It’s not an uncommon practice. I’ve done it. I know people in my church and past churches that have done this as well. When praying, when seeking an answer from God, they put out a fleece.
I remember doing this when trying to figure out what career path I should take. I’ve heard of people doing it when deciding on who they should date. It has been used to clarify and make all kinds of decisions. But should we have done that?
“It’s in the Bible. Gideon did it. So, it’s an example for us to follow.”
This is what we’ve been told, and so I was led to believe.
The truth of the matter is, Christians shouldn’t be putting out fleeces. Ever.
Upon a closer look at the story of Gideon and what actually happened when he used a fleece, we will see that we have been misunderstanding the text, and trying to strong-arm God into doing things for us.
THE SCRIPTURE IN QUESTION
“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.” And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.
Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.” – Judges 6:36-40
OUR MISGUIDED INTERPRETATION
Most of the time we read these words and we see a man desperately in need of an answer from God. We assume that Gideon is so distraught, so unsure of what God is calling him to do that he takes up this fleece idea and runs with it. Because that is what it says, right? So when we aren’t sure what God’s will is for us, we should also put out a fleece, right? If we are looking for a particular answer from God, we should put out a fleece of some kind. This is often the conclusion pastors have come to and taught us through the years. This conclusion does make sense, however, it only makes sense in the light of proof-texting.
Prooftexting is finding a verse, or any portion of Scripture, that fits, or proves your already drawn conclusions. We assume that Gideon doesn’t know what God wants from him. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. We need to get some context here. Let’s read what happened before Gideon questions God and decides to put out a fleece:
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
“The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.” – Judges 6:11-16
In these verses before Gideon ever decides to put out a fleece, God speaks clearly to him. There is no disputing what God wants from Gideon. An angel showed up while Gideon was hiding and delivered the message. That same message is repeated throughout those five verses. God is calling Gideon to go up against the Midianite army. God will be with him throughout the entire campaign. The oppression that Israel is experiencing from the Midianites will cease. There is no second-guessing for the reader. Neither was there for Gideon. There was no need for proof. There was no need to question.
WHAT THE STORY OF GIDEON AND THE FLEECE ACTUALLY SAYS
If Gideon knew full well what God was asking of him..if Gideon had a clear message about his future endeavours and what was to take place, why did he put out a fleece? If there was no confusion or misinterpretation of the angel’s message, why would Gideon feel the need to put out a fleece?
Gideon doubted God.
It’s as simple as that. Gideon wasn’t 100% sure that God was going to do what He said he was going to do. So to feel any certainty, to have proof that God was trustworthy, Gideon put out a fleece. Gideon’s lack of faith was what lead him to put a fleece out, not an uncertainty about God’s will. I didn’t get that when I was younger and was putting out fleeces, trying to determine what God’s will was. From my misunderstanding of Gideon and his fleece, I was unwittingly trying to put God into a chokehold. I was trying to force God to answer my prayers with a fleece.
“God, your will is either this or that. Depending on how you answer, I will know what you want.” “God, I’m not sure which job I should take. If my sweater is wet in the morning, it will mean I take this job. Dry, and I’ll take the other one.”
(Full disclosure, I actually put a sweater out on the lawn once, and once on the hand railing to our house trying to define God’s will. Both times, they were soaking wet. My mother was not impressed.)
SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
It’s our misunderstanding of the Gideon story that Christians have put out fleeces for decades, often confused when God’s “answer” or lack thereof isn’t what they thought. But that isn’t God’s fault. We are the ones misreading Scripture, and then manipulating it to say something it doesn’t so we can “correctly” turn God into a cosmic vending machine. I shouldn’t have to say it again, but that is wrong. Trying to coerce God into answering prayers is not how a healthy, trusting relationship works. There is no evidence in the entire story of Gideon (or the Bible) that would ever support such an idea. That is not what the fleece was about. Gideon’s fleece was about his doubt, his lack of faith, and there is nothing in that act that Christians should replicate or honour. We shouldn’t be putting out fleeces.
So, if we aren’t supposed to be putting out fleeces if we aren’t supposed to be manipulating and coercing God into answering our prayers, why is this story in the Bible?
The story of Gideon and his fleece is a powerful example of God’s mercy and grace towards our doubt.
Reread the story. An angel shows up. What more could you want from God? A physical entity comes down and talks to Gideon in a language he understands, telling him exactly what God wants. There is no grey area. There is no room to misinterpret what the angel or God may be saying. A direct word from God is given to Gideon, and he doesn’t believe it. But God doesn’t hold his doubt against him.
In the verses between the angel and Gideon putting down the fleece, Gideon offers a sacrifice to God. During that offering of bread and meat, the angel causes the bread and the meat to be consumed in flame from a rock. Gideon didn’t start the fire, neither did the angel. The fire sprung out of the rock and consumed the sacrifice. A miracle, a sign of God’s power and presence, unlike anything that Gideon had ever seen before, and still he did not believe. But God didn’t punish and condemn Gideon.
Even in the face of everything that we would want, a spoken word from God, a sign or miracle to affirm that word, Gideon still wasn’t sure if God was really with him. And too often Christians-you and I-replicate that attitude and those actions. By putting out a fleece, whether we realize it or not, we are admitting that we don’t trust God when He has given us clear instructions about His will and what part we are to play.
Even then God is still faithful. Even then God is still good. Even then, when we doubt him to his face, when we have everything we would want for affirmation of His will and still don’t believe, God is not turned off. Even then God loves us. Even then God shows kindness to a feeble and broken humanity. Even then God demonstrates his graciousness, without condemnation and without harsh judgment.
That is what we are to learn from the story of Gideon and the fleece. Not to give God a sort of ultimatum to answer our prayers, but that in the face of our doubt, God is still good and gracious. Our doubt, our lack of faith, does not scare God off.
WHAT IF I STILL HAVE DOUBTS?
All this may be new to you. With all of this information, you may be left wondering what to do with your doubt. Questions about a career, a spouse, or other such life-changing inquiries need an answer. You may have an idea, maybe a clue as to where God is directing you, but you don’t have a for sure answer. You didn’t have an angel come and tell you the answer; no fire spewing rock to eat up your sacrifice to confirm your thoughts.
What should we do when we still have doubts?
Turn to God. A fleece will not give you the answer that only God can provide. God’s answer may be hard to hear, it may take time before He gives one, but He will always answer. When we aren’t sure, when we doubt the answer we’ve received, the best thing we can do is turn right back to God with this prayer.
“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”- Mark 9:24
All Scripture references provided by Biblegateway.com Be sure to check them out if you are looking for a verse, some commentaries to help you understand a passage or a devotional to keep you in the Written Word every day. Or for those on the go, check out their app, available at the App Store, Google Play, and Amazon Fire.
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This article first appeared on Christian Thought Sandbox.
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