As First Reader at my branch church, I put together a Bible lesson on the healing of depression for a Wednesday evening testimony meeting. Gideon, an early Israelite leader (see Judges 6:11–40), feels ill at ease because of the evil intentions of the surrounding peoples that want to do him and his fellow Israelite settlers harm. In his despondency he appeals to God. He wants to see a sign from God that his fleece of wool is “wet with dew” and that the surrounding ground is dry.
As I understand it, he wants to see that his protective fleece is bathed in dew—a symbol of goodness and grace. Yet he wants to see this goodness and security exclusively for himself and his people, while seeing “dryness,” or lack of fulfillment, for those around him—his enemies. It is a very personal request from a despondent leader.
To me, the fleece represents the “armour of God” (Ephesians 6:11). Gideon was a man of valor. He knew how to wield a shield. Yet he couldn’t quite recognize that God was there to protect and guide them. This sense of a depressed state is furthered by his reference to how poor his family is and how he feels as if he is “least” in the family.
