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The Book of Judges As You_ve Never Seen It Before(M4A_128K) · truthunedited

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Speaker 1: What if I told you there's a Biblical book filled
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with assassinations, civil wars, and a woman who drives a
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tent peg through a general skull. Welcome to Judges, the
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Bible's darkest, most brutal, and surprisingly relevant book. This isn't
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your Sunday school version. Here, heroes are flawed, leaders are corrupt,
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and society collapses into chaos. From Gideon's three hundred warriors
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defeating one hundred thirty five thousand enemies to Samson bringing
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down a temple with his bare hands, Judges reveals humanity's
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desperate need for divine leadership. It's the bridge between Moses
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Law and David's Kingdom, showing what happens when everyone does
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what's right in their own eyes. Prepare for a journey
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through betrayal, supernatural strength, and moral decay that mirrors our
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world to day. This is Judges as you've never seen
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it before. When Joshua died, Israel faced a moment that
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would define their future. The great leader who had brought
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them into the Promised Land was gone, and the people
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found themselves without a clear successor. The first chapter of
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Judges opens with a question that reveals their uncertainty. Who
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shall go up for us against the Canaanites first to
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fight against them. The Lord's answer came swiftly. Judah would
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lead the charge. Judah didn't go alone. They called their
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brother tribe Simeon, to join them, making a pact recorded
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in Judges one three. Come up with me into my
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allotted territory, that we may fight against the Canaanites, And
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I likewise will go with you into your allotted territory.
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This partnership would prove both successful and troubling. Their first
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major victory came against a king whose very name told
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a story of cruelty. A Donni Bezek had made a
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habit of cutting off the thumbs and big toes of
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captured kings, keeping them under his table like dogs fighting
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for scraps. When Judah and Simeon captured him, they gave
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him exactly what he had given others, As Judges one
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point seven records his words, seventy kings, with their thumbs
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and their big toes cut off, used to pick up
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scraps under my table. As I have done so, God
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has repaid me. But even in victory, the seeds of
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future problems were planted. The text of Judges one eight
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says they conquered Jerusalem and set it on fire. Yet
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just eleven verses later, in Judges one twenty one, we
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learned that the people of Benjamin did not drive out
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the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. So the Jebusites have
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lived with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.
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The conquest was incomplete from the very beginning. Judah continued
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their campaign, taking Hebron and defeating the three giant sons
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of Anak. Caleb offered his daughter Axar in marriage to
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whoever could capture kiriath Sepha. His nephew Othniel won the prize,
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and Axe cleverly secured water sources for their new land.
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But for every victory there was a compromise that would
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haunt Israel's future. The House of Joseph decided to tackle Bethel,
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a city that held deep meaning in Israel's history. This
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was where Jacob had dreamed of angels ascending and descending
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where God had appeared to Abraham. But their method of
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conquest revealed how far they had already drifted from God's commands.
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According to Judges one twenty four to twenty five, they
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found a man coming out of the city and made
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him a deal. Please show us the way into the city,
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and we will deal kindly with you. The man betrayed
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his own people, and true to their word, they let
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him and his family escape. He went and built another
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city with the same name in the land of the Hittites.
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What seemed like mercy was actually disobedience. God had commanded
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them to destroy these cities completely. Tribe after tribe fell
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into the same pattern. Manassa didn't drive out the inhabitants
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of their cities. Ephraim let the Canaanites live among them. Zebulun,
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Asher and Naftali all chose coexistence over obedience. The text
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repeats the same phrase over and over. But the Canaanites
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lived among them. Then came the moment that changed everything.
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Judges two one three records the appearance of the Angel
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of the Lord at a place that would be named Bochim,
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meaning weepers. His message was devastating. I brought you up
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from Egypt and brought you into the land that I
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swore to give to your fathers. I said, I will
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never break my covenant with you, and you shall make
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no covenant with the inhabitants of this land. You shall
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break down their altars. But you have not obeyed my voice.
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What is this you have done? So? Now I say,
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I will not drive them out before you, but they
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shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall
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be a snare to you. The people's response, recorded in
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Judges two four five, was immediate. As soon as the
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Angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the
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people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept,
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and they called the name of that place bock him,
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and they sacrificed there to the Lord. They wept, but
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weeping without true repentance would prove to be empty tears.
