“And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him” (1 Jn 3:19).
Gideon had stirred up a hornet’s nest! Hearing that someone in the hills of Manasseh was taking Jehovah, the God of Israel, seriously, the foe decided there was no time to lose. “Then all the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they crossed over and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel” (Jdg 6:33). Your heart can’t help but thrill to the next words: “But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon” (v 34). Clearly the enemy hordes are no match for the one who said, “My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house” (v 15), if God’s Spirit was upon him. And when he blew the trumpet to call Israel to assembly, thousands rallied from Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali. But first, wonder of wonders, “the Abiezrites gathered behind him” (v 34). Yes, God was obviously at work! So all the men gathered at the spring of Harod on the south side of the valley, across from the Midianites who held the high ground in the middle of the valley, at Mount Moreh. However, a work must be done in Gideon before it could be done through him, something true of us all. As the pressure mounts, he looks for confirmation. So we have the two experiments with the fleece. Gideon is not looking for guidance here; he knows exactly what he is to do. He’s looking for confidence. So patiently the Lord goes along with it—first, wet fleece and dry ground, then wet ground and dry fleece. That’s enough, at least to get started. Gideon will have more faith-builders along the way, a reminder that this is a ministry of our Lord in us, too. Remember Peter? “I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail” (Lk 22:32). Christ feeds our faith, giving evidence of His love and care.