Judges Gideon’s Fleece

God has called Gideon to save Israel from the Midianites, but Gideon wants assurances that he heard correctly. Gideon’s fleece, laid twice, does that for him.

I LOVE this story of Gideon’s fleece. I have ‘laid fleeces’ on issues I needed a clear answer to. Not a physical animal fleece, but the same concept. I appreciate the answers God confirms for me with this method. But sometimes I feel guilty like Gideon for saying, “Please don’t get mad at me, but could You prove it one more time?” Sometimes we just have to step out in faith without the assurances. Let’s check in on Gideon as he begins his second campaign for the Lord.

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Gideon was grateful to his father for standing up for him against the towns people. Joash said to let Baal contend for himself with Gideon, if he had a problem with Gideon tearing down his altar. After meeting God’s angel face to face, Gideon has no fear of Baal. He is a dead god. NO power at all.

Now it is time to be bold and call for help in delivering the people from the hand of Midian. Gideon knows that he can’t do it alone. And he doesn’t have enough servants to even attempt the task. He needs people willing to throw in with him. The first place he looks is within his own clan.

But how should he ask for that help? He doesn’t have the time to go to each person and invite them to join in. And, with the people from the east inhabiting the valley of Jezreel, it isn’t safe. There is a method that is old, but so familiar that it should work.

Gideon retrieves a ram’s horn from a shelf on the wall of his father’s house. He takes it to the place where he erected the altar for the Lord and begins to blow it. It has been a LONG TIME since Israel was called to war, but answering the call of the ram’s horn is almost a reflex for the people of Israel.

The sound of the ram’s horn doesn’t carry farther than the mountains around the valley where Gideon lives. He will have to use messengers to rally more of the people. Gideon quickly writes out a message to be carried throughout the tribes of Manasseh, Asher, Naphtali, and Zebulun. He needs their help in fighting against the people from the east; especially Midian. Gideon sends his best runners to deliver the messages to the different tribes. All he can do now is wait.

Men from Gideon’s own tribe arrive first. They heard the call to arms (the ram’s horn) and came as quickly as they could. Gideon provided places for them to pitch their tents while they awaited their brothers from the other tribes to join them.

Withing three days, 32,000 men had joined Gideon. They were ready for battle. Gideon wasn’t quite ready though. He needed assurances from the Lord. “What if I only thought I knew what needed doing?” These men’s lives were in his hands. He had to be CERTAIN that God would work through him to free Israel.

After wracking his brain as to how to prove out the Lord, Gideon finally settles on an idea. Gideon retrieves a fleece from where they are hidden. Everything of value is hidden from the hordes from the east. They use up everything they can get their hands on.

Gideon quietly makes his way to the threshing floor. He looks around at the very place that used to teem with life during harvest season. It lies empty now, because the people of the east steal all of Israel’s grain. Gideon shakes his head to get himself back on the track he has set out to do.

Gideon carefully spreads the fleece on the floor of the threshing floor. Once he has it all spread out, he turns his attention to the Lord. “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, ³⁷ behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.” (Judges 6:36-37)

After finishing his prayer, Gideon goes to his tent to sleep. As soon as it is light outside, Gideon goes to check on the fleece. Gideon looks all around at the ground surrounding the threshing floor and the floor itself. It is all bone dry. No rain or dew fell last night. Now he turns his attention to the fleece. He moves a corner of it with his shoe. It is heavy and moisture is dripping off of it. Gideon bends down and lifts the fleece from the threshing floor. He takes it over to a discarded basin and begins wringing it out. It is sopping wet! Gideon was able to wring a half a bowl full of water. Gideon smiles at the answer to his prayer. He takes this victory with him throughout most of the day.

Then doubt starts creeping in again. Gideon thinks about the fleece. “I could do one more test. Then I will be certain; and ready.”

Gideon takes the fleece again to the threshing floor. He felt a little guilty, but he HAD to be CERTAIN. He prayed again, asking for God’s confirmation. “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.” (Judges 6:39)

After saying this prayer, Gideon retires to his bed again. It doesn’t take him long to fall asleep. He has no doubt that the Lord will answer his prayer. But what that answer will be, Gideon isn’t quite cure.