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For a time, things seemed normal. Judges two six seven
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tells us that after Joshua dismissed the people, the people
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of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession
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of the land. And the people served the Lord all
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the days of Joshua and all the days of the
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elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great
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work that the Lord had done for Israel. But then
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came the turning point that would echo through generations. Judges
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two eight ten the end of an era and Joshua,
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the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died
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at the age of one hundred and ten years, and
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they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnathhiris,
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in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain
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of Gush. And all that generation also were gathered to
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their fathers. And there arose another generation after them, who
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did not know the Lord or the work that he
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had done for Israel. This wasn't just about forgetting history.
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It was about losing a living relationship with God. The
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new generation had heard the stories, but they hadn't experienced
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the miracles. They hadn't seen the Red Sea part or
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watched the walls of Jericho fall to them. These were
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just old tales their grandparents told. The result was predictable
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and tragic. Judges two eleven two thirteen describes their spiritual collapse.
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And the people of Israel did what was evil in
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the sight of the Lord and served the bales. And
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they abandoned the Lord, the god of their fathers, who
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had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They
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went after other gods from among the gods of the
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peoples who were around them and bowed down to them,
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and they provoked the Lord to anger. They abandoned the
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Lord and served the bales and the Ashtaroth. God's response
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was swift and painful. Judges two fourteen to fifteen records
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his anger. So the anger of the Lord was kindled
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against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers who
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plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of
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their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand
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their enemies. Whenever they marched out, the hand of the
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Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned,
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and as the Lord had sworn to them, and they
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were in terrible distress. Yet even in judgment, God's mercy
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appeared Judges two sixteen sh his heart. Then the Lord
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raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand
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of those who plundered them. But the people's response revealed
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how deep their rebellion ran. They wouldn't even listen to
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their deliverers. What happened next reveals something profound about God's ways.
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Instead of giving Israel easy victories, he deliberately left enemies
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in the land. Judges three pon one four explains his reasoning, Now,
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these are the nations that the Lord left to test
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Israel by them, that is all in Israel, who had
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not experienced all the wars in Canaan. It was only
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in order that the generations of the people of Israel
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might know war, to teach war to those who had
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not known it before. These are the nations the five
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lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the
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Sidonians and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from
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Mount bail Herman as far as Lebohammath. They were for
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the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey
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the commandments of the Lord which he commanded their fathers
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by Moses. This wasn't cruelty, it was wisdom. God knew
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that easy times make people forget their need for him.
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The remaining enemies would serve as a constant test of
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Israel's faithfulness. Would they trust in God's strength or rely
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on political alliances? Would they worship the Lord or bow
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to foreign gods. Israel failed the test almost immediately. Judges
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three five to six records their compromise. So the people
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of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites,
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the Perizites, the Highvites, and the Jebusites, and their daughters
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they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters
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they gave to their sons, and they served their gods.
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Marriage led to worship, and worship led to abandonment of
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the True God. The very thing God had warned against
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through Moses came to pass. Israel began serving foreign gods
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and forgot their covenant identity. The consequences came quickly. Judges
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three seven eight shows the result. And the people of
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Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.
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They forgot the Lord their God, and served the bales
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and the asheroth. Therefore, the anger of the Lord was
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kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand
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of Kushion Rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia. And the people of
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Israel served Kushan Rishathim eight years, eight long years under
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a foreign king whose name means doubly wicked. This was
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just the beginning of a pattern that would repeat throughout
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the Book of Judges. When the people finally cried out
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to God in their distress, his response came through an
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unlikely deliverer, Othniel, the same man who had won Caleb's
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daughter by conquering a city, now found himself called to
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save his nation. Judges three nine to ten records God's intervention.
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But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord,
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the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel,
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who saved them, Othniel, the son of Cannas, Caleb's younger brother.
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The spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he
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judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord
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gave kushan Rishathim, king of Mesopotamia, into his hand, and
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his hand prevailed over kushan Rishathim. Notice what made the
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difference the spirit of the Lord. This wasn't about human
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strength or military tactics. God's spirit empowered Othnil for both
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warfare and leadership. The man who had once shown courage
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in battle, now showed wisdom in judgment. The result was
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forty years of peace, as recorded in Judges three eleven.
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So the land had rest forty years. Then Othnil, the
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son of Canars, died forty years An entire generation grew
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up without knowing war or oppression. Children played safely in
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their villages, farmers worked their fields without fear, and trade
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flourished throughout the land. But the text's final phrase hints
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at the problem ahead. Then Othniel, the son of Canaz died.
