Gideon's Fleece: Faith or Lack of Trust?

Judges 6

1 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.

2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.

3 And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;

4 And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.

5 For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it.

6 And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD.

7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites,

8 That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage;

9 And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land;

10 And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.

11 And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi-ezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.

12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.

14 And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?

15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.

16 And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.

17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.

18 Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.

19 And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it.

20 And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.

21 Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.

22 And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.

23 And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.

24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites.

25 And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father’s young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it:

26 And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.

27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father’s household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.

28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built.

29 And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.

30 Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it.

31 And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar.

32 Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar.

33 Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel.

34 But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abi-ezer was gathered after him.

35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was gathered after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.

36 And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,

37 Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.

38 And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.

39 And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.

40 And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.

Poner un vellón delante de Dios puede ser tanto un acto de fe como una manifestación de incredulidad, dependiendo de la motivación del corazón y de la madurez espiritual de la personaST June 23, 1881, Art. A, par. 28+1.

Aquí te presento una explicación detallada sobre este acto basado en la experiencia de Gedeón:

La insuficiencia y el llamado de Gedeón 🌟

• Gedeón sentía profundamente su propia insuficiencia para la gran obra que tenía por delante y no se atrevía a ponerse al frente del ejército sin una evidencia positiva de que Dios lo había llamadoST June 23, 1881, Art. A, par. 28.

• Al batir el trigo con un palo en el lagar para esconderlo de los madianitas, Gedeón trabajaba con tristeza y anhelo en su corazón, meditando en las maravillas que Dios había hecho en el pasadoBHOTV3 116.2.

• El Señor se le apareció y le dio el mandato directo de salvar a Israel, asegurándole Su presencia constante Judges 6:14+1.

• A pesar de las promesas directas, Gedeón buscó señales para confirmar que era realmente el Señor quien hablaba con élARSH August 19, 1862, page 94.5+1.

El milagro del vellón de lana 🐑

• El milagro consistió en que el rocío cayera en una ocasión solo sobre el vellón mientras el suelo permanecía seco, y en una segunda ocasión el vellón quedó seco mientras la tierra estaba húmedaETI Fleece.2+1.

• En la primera prueba, Gedeón se levantó temprano y exprimió del vellón un tazón lleno de aguaKJV — Judges 6:37.

• Tras el primer éxito, la incredulidad sugirió que la lana absorbe naturalmente la humedad del aire, por lo que Gedeón, temiendo ofender a Dios, pidió humildemente que se invirtiera la señalEP 395.3+1.

• Dios, en Su infinita condescendencia, concedió ambas peticiones para fortalecer la fe de Su siervo antes de la batallaPP 548.2+1.

¿Es un acto bueno o malo? ⚖️

• Es un acto de fe fortalecedora: Para Gedeón, estas señales fueron un medio para obtener la confianza necesaria para avanzar en medio de dificultades extremasARSH August 19, 1862, page 94.5.

• Puede ser un acto de presunción o incredulidad: Si se utiliza para evitar el deber o cuando Dios ya ha dado instrucciones claras, se convierte en una manifestación de falta de fe2MCP 534.1+1.

• La verdadera fe consiste en creer en la "palabra desnuda" o promesa de Dios sin necesidad de otras evidencias físicasCSW 72.1+1.

• El " Vellón de Gedeón" simboliza la bendición divina; así como Israel era como ese vellón lleno de rocío entre las naciones, también representa que es Dios quien decide cuándo derramar Su gracia sobre Su puebloBHOTV3 121.1.

Lecciones sobre la guía divina 💡

• Aunque Dios concedió la señal a Gedeón por su humildad y sinceridad, hoy se nos exhorta a no confiar en métodos que limiten a Dios o que intenten manipular Su voluntadSITI February 11, 1886, page 88.17+1.

• El peligro de "poner vellones" es que a menudo se confunde la presunción con la fe, reclamando respuestas específicas de la manera que nosotros esperamos2MCP 534.1+1.

• Nuestra mayor seguridad es confiar plenamente en el Señor con todo nuestro corazón y no apoyarnos en nuestra propia prudencia o entendimiento Proverbs 3:5YI December 15, 1892, par. 1.

• Al igual que Gedeón, cuando nos sentimos débiles debemos buscar la fortaleza de Dios, pero el ideal es alcanzar una fe que tome a Dios por Su palabra sin dudar5LtMs, Lt 25, 1888, par. 7+1.

En resumen, aunque Dios aceptó el vellón de Gedeón debido a su situación particular y su sincera necesidad de confirmación, el camino más excelente es caminar por fe en Sus promesas escritas, evitando la presunción de exigir pruebas físicas constantesCSW 72.1+1.