Gideon is up with the sunrise and hurries again to the threshing floor. This time his toes get wet with the dew so heavy on the ground. As he approaches the corner of the fleece. He nudges it with his toe. This time it flips over easily. Gideon bends down and touches it with his hand. It is bone dry! Gideon even rubs his face into the fleece, in case his hands weren’t sensitive enough. No doubt about it! The fleece is dry.

Gideon hears in his spirit, “I told you that I picked you. Now be brave and follow Me.” Gideon nods his head. “It’s time to get busy.”

As Gideon is making his way back to the huge contingent of men, the Lord speaks to him again.

“The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’” (Judges 7:2-3)

Giden doesn’t have time to reflect on this directive. He simply walks to the front of the gathered men and makes a statement.

“The Lord has called for me to make an offer to ALL of the men assembled here. The Lord says that ANY who are fearful or trembling are to be allowed to return to their homes. Don’t be afraid to admit your fears. There is no shame in returning home.”

As first no one moved. Then one of two men stood up and left the company. Before long there was a mass exodus of men. Of the 32,000 men assembled to go against Midian had decreased to 10,000 in all. Gideon was amazed at the number of men who left. But he didn’t despair. The Lord Himself said that Gideon would be successful in freeing Israel. There were still plenty of men for the task.

Before Gideon could begin arranging the men into fighting groups, the Lord spoke to him again.

“The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.” (Judges 7:4)

“Ok Lord. You are the One who is in charge” Gideon quietly answers the Lord. Gideon holds his hands up to get the remaining men’s attention. Once it is quiet, Gideon gives them their first order as a unit.

“We are all going down to the water. The Lord has a test for us there.”

Not a single straggler remains. The men move quickly to the river. They are ready to answer the Lord’s test. After all, they are the ones who said that they were brave and ready to fight.

Gideon stands by the water and thinks, “What now Lord?”

Before he can even finish his thought, the Lord speaks to him again. “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.” (Judges 7:5)

“The Lord commands for everyone to drink from the river.”

Gideon watched the men. It was easy to see the ones who didn’t have their faces in the water. They had scooped the water up to their mouth and lapped it from their hands. Gideon walked through the group touching those on the shoulder who had drunk this way and sending them to a place away from the rest of the men. After these men were all singled out, Gideon called the rest of the men to assemble in another area. The groups were VERY different in size. Gideon had a feeling about which group the Lord would take. Gideon didn’t have long to wait for his answer.

“With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.” (Judges 7:7)

“Just as I suspected” thought Gideon. With a smile on his face he calls to the men in the smaller group. “You are the ones the Lord has chosen to deliver His people from the Midianites.” Then he turned and faced the larger group. “You are released to go to your homes. The Lord thanks you for your service, but He wants HIS hand to be shown in this battle. As HE is Israel’s TRUE deliverer.”

To Gideon’s surprise, no one grumbled or complained about the Lord’s choosing. The 300 men watched as their brothers returned to their tents and began breaking them down for the journey home.

From their vantage point, the men with Gideon can look down on the camp of the Midianites and their allies. The camp spreads out forever! “What now Lord” Gideon quietly asks.

Again, the Lord answers Gideon almost at the instant he asks. “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand. But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant. And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” (Judges 7:9-11)

Gideon is glad that the Lord recognizes that this is difficult, and that He doesn’t condemn him for being afraid. Gideon quickly calls Purah over to him. “We are going down into the camp, just the two of us. Only near enough to hear what the men are saying.”

Purah nods and the two set off silently for the camp. They only take a single dagger each. It is already dark, which makes it easier for the two men to slip into the edge of the camp without being seen. As soon as they hear conversation, they stop to listen.

One man was telling about a dream he had recently had. “Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.” (Judges 7:13)

His friend gave him the interpretation of his dream. “This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.” (Judges 7:14)

If Gideon hadn’t already been crouched low, he would have fallen over with surprise! Gideon and Purah looked at one another with big grins on their faces. They carefully made their way back to their own camp before saying a word. Once they were safely in Israel’s camp, they both started talking at once about what was said.

“Even Midian knows that they are doomed!”