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The deliverer was gone, and with his death the spiritual
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restraint that had kept Israel faithful began to weaken. The
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pattern was already clear. As long as the judge lived,
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the people remained somewhat faithful. When he died, they returned
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to their old ways. Othnil had shown what was possible
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when God's spirit empowered a leader. He had demonstrated that
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victory came through divine power, not human strength. But he
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was just one man, and his influence died with him.
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Israel needed something more permanent than human judges, but they
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weren't ready to accept it yet. After Othniel's death, Israel's
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rebellion resumed with predictable results. Judges three twelve to fourteen
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records their next oppression. And the people of Israel again
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did what was evil in the sight of the Lord,
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and the Lord strengthened Eglon, the king of Moab, against Israel.
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Because they had done what was evil in the sight
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of the Lord. He gathered to himself the Ammonites and
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the Amalekites and went and defeated Israel, and they took
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possession of the city of Palms, and the people of
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Israel served Eglon, the king of Moab eighteen years. Eighteen
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years under King Eglon, a name that means calf like,
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hinting at his massive size, the city of Palms, which
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was Jericho, fell under foreign control. The very place where
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God had given Israel their first great victory in the
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Promised Land now served as an enemy stronghold. When Israel
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finally cried out for help, God's choice of deliverer was surprising.
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Ihoud came from Benjamin, the smallest tribe, and he was
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left handed, in a culture that saw this as a disadvantage.
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But God often chooses the unlikely to accomplish his purposes.
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Ehud's plan was daring and required perfect timing. He made
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himself a double edged sword about eighteen inches long and
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strapped it to his right thigh under his clothes. Since
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he was left handed, guards checking for weapons would look
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on the left side, where most people carried their swords.
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Judges three seventeen to twenty describes his approach to the king,
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and he presented the tribute to Eglon, King of Moab.
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Now Eglon was a very fat man, and when Ahoud
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had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people
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who carried the tribute, but he himself turned back at
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the idols near Gilgal and said, I have a secret
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message for you, o king. And he commanded silence, and
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all his attendants went out from his presence, and Ehoud
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came to him as he was sitting alone in his
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cool a roof chamber, and Ehoud said, I have a
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message from God for you, and he arose from his seat.
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The moment Eglon stood up, Ehood struck. Judges three twenty
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one twenty two records what happened. And Ehoud reached with
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his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh
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and thrust it into his belly, and the hilt also
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went in after the blade, and the fat closed over
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the blade, for he did not pull the sword out
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of his belly, and the dung came out. Ehud's escape
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was as clever as his attack. He locked the doors
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of the upper chamber and slipped away while the servants
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thought their king was using the bathroom. By the time
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they found Eglon's body, Egood was already rallying Israel's army
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in the hill country of Ephraim. The victor was complete.
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Judges three twenty eight to twenty nine records the battle's outcome,
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and he said to them, follow after me, for the
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Lord has given your enemies, the Moabites, into your hand.
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So they went down after him and seized the fords
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of the Jordan against the Moabites, and did not allow
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anyone to pass over. And they killed at that time
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about ten thousand of the Moabites, all strong, able bodied men.
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Not a man escaped. Right after Ihud's story, the text
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gives us just one verse about another judge, But what
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a verse it is. Judges three thirty one simply states
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after him was Shamgar, the son of a Nath, who
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killed six hundred of the Philistines with an ox gode,
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and he also saved Israel six hundred trained warriors killed
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with a farming tool. The story seems almost impossible, yet
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there it stands. In scripture. An ox gode was essentially
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a long wooden stick with a metal point, used to
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prod cattle while plowing. In Shamgar's hands, it became a
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weapon of mass destruction. The Philistines were no ordinary enemy.
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They were the sea peoples who had migrated from the
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Aegean region, bringing with them superior weapons and military technology.
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They controlled the coastal plains and represented a constant threat
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to Israel's security. For one man to kill six hundred
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of their warriors was nothing short of miraculous. Shamgar's name
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suggests he might not have been a full Israelite son
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of Anath could refer to the Canaanite goddess of war.
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Yet God used even this outsider to deliver his people.
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The text doesn't give us details about how the victory
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happened or what led up to it. We're left with
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just the bare facts. One man, one tool, six hundred enemies,
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and divine intervention. This brief story serves as a powerful
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reminder that God can use anyone and anything to accomplish
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his purposes. Military might, advanced weapons, superior numbers, none of
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these matter. When God decides to act. A simple farming
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tool becomes a sword in the right hands at the
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right moment. Looking back over these early chapters of Judges,
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a clear cycle begins to emerge. Israel serves God and
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experiences peace. Then they drift into idolatry and compromise. God
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allows enemies to oppress them until they cry out for help. Finally,
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he raises up a deliverer who brings temporary relief. But
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when that judge dies, the cycle starts all over again.
