The story of Gideon in the book of Judges shows him to be uncertain in what God is asking of him. God wanted to use Gideon to rescue Israel, so He sends the angel of the Lord to Gideon to call him into this service. Gideon wasn’t certain of this calling, and he didn’t believe that he was fit for God’s service.

Gideon, weak in faith, puts out his fleece to determine what God really wanted him to do. He requested not one, but two miraculous signs of God. The first fleece, Gideon asked that the fleece would be wet with dew in the morning, while the ground around it was dry. Then Gideon asked for yet another sign, but this second fleece was to ask God to keep the fleece dry while making the surrounding dirt wet.

God was serious about using Gideon to rescue Israel, so God graciously did as Gideon asked. Gideon was finally convinced of what he was supposed to do.

Fleecing is a medium, acting as an intervening force to determine some action, or direction desired. The word ‘if’ always accompanies the fleece and exempts the individual of the responsibility for the course taken. By using a fleece, the Eternal Spirit is deprived of its rightful authority to give divine instructions to the asker.

In the face of doubt, do not give God an ultimatum. Be still, be quiet, and listen for the Spirit to provide your answer. Sometimes there may not come an answer, which is why taking a step in faith shows up in the Bible more times than fleecing. We please God by our faith.