|
Things Most Desirable Gideon One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.—Psalm 27:4 Michael Brann Some have reasoned that David wrote these words just prior to his second anointing while King Saul was harassing him and suffering distress from the Amalekites. He was cut off from public worship of Jehovah in Jerusalem and severely felt the loss of “enquiring in the temple” for the Lord’s direction at such a critical time in his life. Others have reasoned that the psalm was written to express the sorrow, loss, and hope of the Jews while they were held captive in Babylon. What a great loss to endure, to not be able to worship the Lord in their beautiful temple and to have their priesthood help determine the will of the Lord for them as a nation! Regardless of the circumstances that led to these words being written, one thing is clear: The Lord is well pleased to be called upon in prayer so we might know his will. It is a privilege and honor he has extended to those who seek him. There are scores of Scriptures encouraging prayer including:
The high priest used the Urim
and Thummim to determine the Lord’s will when questions of national importance
needed specific answers. Prior to this, the Lord let his will be made known to
various individuals as circumstances required, probably as an answer to their
prayers. Abraham and Moses are examples (see Genesis 15:1-5 and Exodus 3:11-15). Gideon (Judges 6) Later in Israel’s history, the Lord spoke to the nation through judges and prophets especially raised up for the purpose. Gideon was one of these. He lived in a turbulent period of Israel’s history. The nation and its priesthood had fallen into idolatry and were not enjoying the fruit of their covenant relationship with God. For many years neighboring enemy nations had plagued Israel, especially in the time of harvest. They would steal the harvested crops leaving the Israelites hungry and fearful. The Midianites were particularly detestable. Israel was forced to improvise their winepresses as threshing machines and to build underground storage receptacles to conceal their food supplies. Gideon apparently took to heart the words of a nameless prophet who had spoken in the name of the Lord in answer to Israel’s cries (prayers). Perhaps Gideon mused in his heart as to who would stand up for the Lord’s cause and put an end to this oppression. Perhaps he wondered if he had the courage and faith to help out. Then an angel appeared and told him that he, Gideon, would indeed “save Israel from the hand of the Midianites.” Gideon—young, inexperienced, and deeply humble—begged a sign as evidence that the angel was really an angel of the Lord. The sign was granted and Gideon began by tearing down the altars of Baal. Shortly thereafter, an army of Midianites, Amalekites and others of the east, 135,000 strong, gathered themselves against Israel. Again, Gideon asked for a sign. This time he laid out a fleece of sheepskin asking that it be wet with dew while the ground around it remained dry; the next evening he asked for the opposite to occur. Why Gideon used this kind of
test is not stated, but perhaps he reasoned that Israel was the sheep of the
Lord’s special care and dew was a sign of favor (Psalm 100:3; Genesis
27:28,39). Israel was supposed to have the Lord’s favor while the enemies
surrounding them, idol worshipers and wicked, were obviously displeasing and out
of favor with the Lord. The signs requested were granted and Gideon led a small
band of three hundred men armed with only trumpets and lamps hidden in pitchers
to a stunning and marvelous victory over the enemy armies. Gideon became one of the
most loved and honored deliverers in Israel’s history. He is mentioned in
Hebrews 11 as one of the “heroes of faith.” Is Gideon’s Fleece a Model to Follow? It is not uncommon to hear Christians use the phrase “laying out the fleece” when trying to determine the Lord’s will, especially when something seems especially important or urgent. Gideon’s example is cited when faced with perplexing decisions. Like him, we may want to ask for signs indicating clearly the will of the Lord. As good as this sounds, it is not the way Christians should determine the Lord’s will. First, Gideon had already been told twice (Judges 6:14,16) what the will of the Lord was by the one who appeared unto him. There was no reason to ask for another sign. Apparently this desire was shaped partly by his deep humility and partly by his lack of faith. Second, Gideon himself realized he was coming dangerously close to testing God. He wanted “something more,” some further proof of God’s commission and blessing. He introduced the second request by saying, “Do not let thine anger burn against me that I may speak once more” (Judges 6:39, NAS). Third, this was not a common practice of believers in either the Old or New Testament. Had this been an example to follow, there undoubtedly would be other instances of it occurring in the Scriptures. We should expect to find direct statements suggesting this practice if it were pleasing to the Lord. Instead we find warnings and admonitions discouraging it. The Lord on other occasions did honor requests confirming his will. Abraham’s servant “laid out the fleece,” so to speak, when searching for a bride for Isaac (Genesis 24:14). Good King Hezekiah asked for a sign of his healing by requesting the sun’s shadow to return backward ten degrees (2 Kings 20:10, 11). Hezekiah’s father, wicked king Ahaz, was asked by God to request a sign in regard to placing his trust in an Assyrian alliance, or to depend solely on the Lord. He answered correctly, yet by pretense: “I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD.” In this case, Ahaz did not really want to know the Lord’s will. His mind was already set to forge an alliance with Assyria (Isaiah 7:10-12). These instances serve to prove that such requests indicate a lack of faith, or at least a weakened faith, as well as immaturity. Anyone can follow signs; it is much more difficult to study the word of God and determine his will based on divine principles. Perhaps legitimate reasons can be found for those in ancient times who felt they needed additional signs. They did not have the Bible set down in such a convenient and readily available form as we have it today. Christians are asked to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith” (Galatians 3:11). Our Lord gave warnings about
“sign seekers” on at least two occasions. “But he answered and said unto
them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no
sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas” (Matthew 12:39).
“The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he
would shew them a sign from heaven” (Matthew 16:1). See also Exodus 17:1-7 and
Deuteronomy 6:16. Conclusions about “Laying out the Fleece” 1. We are called to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). 2. If we come to a crossroads and are not sure what to do, we should “wait on the LORD” (Psalm 27:14). Study, meditation, prayer, and asking advice from mature Christians, will usually make the way of the Lord plain. Even if a wrong choice is made after doing these things, it will still work out for good to those called of the Lord (1 Timothy 4:13-17; Romans 8:28). 3. Often the will of the Lord is clear: we may either be ignorant of it or we may want to do our own will in the matter; we should not confuse the two. For instance, a young Christian may wonder whether to marry a non-Christian when the Lord has clearly stated through the apostle that we are not to be unequally yoked (2 Corinthians 6:14). 4. The Lord is the Supreme Ruler of the universe! We must not attempt to manipulate him by trying to make him do what we want him to do (Matthew 4:5-7). 5. God is pleased to reveal his will to those who seek to know it and it will be revealed through his holy word (Amos 3:7; Romans 15:4). 6. God does not circumvent our new creature minds when it comes to determining his will (Ephesians 5:17, Rotherham). 7. God is pleased we want to do his will. Inquiring in his temple is one of the greatest blessings afforded to his people (Psalm 27:4). 8. Trusting faith is better than trusting in a “fleece” (Proverbs 3:5). 9. Don’t set a fleece on the ground; set your knees on the ground and pray (Matthew 6:33). |