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Each time the pattern repeats, Israel seems to sink a
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little deeper. The first generation, after Joshua, simply neglected to
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finish driving out the Canaanites. The next generation actively embraced
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foreign gods and foreign marriages. With each cycle, the spiritual
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decline acceleer rates, even in the midst of miraculous deliverances.
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The judges themselves reflect this decline. Othnil was Caleb's nephew,
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a man of proven character who brought forty years of peace.
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Ehud was clever and effective, but his methods were darker,
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involving deception and assassination. Shamgar appears almost as a footnote,
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a mysterious figure who killed many enemies but left no
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lasting legacy. Most telling of all, the periods of peace
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grow shorter, while the times of oppression remain long. Othniel
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brought forty years of rest. After Ehud's victory, the land
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had peace for eighty years. But this long period would
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prove to be the exception rather than the rule. Future
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Judges would bring shorter and shorter periods of relief. The
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foundation was being laid for everything that would follow in
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Israel's history. Without strong central leadership, without a king to
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unite the tribes, without a consistent system of justice, the
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people did what seemed right in their own eyes. The
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result was chaos, violence, and spiritual decay that would only
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grow worse. As the Book of Judges continues, the stage
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was set for the dark chapters that lay ahead. The
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peace that followed Ehud's victory lasted eighty years, but it
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couldn't last forever. When Israel once again turned away from God,
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their punishment came from an unexpected direction. The sixth Chapter
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of Judges opens with a familiar pattern, but a new enemy.
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The people of Israel did what was evil in the
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sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into
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the hand of Midian seven years. The Midianites weren't just
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another conquering army. They were destroyers of hope itself. Every year,
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like a plague of locusts, they would sweep across Israel's farmland,
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just as the crops were ready for harvest. Judges six
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three four describes there devastating strategy for whenever the Israelites
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planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people
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of the East would come up against them, they would
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encamp against them and devour the produce of the land
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as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel
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and no sheep or ox or donkey. Imagine working all
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year long planting your fields, tending your crops, watching them
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grow tall and ready for harvest. Then just when you're
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about to gather the food your family needs to survive
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the winter, enemy raiders appear on the horizon. They take everything,
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not just your grain, but your animals too. Seven years
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of this treatment had broken Israel's spirit. The people were
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forced to live like animals themselves. Judges six two tells
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us that the hand of Midian overpowered Israel, and because
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of Midian, the people of Israel made for themselves the
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dens that are in the mountains and the caves and
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the strongholds. Families who should have been living in their
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own homes were hiding in caves, coming out only to
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scratch desperately for food. When people reached the bottom, they
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finally remember to look up. Judges six six seven records
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their desperation, and Israel was brought very low because of
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midian and the people of Israel cried out for help
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to the Lord. When the people of Israel cried out
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to the Lord on account of the Midianites, But before
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God sent a deliverer, he sent a prophet with a
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message that cut straight to the heart of their problem.
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The prophet's words in Judges six eight ten didn't offer comfort,
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they offered truth. Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel.
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I led you up from Egypt and brought you out
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of the house of slavery. And I delivered you from
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the hand of the Egyptians, and from the hand of
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all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you,
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and gave you their land. And I said to you,
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I am the Lord your God. You shall not fear
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the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.
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But you have not obeyed my voice. The message was clear.
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Their suffering wasn't random, it was the direct result of
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their disobedience. God had done everything for them, rescued them
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from Egypt, driven out their enemies, given them a rich land.
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All he asked in return was that they worship him
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alone and not bow down to false gods. But they
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had broken that simple agreement, and now they were paying
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the price. After the prophet delivered his hard message, something changed.
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The Angel of the Lord appeared not to a priest
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or a prince, but to a frightened farmer doing his
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work in secret. Judges six eleven sets the scene. Now,
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the Angel of the Lord came and under the terebinth
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at Ophra, which belonged to joe Ash, the abbey's right,
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while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the
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wine press to hide it from the Midianites. Picture this scene.
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Gideon wasn't threshing grain in the normal place where the
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wind could blow away the chaff. He was hiding in
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a wine press, a deep pit where grapes were usually crushed.
