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GIDEON AND GUIDANCE
David A. Denyer

It wasn’t the last time I taught this class, but two times ago I spoke to you from the book of Judges and focused on certain aspects of the life of Gideon. I’d like to pick up on what I said by focusing on the guidance Gideon sought after having been called to serve as a Judge during Israel’s Settlement Period.

For the sake of those who weren’t here and as a reminder to those who were, look at chapter two verses 11-13. We’re told that the Israelites “forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them.” That should not surprise us because the opening verse of the book tells us that Joshua had died. In the absence of such a leader the Israelites did their own thing. In fact, when we get to chapters 17-21 of this book four times it says “Israel had no king” (17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25), and twice it says, “everyone did as he saw fit” (17:6 and 21:25).

The writer is calling our attention to the fact that “after the death of Joshua” (1:1) everything went downhill. I suggest that whoever wrote this book was looking backward and was saying, “Oh, if we only had a Joshua!” Then, at the end of the book the writer was looking forward and saying, “Perhaps a king would be the solution to the vacuum of ‘no Joshua.’” As Moses pointed out in Numbers 27:17, the Israelites without a leader were sheep without a shepherd. What a tragic situation.

In verses 14-16 of chapter two the writer goes on to say, “In his anger against Israel the Lord handed them over to raiders who plundered them. He sold them to their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them¼. They were in great distress. Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders.” Because the Israelites forsook the Lord and worshiped other gods various enemies oppressed them. But notice, it’s at just this point that the Judges came in – those men and women after whom the book is named; they served as leaders during this part of Israel’s history.

However, in spite of being called “Judges” these individuals weren’t judicial figures. They were warriors. They appeared at times of national emergency to remind the people of the covenant, to summon the fragmented tribes to common action, and to lead them into combat against their foes. Furthermore, these Judges weren’t just “opportunists” who took advantage of the national crisis. They were “God-sends.” It says in 2:16, “Then the Lord raised up judges.”

So this is a strangely paradoxical scheme in which the writer sets this period of history. The same God who was PUNISHING the Israelites for their idolatry by allowing the people to fall victim to their enemies was simultaneously DELIVERING them from those very enemies by the hand of these specially commissioned individuals. And according to the biblical writer, this strange tension between JUDGMENT and SALVATION occurred not just once but at least a dozen times in this period. Look at 2:18-20a, READ. What you find was a cyclical situation in which there was rebellion, retribution, repentance, and restoration. As I said, that cycle was repeated over and over again.

So you see, the book of Judges is an illustration of philosopher Hegel’s maxim: folk don’t learn from history. That’s what they learn: that they don’t learn. When reading the book of Samuel I noticed a similar situation existed a few years later. Listen to what we have in First Samuel 10:18-19,

“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘I brought Israel
up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’ But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your calamities and distresses. And you have said, ‘No, set a king over us.’”

Another valuable lesson to learn from this book is that the designation “judge” is never used in the singular with regard to a particular person. Each of them either is called “one of the judges,” or “among the judges of Israel.” The only exception to this is in Judges 11:27 where Jephthah, one of the Judges, is speaking to the king of the Ammonites. Listen to what he said:

“I have not wronged you, but you are doing me wrong by waging war against me. Let the Lord, THE JUDGE, decide the dispute between the Israelites and the Ammonites.”

So an important thing to see as one studies the book of Judges is that THE ONE WHO TURNS OUT TO BE THE REAL JUDGE IS THE LORD HIMSELF. There were individuals called to the office of “Judge,” but any victory they won was because God did it.

Last time we looked at Gideon we saw an encouraging lesson from his life, in that the Lord enabled him to tear down the altar of Baal that was in his father’s backyard; and in doing so his father – his family – evidently came to faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was a victory at home. Furthermore as we saw, Gideon and his regiment of three hundred men had to confront the much larger army of Midianites; they had to win a victory over their enemies. Neither Gideon nor his men could do it. It had to be God’s victory.

Before we look at that, however, another truth to see from the book is that none of the judges is presented as a saint. They were often corrupt, in many respects weak, and in all kinds of ways reflected the moral degeneracy of their times. In spite of that, the Bible provides a record of how God took imperfect people and used them in crisis situations. To say it differently, God regularly uses the insignificant to accomplish the impossible. The failures and weaknesses of those men and women are part of the Bible’s message.