“Their words came straight from the mouth of the Lord!”

As they had been making their way back to camp, the Lord gave Gideon a battle plan. He would implement that plan this very night.

Gideon called to all the men in the camp.  “Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand.” (Judges 7:15b)

Gideon then divided the men into three groups of 100 each. He and Purah would each lead one group and his second in charge would lead the third group. Gideon began to distribute trumpets and torches with jars over them to each of the men. The other two groups received the same instruments. The men looked at them a little strange, but they didn’t question Gideon. They trusted him completely.

Gideon gave them final orders before sending them on their mission. “We are going to encircle the camp. Go silently and be in place by the changing of the second watch of the night. ‘Look at me, and do likewise. When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, “For the Lord and for Gideon.”’ (Judges 7:17-18)”

With that, all three groups slipped silently out of camp. Not a branch broke beneath their feet, not did they stumble once. By the time Gideon had specified, they were all in place and ready to do whatever Gideon did. Their eyes were trained in his direction.

Just as the watch was set, Gideon blew his trumpet and smashed the jar over his torch. Every one of his men did the same in an instant. Once the two other groups saw what Gideon had done, they did likewise. “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” could be heard reverberating through the valley.

The men in the camp were thrown in a panic! They were surrounded on three sides. Chaos reigned supreme in the camp of Midian and their own soldiers began striking down one another. Finally, they managed to flee from the area. As they fled, the men of Israel in the surrounding territories were called out to assist in destroying Midian.

Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh joined Gideon and his men as they pushed the Midianites towards the Jordan. Messengers were then dispatched quickly to the territory of Ephraim.

“Come down against the Midianites and capture the waters against them, as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.” (Judges 7:24) was the message sent and the action the men of Ephraim took. Midian had no where to run. They were cut off on all sides. The men of Ephraim were able to capture two of the princes of Midian; Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb on the rock of Oreb and Zeeb in the winepress of Zeeb.

The battle raged on and Gideon and his 300 men pursued the Midianites across the Jordan. As they were about to cross the Jordan, the men of Ephraim detained them. Ephraim was angry that they had not been included in the original call Gideon had sent out. “What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” (Judges 8:1)

Gideon didn’t have time to waste with petty arguments, but he had to answer this grievance or there would be division between the tribes. “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? God has given into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. What have I been able to do in comparison with you?” (Judges 8:2-3)

The men of Ephraim were satisfied and they withdrew. Gideon and his men continued across the Jordan. They were tired and hungry, but were in pursuit of Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian.

As Gideon and his men were in pursuit, they came to the city of Succoth on the other side of the Jordan. Gideon made a request of the men of Succoth for his own men. “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” (Judges 8:5)

The leaders of Succoth looked down their noses at Gideon and his small band. “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?” (Judges 8:6) they said with a sneer.

Gideon was NOT pleased with their answer or attitude. “Well then, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will flail your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.” (Judges 8:7) Then Gideon spat on the ground and turned away from the city.

Gideon’s men continued their pursuit without any assistance. They came next to the city of Penuel. He made the same request; for bread for his men as they were in pursuit of the two kings of Midian. The men of Penuel were as rude as the men of Succoth. They turned Gideon away as well. Before leaving Gideon had words for them too. “When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.” (Judges 8:9)

Without help from anyone, Gideon and his 300 men catch up to Zebah and Zalmunna at Karkor. They are hiding there with the remaining 15,000 troops. One hundred twenty thousand strong men of war had already fallen in battle. This was all that remained of all the armies of the east. They were at the mercy of Gideon, his 300 men, and the Lord. They didn’t stand a chance!

Gideon and his men snuck around the army and came in behind them. Gideon and his men dispatched all the forces. The two kings heard them approaching and escaped, but Gideon and his men followed them. With the escape of the kings, the army was thrown into a panic and they again fell upon one another.

Gideon and his forces captured Zevah and Zalmunna. They bound them and took them with them as they returned to Israel. On the way, they came near the city of Succoth. There was a young man of the city walking in the fields. Gideon sent Purah out to bring him back. Once the young man is in the hands of Gideon, he is questioned expertly. The young man wrote down all the names of the officials and elders of his city; Succoth. They totaled seventy-seven men. And Gideon had a surprise in store for them.