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This wasn't efficient, It was desperate. He was so afraid
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of the Midianites that he would rather work in secret
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than risk being seen. Then came the greeting that must
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have sounded like a cruel joke. The angel's words in
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Judges six twelve seemed to mock the cowering farmer. The
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Lord is with you, O, mighty man of valor, mighty warrior.
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This was a man hiding in a hole, afraid to
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thresh grain in public. If Gideon had been brave, he
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would have laughed at the absurdity. Instead, his response revealed
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both his pain and his doubt. Judges six thirteen records
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Gideon's bitter reply, Please, my Lord, if the Lord is
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with us, why then has all this happened to us?
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And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers
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recounted to us, saying, did not the Lord bring us
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up from Egypt? But now the Lord has forsaken us
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and given us into the hand of Midian. Gideon had
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heard the stories every Israelite child knew about the plagues
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in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the manner
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in the wilderness. But those were old stories from his
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grandparents time. Where was God now when the Midian nights
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came year after year to steal their food and destroy
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their hope. The Lord's response was simple and direct, recorded
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in Judges six fourteen. Go in this your strength and
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save Israel from the hand of Midian. Do not I
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send you, but Gideon wasn't buying it. His reply in
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Judges six fifteen showed just how unlikely a candidate he was. Please, Lord,
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how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the
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weakest in Manassa, and I am the least in my
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father's house. Everything about Gideon screamed wrong choice. He came
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from the weakest clan in his tribe, and he was
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the youngest and least important person in that weak clan.
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By human standards, he had nothing to recommend him as
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a military leader. But God's answer in Judges six sixteen
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revealed a different perspective. But I will be with you,
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and you shall strike the Midianites. As one man, Gideon
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needed proof. Like most people facing an impossible task, he
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asked for a sign. He prepared an offering, a young
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goat and unleavened bread, and brought it to the Angel.
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What happened next removed all doubt. Judges six twenty one
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twenty two disc scribes the miraculous confirmation. Then the Angel
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of the Lord reached out the tip of the staff
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that was in his hand and touched the meat and
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the unleavened cakes, and fire sprang up from the rock
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and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes, and the
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Angel of the Lord vanished from his sight. Then Gideon
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perceived that he was the Angel of the Lord, and
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Gideon said, alas O, Lord God, for now I have
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seen the Angel of the Lord face to face fire
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from a rock, consuming the sacrifice completely. This was clearly supernatural,
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But instead of being thrilled, Gideon was terrified. He thought
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seeing God's Angel meant certain death. The Lord's gentle response
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in Judges six twenty three calmed his fears. Peace be
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to you. Do not fear, you shall not die. That night,
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Gideon built an altar on the spot and called it
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the Lord is Peace. It was the first step in
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his transformation from fearful farmer to faithful warrior. God wasn't
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finished with Gideon That very night he gave his newly
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chosen judge a dangerous assignment. Judges six twenty five twenty
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six records the command that night, the Lord said to him,
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take your father's bull and the second bull seven years old,
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and pull down the altar of bail that your father has,
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and cut down the asherer that is beside it, and
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build an altar to the Lord, your God on the
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top of the stronghold here in the ordered way, and
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take the second bull and offer it as a burnt
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offering with the wood of the asherer that you shall
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cut down. This wasn't just about building a new altar.
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It was about tearing down the old one. Gideon's own father,
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joe Ash, had built an altar to Bial right there
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in their hometown. For years, the family had been hedging
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their bets, worshiping both the God of Israel and the
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Canaanite fertility god. Now God was demanding complete loyalty. The
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task required real courage. Destroying Bal's altar would enrage the
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entire community. But notice how Gideon approached the problem. Judges
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six twenty seven shows his strategy. So Gideon took ten
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men of his servants and did as the Lord had
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told him. But because he was too afraid of his
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family and the men of the town to do it
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by day, he did it by night. He obeyed, but
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he did it under cover of darkness. This wasn't the
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bold action of a confident warrior. It was the careful
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obedience of a man still struggling with fear. Yet it
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was obedience. Nonetheless, sometimes courage isn't about feeling brave. It's
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about doing what's right, even when you're scared. When morning came,
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the townspeople discovered what had happened. Their reaction was swift
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and violent. Judges six twenty eight to thirty describes their rage.
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When the men, when of the town rose early in
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the morning, behold the altar of bail was broken down,
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and the asherer beside it was cut down, and the
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second bull was offered on the altar that had been built.