And that takes me back to Gideon. In some ways he was strong, in other ways he was weak. Besides winning a victory at home, if Gideon was to meet the Midianites he had to win a victory over self-doubt.
We see that in chapter 6. In the opening verses we’re told that for seven years the Midianites plundered the crops the Israelites were ready to harvest. Likewise these invaders carried away sheep, cattle, and donkeys. To combat these attacks the Israelites – with their backs against the wall – cried to the Lord for help. In response to that appeal, a prophet appeared and told them the reason for the repeated devastation: they had “done evil in the eyes of the Lord” (6:1).

Nevertheless, as always, God made himself available. It says in verse 14, He commissioned Gideon to “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand.” Gideon’s faith

faltered. His timidity became evident. Gideon responded, “How can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family” (vs. 15). Quickly the Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together” (vs. 16).
When we get to verses 34 and 35 we’re told how this would happen. It says, “The Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon and he blew the trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, so that they too went up to meet them.” In spite of divine empowering and a sizable army, all of a sudden Gideon’s reluctant personality began to show. Notice that this mighty deluge of the Spirit that came upon Gideon didn’t obliterate his indecisiveness or his timidity. A cloak of spiritual power descended upon him, but he still felt very insecure. In verse 36 it says, “Gideon said to God, ‘If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised – look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.’”

The Spirit of God hadn’t changed Gideon’s temperament, you see. It’s important to realize that some people who are emotionally vulnerable or anxious feel cheated when they become Christians and don’t find all their problems disappearing over night. That’s because usually the Holy Spirit doesn’t erase our behavioral patterns. He’s an additional resource, not a substitute personality!
Gideon found in the empowering, the impulse, the fire, he needed to blow the trumpet for God. But he was still assailed by doubts and by uncertainty. At this point he needed more than power. He needed REASSURANCE; and that’s what the story of the fleece is all about.

It’s worth spending time on this because many people jump to the conclusion from this that here’s a technique for Christian guidance. Maybe you’re one or know someone who believes that. The conclusion is, you put out a fleece whenever you’re uncertain about anything. You ask God to do something miraculous to prove His will.

But I believe that’s a dangerous conclusion to draw, and one of the reasons is that this was a once-in-a-lifetime event. We don’t generally find people in the Bible being guided by bizarre kinds of experiments. It’s gross assumption to think that the normative way of guidance is through unusual means.

A second thing to remember in regard to fleeces is that this was an Old Testament event. Prior to the Day of Pentecost occasionally God led people by odd means. For example, he led the Israelites by the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire in their wilderness wanderings. Sometimes he led them by the casting of lots. But none of those are methods we would use in the Church today. And we’d be right to not expect guidance by those unusual means. When we listen to the New Testament writers advocating guidance they say things like, “We want you to be full of spiritual wisdom and have an understanding of God, and of the knowledge of His will.” In other words, they strongly suggest that with the coming of the Holy Spirit at the founding of the Church, the need for lots disappeared. The New Testament teaches us that we’re now able to have insight into the mind of Christ, who by His Spirit will guide us without a need for external tests and/or means.

The third thing to keep in mind when you read this incident is that this event was associated with a major decision, not only in Gideon’s life but also in Israel’s history. A huge issue hung on the battle Gideon was about to fight. And in such circumstances we might expect God to guide His servants in rather direct and unmistakable ways. In marvelous ways He sometimes guided the Apostles when they had to make a major decision in the missionary progress of the Church. But it doesn’t follow that He will guide all of us all of the time in this manner when only minor issues are at stake.

But I think the main thing you have to notice and take seriously is that the point of this fleece was that it was NOT a way of finding God’s will.

That’s the misunderstanding that’s the most damaging. If you look carefully you’ll see that Gideon already knew what God wanted him to do. Look again at verse 36 of chapter 6. Gideon said, “If you will save Israel by my hand, AS YOU HAVE PROMISED.”

