready for battle, in Judges 7:1.  “Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.”

 

Even though they were vastly outnumbered, believing God would give the victory, Gideon was prepared to attack the Midianite forces.  God had a different plan, so that it would be clear the victory came from God rather than Gideon’s tactics.  Too many people would interfere with God’s plan, so he Had Gideon thin them out, in Judges 7:2-3.  “And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.  Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.”

 

The Israelite army was a volunteer army, with each man fighting because he believed in the cause.  Deuteronomy 20 lists various reasons why men were to be freed from taking part in a war, and Deuteronomy 20:8 tells us one of those reasons was because they were afraid.  “And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart.”  The command to send everyone who was afraid home was just following God’s law.   

 

They had been seriously outnumbered with thirty two thousand, but that got a lot worse when they only had ten thousand left.  God’s plan would require secrecy, but only a few men to execute.  He instructed Gideon to watch how the men drank at the creek and separate them into two groups, in Judges 7:4-6.  “And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.  So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.  And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.”

 

Gideon had no idea what God’s reasons were, but he followed orders.  God then told him that the smaller group was the ones who were to be in the army, in Judges 7:7-8.  “And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.  So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.”  Everyone except those three hundred chosen ones were to return home.  

 

It must have seemed senseless to Gideon to send almost the entire army home when they were already so outnumbered, and without the assurance that it was God’s plan, he never have dared to do as God said.  Because he was convinced it was God’s will, he was obedient.  When we are trusting our own abilities and logic, the things God asks us to do frequently seem senseless and dangerous.  When we really trust God, we can face the danger, even when it seems illogical.  If we are not sure about what God wants, our fears will hinder our accomplishing what He intended.   God did not rebuke Gideon for wanting to be sure he was following God’s direction, because once he was sure, Gideon did follow through.