Prayer (1) Gideon’s Prayer Regarding A Fleece

Here we have an example of God telling Peter to do something that was very surprising to him. So, God speaks to Peter in an unmistakable way.

Paul says, ‘God is not a God of confusion.’ God isn’t in the business of giving unclear instructions.

Paul writes elsewhere, ‘if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?’ Paul wrote this, but it’s God’s word to us in the Bible. God tells us to speak intelligibly. God doesn’t tell us to do something he doesn’t do himself.

We should definitely expect that when God is telling us something, it will be clear to us, assuming we’re making some effort to listen!

In the next chapter we find that the combined army that Gideon faced was about 135,000 strong. Gideon had about 32,000 men with him. What was the likely outcome? Gideon was considering an action which no normal, responsible person would take without being very sure indeed.

When God called Gideon he said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” The Midianites and Amalekites have now appeared in the area where Gideon lives. But God hasn’t told Gideon how he will save Israel.

Popular support doesn’t mean that something is right!

Gideon has called people to fight, and they have responded. Is that itself a sign that Gideon is on the right course? One commentator I read suggested that Gideon should have taken the fact that the people have responded as a sign that he was on the right path. That’s nonsense. It’s all too possible for something to look right and yet be quite wrong. Just because you have support for an idea doesn’t mean it’s right.

Gideon was careful in choosing a sign

In view of the huge risk, it was absolutely sensible for Gideon to check that he was hearing God correctly. God didn’t object at all. And Gideon was very careful.

Gideon first asked for the fleece to be wet and then the ground dry. Then I suppose he thought to himself, ‘Maybe that was what would have happened anyway.’ If we pray for a sign, but it’s something that would probably have happened anyway, then we can’t really take it as God’s leading!

To be on the safe side, Gideon asked for the fleece to be dry and the ground wet. I think Gideon was a bit of a scientist. I think he knew that if you repeat an experiment with all the variables the same, you get the same result. But this time, the result is different. Now Gideon is confident that God has given him a sign. He’s satisfied that God wants him to move forward, and he does.

Conclusion

We’re learning about prayer. We reflected on the idea of covenant and recognized that we need to listen and obey God if we hope that God will listen to our prayer and help us. Gideon didn’t make a mistake by asking for a sign. It was a thoroughly sensible thing to do. We should expect God to speak clearly, and especially when there’s a lot at stake. Like Gideon, we should pray to God when we’re facing major decisions, and we can ask God for a sign. We should be careful when asking for a sign and avoid choosing as a sign something that would probably happen anyway. Gideon’s prayer, and God’s response, should be a great encouragement that God is willing to give guidance to those who are really seeking to know his will.

Rosebery Park Baptist Church, Boscombe, Bournemouth, UK, 7th June 2020

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