Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian” (Judges 6:13).

I commented a couple of days ago that it was likely that the parents of that generation of Israelites had not adequately taught their children about the LORD, because the text says,

All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel (Judges 2:10).

Yet, Gideon testifies that their fathers did tell them about God's deliverance from Egypt. Even so, the LORD says of Israel that whether they knew of His mighty acts or not, they had not obeyed Him (Judges 6:10). 

Now, it may well be true that some heard of God's mighty acts while others did not. And we will discover that some, like Boaz in the Book of Ruth, which was set in the days of the Judges, were faithful to the LORD while others were not. Thus, we are to understand that in every generation God reserves for Himself a faithful few. And He does this by His grace, even as He did in the days of Elijah, when he complained that he was the only faithful one left in Israel:

God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”? And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace (Romans 11:2-6).

What is the purpose of the detailed account of Gideon's conquest of Midian? It is to show that God's grace is greater than human weakness, and even though the people disobeyed Him, even though the Jewish parents failed to adequately teach the generations after them about the LORD, God's grace still prevailed, even through a remnant. 

Even today, while the majority of the human race, ignorant of God, are perishing, God has reserved for Himself a remnant according to His grace. While the majority of professing Christians may only think they are saved, and will perish because they are ignorant of the Scriptures, God has reserved for Himself a remnant according to His grace. And we ought not to think that this remnant is very many, because Jesus said,

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it (Matthew 7:13-14).

Those of you that cannot find it in your busy schedules to spend at least one hour in God's eternal Word every day, do you think that you are among these few? No, we are not saved simply by reading the Scriptures. And no, we are not even saved by our works. However, those who do these things demonstrate the fruit of those that believe God and are saved. I take to heart Paul's injunction, "Work our your salvation with fear and trembling..." (Philippians 2:12). While I have confidence in the Lord, I have no confidence in my own ability. This wrestling within causes me daily to both fear and tremble, as I seek to make my calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10).

Gideon puts the LORD to the test three times:

Gideon replied, “If you are truly going to help me, show me a sign to prove that it is really the LORD speaking to me. (Judges 6:17 NLT)

Then Gideon said to God, “If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised, prove it to me in this way. I will put a wool fleece on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as you promised.” (Judges 6:36, 37 NLT)

Then Gideon said to God, “Please don’t be angry with me, but let me make one more request. Let me use the fleece for one more test. This time let the fleece remain dry while the ground around it is wet with dew.” (Judges 6:39 NLT)

What is more, he shows himself to be a timid man and lacking faith:

“But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” (Judges 6:15 NLT)

So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD had commanded. But he did it at night because he was afraid of the other members of his father’s household and the people of the town. (Judges 6:27 NLT)

But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah. Listen to what the Midianites are saying, and you will be greatly encouraged. Then you will be eager to attack.”
So Gideon took Purah and went down to the edge of the enemy camp. (Judges 7:10, 11 NLT)

It is only when the Spirit of God comes upon him (Judges 6:34) that this faithless and timid man rises to become the "mighty hero" that God first called him to be. Then with every success Gideon grows in confidence, boldness, and faith (Judges 8:4, 7, 9, 21, 23). 

With that said, I make this observation. Many people remember Gideon not for his growth in confidence, boldness and faith but rather for his earlier timidity and testing (i.e. Gideon's fleece). While this is understandable because we sometimes identify more with the faults of biblical characters rather than their virtues, it is not for this reason wise for us to follow them in their immaturity. We are supposed to learn from their mistakes.

But it is hardly learning from their mistakes when we ourselves put out our own fleeces of sorts to test the will of God for our lives, as if this were something commendable to do. Because Gideon did not trust the Lord's Word, he tested the LORD by requesting a miraculous sign. While God grants him this request, this is nowise commended. In fact, when Jesus is similarly tempted by Satan to test the LORD's Word, Jesus answered him, "You must not test the LORD your God!" (Matthew 4:7). We must not mistaken God's forebearance with Gideon as a tacit approval of his actions.

Therefore, friends, just because God will not answer you directly, do not thereby try to force His hand by putting out a "fleece," as Gideon did. I know some singles that pray to God, "If I call this girl, and she answers the phone, then I will know that you have given this girl to be my wife. But if she does not answer, I will know that she is not for me." 

Now, there are occasions in Scripture where God does indulge His servants in this way as He works out His sovereign purposes, but it is never commanded or set out as an example to follow. On the contrary, we are commanded not to the test the Lord, even Jesus (1 Corinthians 10:9).

The angel of the LORD came and sat down under oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. ¹² When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”
 ¹³ “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
 
Doesn't what Gideon says here sound familiar to you at all?  Isn't that the most popular comment among people of any nationality when natural or man-made disasters like Tsunami in Japan or terrorism or massacres like holocaust happen.  They never fail to blame God for the calamities inflicted on them, saying how God could allow such things to happen if He is a loving God.  On the contrary, when everything goes well and the world around them is all as it should be, credit never goes to God but to themselves.  God knows how evil our hearts are and says to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’"  It is by His mercy that we all still exist on earth.  Our depraved mind seeks nothing but evil and so we deserve His rightful punishment.  Let's give glory to Jesus who is our mediator and intercessor!

God said that Gideon could only take 300 men, because he didn't want Israel to think that it was actually they who defeated the Midianites and Amalekites, who were as numerous as locusts and sand on the seashore. He wanted to prove to Israel that he is the one who is giving them this land. It reminds me that my own accomplishments are not truly mine but are due only to God's providence. I have to remember to stay humble and know who is really at work in my life.