Archive: When You Set Out the Fleece

Some helpful thoughts about discovering God’s will.

by Ivan L. Zabilka, Columbia, Missouri

Finding the “Will of God ” perplexes many Christians as they face the complexities of modern life. Among the many methods Christians use to search for God’s will is the practice of “putting out a fleece.” Generally speaking, this consists of predicting formally to oneself, or to others, specific conditions or events: If these happen, then it will be God’s sign that I ought to do this or not. Some deeply faithful followers of Christ practice this. I do not wish to impugn their spirituality, however, I do wish to challenge Christians to think clearly about how we make our decisions in a Christian context.

For example, some missionary friends of mine, especially those serving under independent mission boards, often rely on the “fleece system.” They travel much and are dependent upon fellow Christians for support and prayer. So they face a never-ending stream of decisions that demand sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. Frequently I hear them discuss putting out fleeces concerning what mission field to go to … what to do about conflicting meetings … how to raise support … and other significant decisions.

One friend recently told me that if his fund raising was not completed by a certain date, he would turn from mission work and move into a parish ministry. This deadline was a fleece he was using to determine the entire course of his ministry. Thus his decision was placed at the mercy of others’ willingness to give, the state of the national economy, the quality of his own diligence, and other extraneous factors. His decision was not based upon his preparation, effectiveness, love of the work, fruitfulness, the leading of the Holy Spirit, or the advice of trusted Christian friends.

The Biblical background for the placing of fleeces is found in the account of Gideon in chapters six and seven of Judges. Gideon wanted assurance that the Lord would be with him and the forces of Israel when they fought against the oppressive Midianites. So he placed a fleece of wool on the floor of the threshing room. He asked the Lord to make the fleece wet and the ground around it dry the next morning. Sure enough, the Lord honored this request and Gideon drained a bowl of water from the fleece that morning. But just to make sure, Gideon put the fleece out once more. This time he requested that the fleece remain dry and the surrounding ground be wet with dew. The Lord did exactly this, so Gideon, assured of being in the Lord’s will, proceeded to organize the Israelites to overthrow the Midianites.

Some of my uneasiness about the practice, as it is commonly applied today, stems from the differences in our modern practice and what occurred in Judges. Gideon was a farmer from the tribe of Manasseh. He lived during the most decentralized period of Israel’s history. Despite his depreciating words about himself and his family, he was relatively well-to-do. He had 10 servants even though he was a young man. Gideon lived in a pagan climate, for his father was a worshipper of the heathen god, Baal. Apparently the family commitment to Baal was somewhat nominal, though. When Gideon destroyed Baal’s altar and the neighbors wished to kill him for this offense, his father suggested that it would be better for Baal to contend for himself.

No doubt tales of God’s past works on behalf of the Israelites had been told to Gideon. But his understanding of God and His covenant with Israel must have been vague, for he blamed God for abandoning Israel to the Midianites. He failed to recognize that Israel’s sin had caused the problem.

Gideon was a bit of a skeptic. His first confrontation with the angel of the Lord was marked by questions concerning how God could be present with Israel when conditions were so bad. Gideon wished to know where the wonders of God were, for he could see no evidence of God’s presence or blessing at that moment.

Certain factors in the Biblical account of Gideon’s fleece should be contrasted to the modern practice of “setting out your fleece.”

1. The fleece of Gideon was placed by a semi-pagan.

2. Gideon was beset by doubts about the nature and presence of God.

3. Gideon had already seen one manifestation of God’s power in the first wetting of the fleece.

4. The fleece was a request for assurance, a comfort that is now available to believers through the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

5. The fleece was a request for a miraculous “sign” from God. Now, we have Christ’s coming as the “sign” and assurance given to believers.

Like Gideon, we American Christians frequently exhibit semi-pagan characteristics. Why do we wish to copy the practices of a person who knew as little about God as Gideon did? Unlike Gideon, we can read the rest of the Old Testament history, as well as the living Word of the New Testament. We have access to a long history of God’s dealing with His people and this provides us with a great deal more helpful guidance than Gideon had. In fact, we have such a great advantage over Gideon that we almost have to choose to remain ignorant of God’s will for us. We do this when we ignore the Bible. (II Timothy 3:16, 17)

The placing of Gideon’s fleece was rooted in his doubts. It was placed following a dramatic manifestation of God’s presence and power that Gideon had already witnessed. In setting out our fleeces for guidance, why would we wish to follow the example of his “failure of faith”? We would further place ourselves in the unenviable position of the Pharisees (Matthew 16:4), and others who demanded a “sign” from God. (John 6:2, I Corinthians 1:22)

Finally, Gideon asked for a miraculous sign to encourage an already-accepted course of action. In our fleece-placing, we tend to request that non-miraculous circumstances determine our actions where we have difficulty deciding between options. The result? We may place ourselves at the mercy of extraneous circumstances, and the Bible indicates these are the domain of the Prince of the Power of the Air.

During the past year and a half, my wife Ginny and I have faced more decisions than at any other time in our lives. We decided to resign as candidates with a mission board, had to choose from among three professional possibilities, then had to choose a new home, church, and friends. We were frequently tempted to let some circumstances we could define determine our decision. We were never tempted to set up a fleece that would have required a miracle to confirm these decisions. I have never heard a friend who put out a fleece ask for a real miracle to confirm a decision, as Gideon did.

When confronted with a situation in which we are tempted to place a fleece, we need to ask questions that will bring the real issues into focus. At the risk of oversimplifying, consider this example. Suppose I have the choice of attending a major league baseball game (which I dearly love), or attending the regular semi-monthly Bible study on improving relations with others. Duty pulls me one way and desire the other. From either inability to decide or desire to avoid responsibility for deciding, I finally propose that if “Fred” calls me before 3:30 to remind me of the study I will go there. But if not, I will go to the game. Have I already tacitly decided the question by the shape of the circumstances I prescribe?

Recently I heard of a pastor who decided to let a fleece determine whether or not he should ask to be moved to a new church. He decided that if 10 new couples joined the church during the year it would be a sign the Lord was blessing and he would stay. But what if only nine couples had joined? Or eight couples and two singles? Do we want to base important decisions on such details or is there a better way? In many situations there is seldom a “right” and a “wrong” answer, although there may tend to be a selfish answer. In Christian decision-making it is best to think about the implications of a decision; pray for God’s guidance of our thought processes; decide on the basis of consequences we know or can project; commit the unknown consequences to God’s providential care; avoid second guessing the decision once made (unless we genuinely find we made a “wrong” but reversible decision); and allow God to turn all the consequences into His best through the constant action of the Holy Spirit in our lives.