A Scared Young Man
The enemy troops had gathered in the Valley of the Jezreel.
In verse 34 of chapter 6, the account says that “the Spirit of the Lord took control of Gideon.” This gave him courage to assemble a coalition of forces from the tribes of Israel and prepare for battle.
But, Gideon is not totally ready and he wants another sign. This would be the second sign that he had asked for from God. He asks God for reassurance that He will deliver Israel and use Gideon as His instrument.
This is the famous sign of the fleece.
Gideon “put out the fleece” twice; once it became wet and once it was left dry.
Let’s look at what Gideon actually said before he put out the fleece,
“Then Gideon said to God, ‘If You will deliver Israel by my hand, as You said…’” (Judges 6:36, HCSB).
Gideon had already been told by Yahweh that He would bring the nation out of this crisis with Gideon as His instrument, but Gideon wasn’t ready to believe God. He asked God for the sign from the fleece. Gideon seemed to be asking if God was actually going to do what He said. He wanted assurance, like some other Biblical characters, that he could trust in God’s word.
God graciously answered Gideon’s request and gave him the signs he wanted.
Next Week: The first lesson
Mark Riser - Apologist 