In Judges chapter six we read the story of Gideon, one of the judges of Israel before the period of the kings. At the end of chapter six, Gideon seeks the will of the Lord by placing out a fleece overnight, and asking the Lord to allow the dew to soak the fleece, but leave the ground dry. The following night he asks God to confirm it, by leaving the fleece dry, but letting the ground be wet with dew.
I have heard a number of people speak of 'laying a fleece before the Lord' in order to seek his will about a particular situation. While determining God's will for our lives is definately a very good thing, I am not convinced that Gideon is the best example to follow. Here was a man, chosen by God to be the leader of Israel, or at least a part of Israel during a time of war. The angel of the Lord had previously appeared to him and told him that God was with him, and had then granted his request and given him a sign. God had them demonstrated that he was with Gideon when he destroyed the altar of Bhaal. But still Gideon did not believe God.
He put God to the test and demanded more signs when he it had already been made abundantly clear that God had chosen him. While it may be the nature of some to think so little of themselves that they find it hard to believe that God would actually choose them, it seems that in this case, Gideon was almost searching for a way out, and trying to avoid what God had in store for him. In this sense, he reacted in a similar way to Moses, when God choose him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. This in contrast to Abraham who was characterised by quick obedience to the commands of God, even when they were difficult.
My point is this: Gideon is not a good example to follow when we are trying to determine God's will for our lives, and this passage of the book of Judges was not written to teach us how to find God's will. It was written as such because that's what happened. Gideon, one of the rulers of Israel, was very insecure and took a very long time to get the point. That happened, so the Bible faithfully records it, but doesn't necessarily approve of his actions.
There is a time for seeking God's will, but there is also a time for stepping out in faith, and believing what He has already said to us. Are you prepared to do that today?wc3 download maps
I have heard a number of people speak of 'laying a fleece before the Lord' in order to seek his will about a particular situation. While determining God's will for our lives is definately a very good thing, I am not convinced that Gideon is the best example to follow. Here was a man, chosen by God to be the leader of Israel, or at least a part of Israel during a time of war. The angel of the Lord had previously appeared to him and told him that God was with him, and had then granted his request and given him a sign. God had them demonstrated that he was with Gideon when he destroyed the altar of Bhaal. But still Gideon did not believe God.
He put God to the test and demanded more signs when he it had already been made abundantly clear that God had chosen him. While it may be the nature of some to think so little of themselves that they find it hard to believe that God would actually choose them, it seems that in this case, Gideon was almost searching for a way out, and trying to avoid what God had in store for him. In this sense, he reacted in a similar way to Moses, when God choose him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. This in contrast to Abraham who was characterised by quick obedience to the commands of God, even when they were difficult.
My point is this: Gideon is not a good example to follow when we are trying to determine God's will for our lives, and this passage of the book of Judges was not written to teach us how to find God's will. It was written as such because that's what happened. Gideon, one of the rulers of Israel, was very insecure and took a very long time to get the point. That happened, so the Bible faithfully records it, but doesn't necessarily approve of his actions.
There is a time for seeking God's will, but there is also a time for stepping out in faith, and believing what He has already said to us. Are you prepared to do that today?wc3 download maps
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