Are There Incidents in the Old Testament That Set a Precedent for Hearing God's Voice: Can Christians Hear the Voice of God, Part 3?

A friend of mine once told me how God told her whom she was to marry. When her car broke down on a traffic-circle near the Chrisian college campus she attended, she knew that a man, a fellow student, who had romantic interests in her would likely be following the same route on his way to work. She "put out a fleece" asking God to confirm whether she should pursue a relationship and marriage with the man. She prayed that God would lead him to pass her, stop, and rescue her from her distress, if he was the man, she was supposed to marry. In this way God would speak to her about his purpose for the relationship. Within minutes of her prayer the young man did pass, saw her, stopped, started her car and went on to work. Nearly a year later they were married in the college chapel. It was hardly a "happily ever after" story.

The marriage was troubled from the start. The young man had substance abuse issues, practiced criminal activity and was involved in multiple extra-marital affairs. Four-children later they were divorced. Did God lead her into this marriage, or did she mishear? Is the word of God that we hear in our experience uncertain? God is truth, but does he sometimes speak in half-truths? 

Priscilla Shirer says (with absolutely no Biblical support) says that God gives grace when we act in his name, but things go awry of God's perfect plan. She claims that obeying God's voice in our experience is the equivalent of obeying the prophetic word even though it may fall short of God's Divine promises. She advocates "putting out a fleece" to hear God's word. She and others claim the practice is supported by the biblical record of an event during the biblical period of the Judges. It was a period when Israel was in captivity to the Midianites and were suffering persecution and poverty. During that period God chose several individuals to rid the nation of their oppressors and call them back to Himself. We call those leaders Judges. In the book of Judges Chapter 6 an idolatrous Baal worshipper named Jerub-Baal hears God's voice calling him to deliver his family and the nation from their superstitious idolatry and to humiliatingly defeat their Midianite oppressors. 

After a conversation with God Jeub-Ball, whom God called Gideon, asks God to confirm his purposes to him. Gideon routs his father's house and his town of Baal's idols and altars.  His family is angry that he has taken down their idols and leaves him to attack the Midianites on his own. Opposition from family and friends causes him to falter. Unbelieving and uncertain he does what some in the EGM movement claim is an example for us to follow. He prays that God would act in his circumstances as a means of confirmation.  He "puts out a fleece," twice. 

The Angel of the Lord appears to Gideon and tells him that God is with him. Gideon replies that Israel has been abandoned by God and that God has been silent. 

"[14] And the LORD turned to him and said, 'Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?' [15] And he said to him, 'Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.' [16] And the LORD said to him, 'But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.' 

Gideon heard the clear, audible, unmistakable voice of God. There was no learning to "discern God's voice," no incomplete or partial understanding. Gideon knew exactly what God wanted him to do. The polytheist, Gideon, sought confirmation that the God speaking to him could be trusted.  He asked God to repeat the command. Notice, Gideon understands what God want him to do. This passage is not an example of how to discern God's will.  Gideon standing in the physical presence of the Angel of the Lord (likely the pre-incarnate Christ) has heard "voice of God" twice, yet, he wavers again:

 [17] And he said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. [18] Please do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you.” And he said, “I will stay till you return.” (Judges 6:17–18ESV)

This time Gideon's inquiry is a little different. It is whether he, a Ball worshipping idolater, can find favor in the eyes of Yahweh. He prepares a goat and unleavened bread and sacrifices them on the altar. The angel touched them with his staff, and fire fell from heaven consuming them. The angel then tells Gideon to prepare meat and unleavened cakes on a rock, touching them with his staff the fires consume them. The angel accepted Gideons sacrifice.

Now not only does Gideon know what God wants him to do, and that God him task. God did not show his favor through an animal sacrifice in accord with the Jewish Law.  The Angel confirmed God's revelation to Gideon through the accepted biblical provision. Gideon heard a clear recognizable audible voice, then fire fell from heaven and consumed the altar in a miraculous sign that was in accord with the Word of God. Through his revealed purposes God leaves Gideon no room to doubt who He was, what he was commanding, nor that Gideon had been chosen. Yet Gideon is still not convinced:

[22] Then Gideon perceived that he was the Angel of the LORD. [the Angel of the Lord is probably the Pre-incarnate Christ] And Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord GOD! For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face.” [23] But the LORD said to him, “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.” [24] Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and called it, The LORD Is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites. (ESV)

This is hardly what EGM speaker's advocate we do to "put out a fleece." EGM advocates claim we should ask God to direct us through manipulation of circumstantial event that relates to our requests, such as having the boyfriend pass the distressed girlfriend broken down on the traffic circle in the nick of time. in other words, a divinely directed coincidence. They claim that the story of Giden proves that when we ask see God act in our circumstances in the way we have requested that we have heard God's voice in the same way Gideon did. This practice of "putting out fleeces" is an example, they claim of how God direct us. Really? Is this the point of Gideon's experience?

