Should You “PUT OUT A FLEECE” to Determine God’s Will?
“Putting out a fleece” refers to trying to determine God’s will in a matter through a sign in an arranged scenario. The phrase comes from Gideon’s actions in this passage:
36Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised— 37look, 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.” 38And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.
39Then 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.” 40That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.
Judges 6:36-40
The LORD called Gideon to deliver the Israelites from the oppressive Midianites (verse 14). Yet, despite the Angel of the LORD literally appearing to him in verse 12, Gideon was so humble and understandably unsure of his qualifications (verse 15) that he required further confirmation in order to carry out God’s instructions, which is why he arranges the test with the wool fleece and the dew; not once, but twice.
Since accounts chronicled in the Old Testament serve as lessons to us, the worldwide Church (Romans 15:4 & 1 Corinthians 10:11), should New Covenant believers “put out a fleece” to determine God’s will in a situation? I suppose they could if, like Gideon, they are humbled in the situation and have serious doubts, keeping in mind that God deals with us according to the light we have, which corresponds to one’s level of spiritual growth (John 9:39-41, 15:22 & 15:24).
Yet I can’t recommend “putting out a fleece” in good conscience because, unlike Gideon, we believers have the Holy Spirit residing within us for the purpose of divine guidance (John 16:13 & Acts 16:6). The Bible says to “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15). In other words, what do you have a peace about doing or not doing in a situation?
Let me give a recent example. The Lord ministered to me concerning doing something, but I joked with my wife, Carol, about “putting out a fleece” on the matter. Of course I didn’t need to “put out a fleece” because the Spirit had already directed me in my spirit and I had a peace about it (Ephesians 3:16 & Romans 8:16). Thus the decision was already made.
Related Topics:
Altars & Altar Calls and how they’re Relevant
Is the Holy Spirit God or a Divine Force?
God Deals with People According to the Light They Have
How God Sees YOU (video)
comments powered by Disqus