Beware The Fleece
Submitted by Ted Mock
May 22, 2024
Jg 6:14 And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?
I am thankful that I live in a day when the believer can rest assured that we have the complete Revelation of God. I am also grateful that God has given us the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth, as we open the sacred pages He has given. I do not claim to have all the answers to figuring out God’s will for your life, or mine for that matter, so with that disclaimer in mind, allow me to offer some of my thoughts.
In the time of Gideon it was not so, but God still communicated with men in other ways. The Angel of the Lord spoke to Gideon face to face in Judges chapter six, and he gave him a great job to save Israel from the Midianites. He said that God would be with him, and that he would be victorious.
God even gave him a sign that it was God speaking to him by causing fire to come out of the rock to consume the sacrifice Gideon offered.
But by the end of the chapter, after Gideon had gathered his army, he wanted something more than God’s Word. In verse 36 he says—if thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.
Gideon asked for another sign, what we call—Putting out a fleece. It sounds spiritual and Biblical, but is it really?
Have you ever doubted God’s Word? Have you ever questioned God’s direction for your life, or for a commitment you just made to the Lord? Are you like me, and wondered if God was calling you to the mission field of every missionary that showed slides of where God had called him to serve?
I can not fault Gideon, because there have been times I have questioned things that now, looking back, would have been clear if I had looked closely into God’s Word and asked the Spirit for understanding.
An old preacher once told me that 90% of God’s will for your life can be found in the Bible, if we would just read it and obey. He went on to say that if we are busy doing the 90% that is clear, the other 10%, God would give guidance that is clear and sure.
Peter tells us in II Pet. 1:19, that we have a more sure word of prophecy. It is more sure than his personal experience of seeing Christ transfigured in verses 17 and 18.
Consider: I can trust God’s Word more than any fleece!
Did You Know? It is impossible to lick your elbow.
