I have just read Dr. Ray Pritchard's sermon entitled “Don't Get Fleeced!” which is real good. You may click on the foregoing link to see his sermon. The Bible passage is from Judges 6:36-40, namely, 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…" ‧‧‧That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.
Today among Christians, a fleece is usually taken to mean seeking to learn the will of God by means of a pre-determined sign. For example, you're faced with a job offer and don't know whether to say yes or no. So you say to God: "Please give me a sign." It's not just asking for guidance. It's when you say, "Lord, I want you to do such and such, and if you will do what I have asked, I will know what your will is."
Dr. Pritchard mentioned in his sermon "The Plan" which is Pat Robertson's book on the will of God. It was written in the aftermath of his failed candidacy for the presidency of the United States. In 1985, a hurricane was moving up the eastern coast of the United States. All the forecasts said that the hurricane was going to hit the Virginia Beach area which is where Pat Robertson has his headquarters. As a consequence, Robertson decided to pray for God's confirmation of him running for the American presidency. He dared challenge the Lord to direct the hurricane out into the Atlantic Ocean instead. His reasoning went like this: "Lord, if I can't move a hurricane, how can I move a nation?" To his amazement, the hurricane did suddenly turned to the north and east before it hit Virginia Beach and eventually drifted harmlessly out over the North Atlantic Ocean!
Judge 6 tells us that God said to Gideon, "I am going to use you to deliver My people." The command is loud and clear. God repeats it two or three times. Gideon, though perfectly clear of God's command, opted to put out a fleece for God’s reassurance. Gideon doubted God's command with a good reason – what can a humble Manasseh achieve in front of a mighty enemy?
The gist of the question is: our contemporary usage of the fleece is not the same as Gideon's. We use the fleece today when we are uncertain about what God wants us to do. Remember “the fleece” was never intended to determine God's will. Rather, it is a quest to ascertain God's will by asking for a pre-determined and subjective sign.
Coming to the question of faith, Corinthians 5:7 teaches us that: "We live by faith, not by sight." Obviously, “What is God's will” is yet a different challenge for believers. After all, we still have to choose. After all the prayer, all the study, all the counsel, all the meditation, all the Bible study, all the thinking, all the writing down of options, after we've agonized, still the moment comes when we must decide. God won't take the responsibility for us. If you're going to take that new job, you've got to decide for yourself. If you are going to sell your house, you can't wait for God to write a message in the clouds.
Three Crucial Considerations:
Today among Christians, a fleece is usually taken to mean seeking to learn the will of God by means of a pre-determined sign. For example, you're faced with a job offer and don't know whether to say yes or no. So you say to God: "Please give me a sign." It's not just asking for guidance. It's when you say, "Lord, I want you to do such and such, and if you will do what I have asked, I will know what your will is."
Dr. Pritchard mentioned in his sermon "The Plan" which is Pat Robertson's book on the will of God. It was written in the aftermath of his failed candidacy for the presidency of the United States. In 1985, a hurricane was moving up the eastern coast of the United States. All the forecasts said that the hurricane was going to hit the Virginia Beach area which is where Pat Robertson has his headquarters. As a consequence, Robertson decided to pray for God's confirmation of him running for the American presidency. He dared challenge the Lord to direct the hurricane out into the Atlantic Ocean instead. His reasoning went like this: "Lord, if I can't move a hurricane, how can I move a nation?" To his amazement, the hurricane did suddenly turned to the north and east before it hit Virginia Beach and eventually drifted harmlessly out over the North Atlantic Ocean!
Judge 6 tells us that God said to Gideon, "I am going to use you to deliver My people." The command is loud and clear. God repeats it two or three times. Gideon, though perfectly clear of God's command, opted to put out a fleece for God’s reassurance. Gideon doubted God's command with a good reason – what can a humble Manasseh achieve in front of a mighty enemy?
The gist of the question is: our contemporary usage of the fleece is not the same as Gideon's. We use the fleece today when we are uncertain about what God wants us to do. Remember “the fleece” was never intended to determine God's will. Rather, it is a quest to ascertain God's will by asking for a pre-determined and subjective sign.
Coming to the question of faith, Corinthians 5:7 teaches us that: "We live by faith, not by sight." Obviously, “What is God's will” is yet a different challenge for believers. After all, we still have to choose. After all the prayer, all the study, all the counsel, all the meditation, all the Bible study, all the thinking, all the writing down of options, after we've agonized, still the moment comes when we must decide. God won't take the responsibility for us. If you're going to take that new job, you've got to decide for yourself. If you are going to sell your house, you can't wait for God to write a message in the clouds.
Three Crucial Considerations:
- If we are still searching for God's will, fleecing can be dangerous, misleading, manipulative and confusing.
- What is the measure of faith (see Heb. 11:1-2) in the Bible?
- Assuming we are having difficulties, what shall we do if God's will is crystal clear before us especially as mature Christians?
