Once upon a time there was a man named Gideon. Gideon lived in Israel, and the people were very afraid of enemies. These enemies kept coming to steal the crops from Gideon and the others. That was a difficult time for everyone.
One day God said to Gideon, “You shall drive out the enemies. I am with you and I will help you.” But Gideon was unsure and thought, “Am I really the one to do this?”
Gideon wanted to be sure that God had really spoken to him and would help him. So he had an idea. Gideon said to God, “Please give me a sign so I know that you will help me.”
Gideon took a skin from a woolly sheep and laid it on the ground. Then he said, “If tomorrow morning there is dew only on the fur and the ground around it stays dry, then I know that you will really help me.”
The next morning, Gideon got up very early. He went out and looked at the fur. It was really as he had asked it to be! The fur was wet from the dew, but the ground was dry. Gideon wrested the water out of his fur until he could fill a whole bowl!
But Gideon wanted to be very, very sure. So he asked God again: “God, please don’t be angry with me, but once again I want a sign. This time, let the dew be next to the fur and keep the fur dry.”
The next morning, Gideon checked, and it was just as he had asked. The ground was wet and the fur was dry. Now Gideon was sure that God was with him and would help him.
Message of history
God listens to us and understands when we are unsure. He is always there to help us when we need him.
Bible passage
The story of Gideon and the skin is found in Judges 6:36-40:
“Then Gideon said to God, If you will save Israel by my hand, just as you have spoken, behold, I will put a skin on the threshing floor: If there is dew on the skin, but the ground remains dry everywhere, I will know from this that you will save Israel by my hand, just as you have spoken. And so it happened. When he got up early the next morning and squeezed out the skin, he squeezed the dew out of the skin, a bowl full of water. Then Gideon said to God, “Do not let your anger be kindled against me, that I should speak only once.” I just want to try it once more with the fur: it should only stay dry on the skin, and there should be dew on the whole floor! And God did it this way that night: only the skin remained dry, and dew was all over the ground.”
