Gideon (2)

Did you ever have to get up early in the morning? Maybe you had to go on a trip or you could not sleep anymore, and you got up before most other people were awake. When you went outdoors, you noticed that everything was wet. No, it had not rained during the night, but there was a misty feeling in the air, and there was water on the grass, trees, and cars. Maybe you know that this moisture is called dew. Dew forms during the warm nights from the water in the air. Next time you go outdoors early in the morning, remember to look for it.

Gideon laid out a piece of animal skin, called a fleece, during the night to see if the dew would fall on it. You might say, “What a strange thing to do! Of course, the dew will fall on it; it falls on everything.” Listen, Gideon wanted the dew to fall only on the fleece but not on anything else. That is impossible, is it not? Why did Gideon want that?

Gideon was still not sure that God wanted him to save Israel because he thought himself to be unimportant. He asked God to show him that this really was the right way by making the fleece wet with dew but having everything else remain dry. The next morning Gideon got up early and went to check the fleece. Look what had happened. Only the fleece had dew on it! There was so much water on it that he could squeeze out enough to fill a bowl.

Gideon still was not sure. He had to know for certain. Again, he asked God humbly, “Let not Thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray Thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.” The next morning that was exactly what happened. The dew, which should be on everything, had fallen on the ground but not on the fleece

Maybe you are thinking, I am going to try that. I am going to ask God for a sign like this, but we must not do such a thing. We may not tempt God. That is like playing games with a holy, powerful God. Even Gideon was afraid and humble when he asked for his signs. God tells us everything we need to know in the Bible, through our conscience, and through His ministers. Gideon did not have a Bible to tell him what to do, but he had been shown two signs, and he knew for sure that he was the one to go against the Midianites.

Gideon then assembled a huge army, and the men set their tents near the camp of the Midianites. Gideon wanted a huge army because surely he would need all the men he could get to fight the Midianites’ large army. God said to Gideon, “The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, mine own hand hath saved me. Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early.” So, Gideon told the soldiers that those who were afraid could go home, and thousands of them did.

God said the army was still too large. He told Gideon to bring the men down to the water to drink. The Lord would show Gideon which soldiers to keep and which ones to send home. Think for a minute. Suppose you went down to a clean river to drink. How would you drink? Some of us would drink like dogs lapping up the water with our tongues. Some of us would use our hands as cups bringing the water up to our mouths. As it was with these men; most went on their knees to lap the water, but some cupped their hands to drink. Gideon watched the men. Then God told him, “By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.” So, Gideon sent thousands more soldiers home.

Then all he had left was the very, very small army of only three hundred men. Can you imagine that? How could such a tiny army win against an army of hundreds of thousands of men? It would happen. Gideon had not only three hundred men, he had the Maker of heaven and earth fighting for him as well!

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