Testing God's will: Gideon's fleece and discerning divine guidance

Biblical

(a) Gideon's testing of God represents a major shift in the consciousness of the Israelites. Not only is Gideon's personal faith at stake, but so too is the commitment of the Hebrews to the one Lord God. At this stage, the Israelites continue to practice their pagan ways. As a result, their crops are failing and peace is threatened by neighboring invaders. "Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites," (Judges 6:1). Their idol worship persists in spite of God's admonishments, and collectively the Israelites have shunned God. Finally, pain and suffering have grown so intense that the Israelites pray for help. It is clear the Israelites are desperate for spiritual sustenance and truth.

God sends a prophet and angel of God. He specifically chooses a most unlikely candidate, Gideon. Gideon protests at first, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family," (Judges 6:15). It is because of his lowly position and relative weakness that God chooses Gideon. Just as Gideon needs to develop personal maturity, so too do the Israelites collectively. The point of the story is that human will must evolve to merge with the will of God. Human beings like Gideon -- average human beings -- need to embrace God of their own accord. Therefore, Gideon's testing of God is not a sign of immaturity but rather, a sign of his using reason and intellect in the service of the Lord. Gideon's challenge seems defiant. It is as if he does not have sufficient faith. Indeed, the demands he places on God show that Gideon himself shares his peoples' doubts in the Supreme God. God is not bothered by Gideon's requests; rather, God fulfills them in order to encourage faith. Gideon, representing the common consciousness of the Israelites, develop faith via their own convictions that God is the one true Lord. They can then clearly abandon their idol worship.

(B) Gideon's story remains one of the most relevant ones in the Old Testament. People today are bombarded by an influx of information. This information can lead the individual toward or away from God. Just as the Israelites distanced themselves from God to their detriment, so too have modern human beings neglected their faith in favor of materialism. Discerning the will of God amidst terrible temptations and modern equivalents of idol worship requires similar tests of faith that Gideon presented.

For example, a person can clearly ask of God for proof of His will. The simplest means by which to discern the will of God is via scripture itself. Reading scripture leads to the embodiment of God's will. Often the answers to big and small problems is contained clearly in scripture.

When scripture seems ambiguous, the individual needs to seek solace in the Christian community. In Church or in personal meetings with pastors, Christians can learn to listen to the voice of God. Speaking with trusted friends and relatives can also lead one to develop the kind of faith that Gideon also learned how to develop via reason and intellect.