Gideon and his men reach Succoth with the two kings of Midian bound between them. Gideon strides up to the elder at the gate. With words dripping with disdain, Gideon addresses them. “Behold Zebah and Zalmunna,…” Gideon swept his arm to indicate the two kings. “…about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are exhausted?’” (Judges 8:15)

Gideon looked around at the elders and leaders who were standing there. “Take them and bind them fast” Gideon commanded his men. When the elders who were present were bound, Gideon began going through the list the young man had provided. The elders or leaders who were missing were quickly located and brought to stand with the rest of Succoth’s leaders. When all were assembled, Gideon’s army forced them out into the wilderness. There Gideon and his men took thorns and briars and formed them into weapons. They stripped the tunics from the elder’s backs and struck them repeatedly with the weapons they had fashioned. Then they turned them loose to return to their city.

Gideon’s next stop was the city of Penuel. There, he kept his word of tearing down their tower. He also killed all the men of the city. When his retribution was complete, Gideon was ready to deal with the two kings of Midian.

“Where are the men whom you killed at Tabor?” (Judges 8:18a) demanded Gideon

“As you are, so were they. Every one of them resembled the son of a king.” (Judges 8:18b) answered the kings.

Gideon was furious with their answer. “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you.” (Judges 8:19)

Gideon turned to his eldest son, Jether, who had accompanied him in battle. “Rise and kill them!” (Judges 8:20b)

Jether was still a young man and he was afraid. He would not kill the kings of Midian. The kings then turned on Gideon. “Rise yourself and fall upon us, for as the man is, so is his strength.” (Judges 8:21)

Gideon pulled his own sword and ran the two of them through with it. Then he took the ornaments that were on the necks of the camels of the two kings.

As Gideon sheathed his sword the men of Israel with him began to call out to him. “Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.” (Judges 8:22)

Gideon shook his head and answered their call. “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.” (Judges 8:23) Then Gideon had an idea, “Let me make a request of you: every one of you give me the earrings from his spoil.” (Judges 8:24)

The men readily agreed. The men they had defeated in battle were Ishmaleites and they had gold earrings in their ears. The men of Israel had plundered these at the conclusion of the battle. Gideon spread a cloak and the men with him gladly contributed all the earrings they had taken as spoils.

The gold from the earrings totaled 1,700 shekels. After reaching home, with this gold, the ornaments of the camels, pendants, and purple garments worn by the kings, Gideon had made an ephod that he hung in his city for all to see. This ephod became another god for Israel to fall down to and for Gideon to be snared with; his pride of victory.

(to be continued)

The story of Gideon proves that God doesn’t call the qualified, but qualifies the called. Gideon was no “man of valor” when the angel of the Lord met him. God turned him into one through obedience. By the end though, Gideon began ‘believing his own press’ and grew proud. I think that is what the ephod business was about. It might have originally been to honor the Lord with, but it changed. It became one more thing for Israel to raise up in the place of God. The serpent from the wilderness was another item that became a god to Israel. That one would be dealt with FAR in the future. We don’t know what became of Gideon’s ephod. I would bank on God removing it at some point.

I wonder how long it was before Gideon’s men go to eat. Did they take something from the spoils? Did they grab some bread when they were rounding up the leaders in Succoth? Did the eat at Penuel? Or did they eat when they got home? I’m betting they found something on the way back. Imagine the difference in the story if Succoth or Penuel had given aid to Gideon. Their lives would have been spared.

We are sometimes called on to give aid to others. I know we can’t ALWAYS say yes. But I caution you to seek the places where God would have you help. He uses us as His hands and feet to a hurting world. Be wise with what He gives you, but also be generous in the places where He calls you to put your hand to. Either in finances, in encouragement, in physical service, or in donating goods. God has MANY ways for us to help in His Kingdom. All Succoth and Penuel were asked for was bread.

Father God, help me know where and when to serve. You have allowed me to serve in many different areas through the finances You have provided for our family. Please help me be diligent with what You give me; including my strength. Show me where You would have me contribute. Also, grow me into a ‘mighty woman of valor’; whatever that may look like in my life.