ALL ABOUT YOU: GIDEON, CHAPTER 14
THE FLOOR OF SEPARATION
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01-18-04
PUTTING OUT FLEECES – GIDEON IS STILL ASKING FOR SIGNS (MIRACLES)
(Judg 6:36,37) And Gideon said unto God [doubts - second-thoughts; he reverted back to sight (backsliding)], If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor [threshing floor (i.e. the floor of separation); Judg 6:11]; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know [i.e. believe] that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.
1. “And Gideon said unto God… as thou hast said” = Gideon is now walking partially by faith for he is speaking (praying) to the “invisible God” (Col 1:15 & 1 Tim 1:17; Heb 11:27) whom he cannot see (sight). However, Gideon is still a fetal creature in the cocoon of God’s Word, very much in the process of being transformed by the Holy Spirit from the old caterpillar soul man (visible) into the new butterfly spirit man (invisible). He is growing, becoming, in Christ (invisible); he is growing from the visible into invisible. Please consider the parallel progressive evolution of the tabernacle of Moses into the tabernacle of David, wherein the 48 supporting priest boards are become invisible – along with the golden pot of manna and Aaron’s rod that budded (shhhh, don’t tell anybody, but the latter two are hidden inside David: 1 Sam 16:13).
2. The conclusion that the preponderance of Gideon’s walk remains by sight is evidenced by the fact that he still does not believe God even after receiving from God four verbal assurances (Judg 6:12,14,16,23), “a sign” (Judg 6:17-21), eternal salvation (Judg 6:22), and “the earnest” of the Holy Spirit (Judg 6:34). Gideon is one hard-headed (hearted) dude – just like you and me.
3. “a fleece of wool” = a sheepskin, the covering of our nakedness, the covering of our exposed flesh, i.e. our sin. Goliath = Heb: exile /// to make nude; reveal, disclose, uncover, make captive. The sheep’s skin also represents the OT covering gold of God, the NT covering blood of Jesus Christ, “the garments of salvation… the robe of righteousness” (Isa 61:10); the church (skin covering) and that which grows out of the church, i.e. wheat and tares (the wool).
4. (Gen 3:21) Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of [coverings of] skins [skin; hide, leather], and clothed them [labash; wrap around, (by impl.) to put on a garment or clothe (oneself, or another): (in) apparel, arm, array (self), come (came) upon, put (on, upon), wear].
5. (Judg 6:34) But the spirit of the LORD came upon [labash] Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him. [“the earnest” of the Holy Spirit: 2 Cor 1:22; 5;5]
6. sheepskin = Dict: 1. the skin of a sheep, esp. such a skin dressed with the wool on, as for a garment. 2. leather, parchment, or the like made from the skin of sheep. 3. U.S. Colloq. a diploma. [signifying learning and knowledge, i.e. the produce of discipleship, pupilship, studentship]
7. wool = Dict: 1. the fine, soft, curly hair, characterized by minute, overlapping surface scales, to which its felting property is mainly due, that forms the fleece of sheep and certain other animals, that of sheep constituting one of the most important materials for clothing. 2. fabrics or garments made from sheep’s wool.
8. (Psa 23:1-3) A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want [lack]. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
9. “in the floor” = to smooth; a threshing-floor (as made even). [straight, level: associate with Luke 3:4-6 and our Chapter 2 cross worksheet – the floor of separation. What instrument does the separating?]
10. thresh = Dict: 1. to separate the grain or seeds from (a cereal plant, etc.), as by beating with a flail. 2. to discuss (a matter) exhaustively. 3. to beat as if with a flail.
11. flail = Dict: 1. an instrument for threshing grain by hand, consisting of a staff or handle to one end of which is attached a freely swinging stick or bar. 2. an implement derived from the threshing flail used as a weapon of war in the Middle Ages. 3. to strike with, or as if with, a flail. [Nunchaku – Nunchucks]
SEPARATION OF SPIRIT FROM SOUL
THE WHEAT AND THE TARES IN YOUR FLEECE (FIELD)
(Judg 6:38-40) 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 [i.e. the wheat]. And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once [doubts – second-second-thoughts]: 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. And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only [the tares revealed, i.e. no Holy Spirit], and there was dew [water covering] on all the ground [2 Thes 2:6].
1. dew = Heb: dew (as covering) /// cover. Dict: 1. moisture condensed from the atmosphere, esp. at night, and deposited in the form of small drops upon any cool surface. [i.e. warm vapors compress (condense) into a denser form when in contact with cool surfaces]
2. (Job 1:9,10) Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him [for protection and restraint], and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
3. hedge = The hedge formed about us is the Living Word “spoken by angels” (Heb 2:2). It is a supernatural covering provided by God for your protection and restraint.
4. (Deu 32:1,2) [The song of Moses] Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil [flow] as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:
5. dry = Heb: drought or desolation: dry, heat, X utterly, waste.
6. thrust = Heb: to press together, tighten: close, crush, thrust together /// a strait, i.e. (fig.) distress: anguish, X troublous. [Great Tribulation: Gk: pressure: affliction, persecution /// to crowd: narrow]
7. wringed = Heb: to suck out; by impl. to drain, to squeeze out: suck, wring (out).
8. evaporate = Dict: 1. to turn to vapor; pass off in vapor. 2. to give off moisture. 3. to disappear; vanish; fade [to become invisible]. 4. to extract moisture from, as by heat, so as to make dry.
9. (Eccl 12:7) Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. [i.e. evaporation – become invisible: the ultimate separation from “sight”]
10. (Isa 55:11) So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void [empty (i.e. “my word”+ the transformed you)], but it shall accomplish [perform] that which I please, and it shall prosper [i.e. be fruitful and multiply] in the thing whereto I sent it.
11. (2 Thes 2:6-8) And now ye know what withholdeth [restrains, (covers)] that he [“that Wicked”] might be revealed [take the cover off: disclosed] in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [restrains] will let [restrain], until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked [unlawful] be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
12. What and/or who presently covers and thereby restrains the evil?
13. (Mat 13:47-51) Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net [“network of brass” Exo 27:4,5; “precept upon precept; line upon line” Isa 28:9-13], that was cast into the sea [of humanity], and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew [to cause to go up /// up] to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good [fruit - spirit] into vessels [receptacles (i.e. bowls)], but cast the bad [untransformed soul: Rom 12:2] away. So shall it be at the end of the world [aion; age]: the angels shall come forth [Rom 8:18], and sever [divide, separate] the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
14. (John 21:11) Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great [mighty, strong] fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.
Amen