基甸与羊毛
士师记六章33至40节
33那时，米甸人、亚玛力人和东方人都聚集过河，在耶斯列平原安营。
34耶和华的灵降在基甸身上，他就吹角，亚比以谢族都聚集跟随他；
35他打发人走遍玛拿西地，玛拿西人也聚集跟随他；又打发人去见亚设人、西布伦人、拿弗他利人，他们也都出来与他们会合。
36基甸对神说：“你若果照着所说的话，藉我手拯救以色列人，
37我就把一团羊毛放在禾场上。若单是羊毛上有露水，别的地方都是干的，我就知道你必照着所说的话，藉我手拯救以色列人。”
38次日早晨，基甸起来，见果然是这样；将羊毛挤一挤，从羊毛中拧出满盆的露水来。
39基甸又对神说：“求你不要向我发怒，我再说这一次：让我将羊毛再试一次。但愿羊毛是干的，别的地方都有露水。”
40这夜神也如此行：独羊毛上是干的，别的地方都有露水。
信息分享
神呼召基甸，如今便要装备他，并将祂的灵浇灌在祂仆人身上，正如第34 节说：「耶和华的灵降在基甸身上。」无论做任何事，都必须靠神的能力方可做成。神其后向先知撒迦利亚也传达了同一个信息：「不是倚靠势力，不是倚靠才能，乃是倚靠我的灵方能成事。」（亚四6）今天的情况仍是如此。
基甸知道神向他发出呼召，不过，他却希望神作进一步的印证。他拿羊毛来求问神，有任何不妥之处吗？倘若我们都能学像基甸那样，认真寻求神的心意，必可避免事后出现的许多麻烦。基甸已经知道神的心意，他只是希望得到印证。
神如果知道你确实愿意听从祂，而不是满足好奇心，祂并不介意你寻求印证。事实上，太多人都是先行动，然后才寻求神的心意。
另一些人却疏于寻求神的引导，完全不会花时间去研读神的话语，或在祷告中寻求等候。他们会立即将羊毛拿出来，求神即时显明祂的心意。他们是求取神迹，却并不愿意首先聆听神的心意。
基甸拿羊毛出来，为的是印证神早已说过的话，而非用羊毛的测试来探知神的心意。
因此，要确保你首先聆听，然后才去寻求印证。神不会跟你玩游戏，祂只想你明白祂的心意。
经文反思：「我要教导你，指示你当行的路；我要定睛在你身上劝戒你。」（诗三十二8）
GIDEON AND THE FLEECE
Judges 6:33-40
33 Then all the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they crossed over and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel.
34 But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him.
35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also gathered behind him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.
36 So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said—
37 look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.”
38 And it was so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water.
39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.”
40 And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground.
Message
God had called Gideon. Now it was time to equip him and God poured out his Spirit upon his servant. An interesting word is used in v.34: ‘The Spirit of the Lord clothed himself with Gideon'. If anything was going to be accomplished it would have to be by the power of God. That was the same message God later gave through Zechariah ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord' (Zechariah 4:6). It is still the same today.
Gideon knew God had spoken. But he also asked for further confirmation. Was there anything wrong with his request regarding the fleece? Over the years since then many heartaches could have been avoided if the persons concerned had followed Gideon's plan. Gideon knew God's will. He merely wanted it confirmed.
God doesn't mind you asking for confirmation provided he can see you are willing to obey what he has asked, and not merely curious. Too many people act first and check with God later.
Others have a lazy attitude towards seeking God's guidance. Without taking time to look into God's Word or seek him in prayer, they immediately say: I have put out a fleece'. They look for a sign, instead of listening first to the Lord.
The fleece in Gideon's case was to confirm what God had already said. It was not in the first instance, to reveal God's will.
Make sure you have been listening before you start looking. God will not play games with you. He wants you to know what his will is.
A VERSE FOR TODAY: I will instruct you and guide you along the best pathway for your life; I will advise you and watch your progress.' (Psalm 32:8)