There are some people in the Bible to whom one word from God would have been enough. Not so with Gideon. Notice, I remind you, the phrase, “As you have promised.” God’s promise wasn’t enough for Gideon. He found it hard to hang on to promises! He needed more assurance. So, it was reassurance he was seeking, not guidance. If the fleece hadn’t been wet it wouldn’t have meant that God didn’t intend to deliver Israel by His hand. It would simple mean that God didn’t intend to bolster Gideon’s faith in that particular way.

God wasn’t answering Gideon’s ignorance but his lack of confidence. In other words God was taking into account the timorous, indecisive element in Gideon’s personality, and He was graciously accommodating to it. And that’s the lesson you and I must draw from it.

The real lesson to be drawn from Gideon’s fleece isn’t, “What a wonderful technique for finding God’s will,” but “What a wonderful example of God’s patient and understanding attitude toward our natural fears and doubts.” That’s the right lesson to learn.

There’s nothing here to suggest that God’s going to work miracles on demand for any of us. There’s nothing to suggest that Christians should spend their time looking for “signs” in the things that happen to them. But if you’re confronting a really major crisis in life (like how to deal with a child or a spouse who has left the church), or if God is calling you to make a major step of faith in your personal life, and if by temperament you tend to be cautious and faint-hearted, an apprehensive person, then there is great encouragement here.

The encouragement, as I see it, is that through some special providence God will find ways to reassure us of his purposes! Something will happen, insignificant to others maybe, but important to you. After all, I don’t suppose that anybody else noticed this wet fleece, do you? And if they did notice it, I doubt whether they thought, “Wow! What a miracle.” Would you? That was a personal providential provision just for Gideon. It gave him that bit of confidence he needed to step out in faith, as he knew he ought.

You see, if the issue is really an important one, and if your heart is really anxious about it, then you don’t need to fear that God won’t offer you – offer us – those kinds of encouragement, those kinds of support.

The Lord is very understanding toward faint-hearted people. But let the issue be an important one, let your fleece be a modest one, and let the purpose of it be to confirm guidance you’ve already received. Don’t let it be the actual deciding factor in these things. Let your attitude be one of being very wary of presumption. I’m saying, we have no right to guidance by fleeces, and if we start thinking we do, we can be sure that God will refuse to grant it.

By this experience Gideon didn’t discover God’s will; but he learned of God’s patient understanding, and he found victory over his doubts. He did it by finding confidence that God was really calling him to serve.

Because he possessed the Spirit of God Gideon was able to wrestle through on this matter of guidance. You and I have to win that victory too. If we’re going to do something heroic for God with our lives, or if this church is going to accomplish it’s purpose for being, then we, then you, must be sure of God’s will. And then, we must be willing to do it.

Though there’s much more to say about Gideon, particularly in the lessons of warning that we find in chapter 8 with regard to his refusal to accept the offer to be Israel’s first king; let me conclude by quoting from two different men who wrote on the matter of guidance. Second, Chuck Swindoll, but first, from James Dobson in something entitled “Emotions: Can You Trust Them?”

“Ultimately, the comprehension of God’s will requires a careful balance between rational deliberation on one hand, and emotional responses on the other. Each Christian must find that balance in his (or her) own relationship with God, yielding to the teachings of the Holy Spirit. One man’s search for this understanding was expressed beautifully by the Reverend Everett Howard, a veteran missionary to the Cape Verde Islands. Here is his personal account of how he learned to put himself completely in the hands of God:

“I’ve spent thirty-six years in missionary service—a lifetime that has passed so quickly. About fifty years ago when I was just a young boy I knew that God was calling me, but I was confused. I didn’t know just where or when or what He wanted me to do. Years passed and I went on through school and college and into Lincoln and Lee Dental University in Kansas City Missouri. I was still fighting and battling away, unsure of God’s direction for my life.

“One day I came to the point of a definite decision. My dad was a Christian and his prayers were inspirational. But that was second-hand, and I wanted something that could be mine—something I could take through life with me. So I went into the little church where my dad was pastoring and locked the doors so I could be alone. I guess I was ashamed for anyone to hear me pray, but that’s the way it was. I knelt down at the little altar and took a piece of paper and a pencil and I said, ‘Now this is going to be for life!’

“I listed everything on that page. I filled it with promises of what I would do for God, including my willingness to be a missionary, and every possible alternative I could think of. I promised to sing in the choir and give my tithes and read the Bible and do all the things I thought God might want of me. I had a long list of promises and I really meant them.