What Gideon sought confirmation through God's revealed means. But this is not enough for Gideon. He still doubts. He prays for God's for further confirmation through a sign or "a fleece:"

[36] Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, [37] behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, 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 next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. [39] Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.” [40] And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew. (Judges 6:36–40ESV)

Gideon lays a wool fleece on the threshing floor and ask God to confirm his will by making it wet. This is not enough for Gideon. The condensation could have formed on a hot threshing floor. A command delivered in person from the Angel of the Lord, a sacrifice accepted, and a confirming sign is still not enough for Gideon. He wants further to proof that this was Yahweh who was speaking and commanding him.  He's got to be sure. So, he asks God to allow him to leave the fleece overnight again and let him find it dry. This was contrary to what one would expect naturally. Rather than just a manipulation of circumstance Gideon seeks a supernatural sign. Gideon's fleece request that God work in a natural event is a supernatural way to confirm his person and purposes for Gideon.

Are Gideon's actions a model of how God speaks to us or how we are to discern direction?  Is that a proper use of this passage? Does the story of Gideon provide an example of "hearing the voice of God" that we are to emulate? Let's make some observations:

• Twice God spoke to Gideon in clear recognizable unimpeded voice. Gideon was an idolater, who had little familiarity with the true God. He had no doubt about the message. Gideon wanted to know if he could trust this Angel to do what he said he would do.
• God revealed what he wanted Gideon before Gideon asked for a sign. The fleece was not being used a means of either hearing God's voice or gaining direction.
• Gideon request for a sign was to determine the identity of the one who spoke. He knew what God wanted him to do. 
• God's revelation of himself and his will, proceeded the events in question.
• God actually gave four signs before Gideon finally acted. Each of these signs were natural events that God used in supernatural ways. They were not random occurrences of natural events.  

To say this passage models how we are to hear God's voice misses the point altogether.  Gideon's question to the angel had been whether his presence would indeed go with him if he obeyed. This was not a matter of Gideon seeking clarification of God' purpose or a confirming sign for direction. To claim that mature believers should requests, signs or a confirming circumstance, to hear God's voice misconstrues the intent of this passage. Gideon heard God's voice, recognized His identity and his will before putting out a sign. Why did God tolerate this repeated testing, and what is the principle we are to follow from this incident?

Gideon was and idolatrous Baal worshipper, named Jerub-Ball.  He knew that God had judged His people and that was why the promises were going unrealized. He was a polytheistic idolator seeking to determine whether this "voice" was from the true God and whether he had his favor. Gideon was "testing the spirits." He said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me." Gideon sought signs to confirm who the Person was to whom he spoke and that he was in God's favor." He questioned whether this revelation was truly from God.

God's revelation, his voice is always clear and unmistakable. Circumstances and events need not be sought to hear it or to understand it. Gideon never sought to understand God's purposes, promises or conditions through "putting out a fleece," and neither should we. Seeking signs or "putting out" fleeces" to hear God's voice is superstitions idolatry rather than the practice of mature sanctified discernment. 

In a time and culture where the Messiah had not been revealed and the Word had not yet been Canonized, and where people served many gods', Gideon sought "test the spirits." Gideon was testing the virtue and value of both the Person who spoke to him and the message. He did not seek to confirm God's will through a fleece. He wanted to be sure that if he took the bold, risky action he was being asked to take that it was the One True God, Yahweh, who was leading him. This is why God was patient. He was, as he often is in the Old Testament responsive to a request to prove himself the be One True God among many false gods.

Rather than being a model for hearing God's voice. This text is a demonstration of the veracity, value and faithfulness of God's revelation. The voice of God was the revelation of God. God's revelation has been shown to be true. 

[23] Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [24] He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:23–24ESV)

 Rather than "putting out fleeces" to confirm what God has already told us. We are called to test our circumstances and the things that happen by the Word of God. We are called to test the spirits:

[1] Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. [2] By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, [3] and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. (ESV)

We test our experience by the gospel, not by circumstance. The question we ask in unusual circumstances, such as the boyfriend coincidentally showing up to rescue the broke car, is not whether our conclusion about those events is aligned with God's word. Had my friend asked whether the revelation of God, the word of God supported that this was man she was to marry one wonders what course her life would have taken? The voice of God is heard in his revelation. Rather than seeking experience to confirm God's will, we test what our spirit leads us to do by whether the action will make Christ Lord of our life and is consistent with his Word. We test experience by the Word of God. 

[19] And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, [20] knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. (2 Peter 1:19–20ESV)