“Then Gideon said to God, ‘If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.’” (Judges 6:36-37)
The enemy is ready to invade the land. The Israelite soldiers are ready to strike back. But Gideon hesitates again. Not daring to trust God’s promises, he asks the Lord God for a sign that he really will be victorious. He puts a fleece of wool outside at night and asks God to make that fleece wet with dew while the surrounding area remains dry. It happens exactly as Gideon has asked. He is able to wring a bowl full of water from the fleece. But the doubt continues to gnaw. Therefore, the next night he asks for a reverse sign: the woolen fleece must remain dry and the surrounding area become wet. This time, too, God gives the requested confirmation. How patient He is with Gideon’s doubts!
It is no coincidence that Gideon asks for a sign in which dew plays a major role. The idol Baal, worshipped by surrounding peoples and, unfortunately, also quite a few Israelites, was considered the lord of rain and dew. By this sign, God shows that He has the real power. Not Baal, but the Lord rules over rain and dew – for He is the Creator of heaven and earth.
What do you think of Gideon’s repeated request for a sign? Have you ever prayed like that? What was your experience?