Fleece is the wool shorn from a sheep. You may be surprised to know that fleece does appear in Scripture.
Job mentions fleece once (Job 31:20), while it is a central part in a story about Gideon.
God promises Gideon victory, but Gideon questions God and gives him a test to perform. Gideon places a fleece (a wooly mass) on the ground and asks that only the fleece have dew on it in the morning. God lovingly does what Gideon asks (Judges 6:36-40).
Gideon second-guesses his first test. He gives God another test, but desires the opposite outcome. God patiently complies and in the morning the ground has dew and the fleece is dry.
Some people follow Gideon’s example. They present God with a figurative fleece and ask him to do something to confirm an idea or an action.
Yet this is not an act of faith; it’s a reflection of doubt. Both Moses and, more importantly, Jesus tell us not to test God (Deuteronomy 6:16 and Luke 4:12).
Key verse about Fleece: Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew (Judges 6:39, NIV).
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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