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And they said to one another, who has done this thing?
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And after they made search and inquired, they said, Gideon,
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the son of Josh, has done this thing. Then the
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men of the town said to Josh, bring out your
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son that he may die, for he has broken down
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the altar of bail and cut down the ashera beside it.
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They wanted Gideon's blood in their minds. He had committed
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an unforgivable crime against their God. They demanded that his
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own father hand him over for execution. But something unexpected happened.
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Joe Ash defended his son. The father's response in Judges
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six thirty one thirty two was brilliant. But Joash said
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to all who stood again, will you contend for Bal,
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or will you save him? Whoever contends for him shall
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be put to death by mourning. If he is a god,
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let him contend for himself, because his altar has been
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broken down. Therefore, on that day Gideon was called Jerabal,
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that is to say, let Baal contend against him because
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he broke down his altar. Joash turned the tables on
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the angry crowd. If Bal was really a god, why
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did he need humans to defend him. Let Baal take
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his own revenge. It was a logical argument that left
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the mob speechless and gave Gideon a new name, Jeribal,
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meaning let bile contend. News traveled fast in the ancient world,
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especially bad news. Word of Gideon's altar smashing reached the
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enemies camped beyond Israel's borders. The Midianites, Amalekites, and other
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Eastern peoples decided it was time to end Israel's rebellion
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once and for all. Judges six thirty three describes their
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massive mobilization. Now all the Midianites and the Amalekites and
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the people of the East came together, and they crossed
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the Jordan and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. This
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wasn't just another raiding party coming to steal grain. This
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was an army bent on conquest, camping in Israel's most
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fertile valley. The threat was existential. If Israel didn't act now,
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there might not be an Israel left to save. But
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something had changed in Gideon, the man who had been
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threshing wheat in secret, was about to become a military commander.
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Judges six thirty four records the moment of transformation. But
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the spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and he sounded
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the trumpet, and the Abisrites were called out to follow him.
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The Hebrew word for clothed suggests that God's spirit didn't
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just come upon Gideon. It wrapped around him like armour,
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covering his weaknesses and empowering him for battle. The same
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spirit that had empowered Othniel and would later empower Samson
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now transformed a frightened farmer into a warrior. Gideon's trumpet
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call echoed across the hills, and men began to respond.
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First came his own clan, the Abbiezrites. Then the message spread.
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Judges six thirty five shows the growing response, and he
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sent messengers throughout all Manassa, and they too were called
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out to follow him. And he sent messengers to Asher,
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Zebulun and Naftali, and they came up to meet them.
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Thirty two thousand men answered the call, not a huge
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army by ancient standards, but large enough to give hope.
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Warriors came from four different tribes united under Gideon's leadership.
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The man who had complained about being the least in
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the weakest clan now commanded a four that represented nearly
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half of Israel's tribes. Fear was transforming into faith, but
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the change wasn't complete yet. Gideon still needed reassurance that
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this was really God's plan and not a recipe for disaster.
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Even with an army gathering around him and the spirit
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of the Lord upon him, Gideon still struggled with doubt.
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The stakes were too high to get this wrong. If
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he led Israel's army into battle and lost, the nation
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might be wiped out completely. He needed absolute certainty that
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God was really with him, so he devised a test.
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Judges six thirty six thirty seven records his request. Then
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Gideon said to God, if you will save Israel by
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my hand as you have said, behold I am laying
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a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there
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is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry
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on all the ground, then I shall know that you
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will save Israel by my hand. As you have said,
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think about what Gideon was asking for. Normally, dew forms
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on everything exposed to the night air, grass, rocks, cloth.
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For the fleece to be soaking wet while the ground
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around its state completely dry would violate the laws of nature.
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Only God could make that happen. The next morning brought
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exactly what Gideon had requested. Judges six thirty eight describes
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the result, and it was so. When he rose early
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next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew
35:34
from the fleece to fill a bowl with water, a
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whole bowl of water from one sheep's fleece, while the
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ground remained dry. This was clearly supernatural, but instead of
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being satisfied, Gideon asked for one more test. His second
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request in Judges six thirty nine shows how hard it
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was for him to believe. Then Gideon said to God,
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let not your anger be kindled against me, and let
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me speak just once more. Please let me test just
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once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry
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on the fleece only, and on all the ground, Let
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there be due This second test was actually harder than
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the first. Wool naturally absorbs moisture from the air.