“Then when I had finished that well-written page, I signed my name at the bottom and laid it on the altar. There alone in the church I looked up and waited for ‘thunder and lightning’

or some act of approval from the Lord. I thought I might experience what Saint Paul did on the road to Damascus, or something equally dramatic. I knew that God must be terribly proud of me—a young fellow who would make a consecration like that. But nothing happened. It was quiet, still, and I was so disappointed.

“I couldn’t understand it, so I thought I must have forgotten something. I took out my pencil again and tried to think about what I’d left out. But I couldn’t remember anything else. I prayed again and told the Lord that I had put everything possible on that paper. Still nothing happened, though I waited and waited.

“Then it came. I felt the voice of God speaking in my heart. He didn’t shout or hit me over the head. I just felt in my own soul a voice speaking so clearly. It said, “Son, you’re going about it wrong. I don’t want a consecration like this. Just tear up the paper you’ve written.’

“I said, ‘All right, Lord.’ And I took the paper I had written so carefully and wadded it up. Then the voice of God seemed to whisper again, ‘Son, I want you to take a blank piece of paper and sign your name on the bottom of it, and let Me fill it in.’ ‘Oh! Oh! That’s different, Lord,’ I cried. But I did what He said there at the altar in the little church.

“It was just a secret between God and me, as I signed the paper. And God has been filling it in for the past thirty-six years. Maybe I’m glad that I didn’t know what was going to be written on the page. Things like … lying sick in the lonely mountains of the Cape Verde Islands, burning up with fever, with no medicine and no doctor, and the closest hospital more than 3000 miles away. And the famine, when almost a third of the population in our part of the country had starved to death … money wasn’t coming through … nine months without one single check or a penny … everything we owned had to be sold in order to live … that wasn’t written on the page until the time came. But you know, there was no depression. Those were the most blessed days, because God was there! And if I could turn around and do it again, I’d go every step of the way that we’ve traveled for the last thirty-six years.

“To those who are listening to me tonight, I hope you will also put your name at the bottom of a blank sheet of paper and let God fill it in. Especially if you’re worried about [physical illness or where to live or how some problem your facing is going to be resolved]. You don’t know the answers to such questions and neither do I. If I tried to tell you what to do it would probably be wrong. But God knows. Let Him fill in the page, regardless of where He leads or the difficulties you will experience. And of this I am absolutely confident: the Lord will make His purposes and plans known in plenty of time for you to heed them.”

Everett Howard retired after 36 years in the service of his Master. He affirmed that God was still writing on the page he signed as a youth. For me (Dobson wrote), volumes of theological analysis cannot equal the wisdom in his words. I hope his story encourages you (as it has me) to sign a blank page and let God determine the direction your life will take” (pp. 135-138).

The second person I want to quote is Charles Swindoll. In a book he wrote years ago, entitled Dropping Your Guard, he had a couple of paragraphs on “Faith for the Future.” This is what he said:

“The name of the beast within all of us resists change. Even though our past has been painful and in some ways unrewarding and perhaps even unproductive, it would be interesting to know how many of us would rather return to our past than face the uncertainty of our future. Being creatures of habit, we would rather have the security of our yesterday than the uncertainty of our tomorrow.

“But it’s the uncertainty of our future that strengthens our faith. I mean, if we knew what it was all about then it would take no faith. All it would take is obedience. If you knew what was going to happen in the next ten years of your life, what kind of faith would it take to walk that path?

“It’s the mystery of it all that give it the power, the mystery of the whole process called God’s working that makes the power so magnificent.”

The decisions you and I have to make are obviously different than those made by Everett Howard. They’re different, obviously, than the ones Gideon made – or hesitated making – and yet it’s so true, as Swindoll stated, “Being creatures of habit, we would rather have the security of our yesterday than the uncertainty of our tomorrow.” But the good news is that the God we serve is the same as the God those men served. And our Lord’s promises are identical to those given in the past: “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior” (6:12), “I will be with you … go in the strength you have…. Am I not sending you” (6:14).

Our loving Lord will enable us to do what He is calling us to do. We can rest in that assurance

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