Page 183 - Bible History

156 GOD'S CHOSEN PEOPLE ENTER THE PROMISED LAND
that he was to save the Israelites from the hands of the Madianites.
Before Gedeon undertook to lead the army of the Israelites against the enemy, he asked a sign of God. He said to God, ''Show me by a sign that Thou wishest to save Israel by my hand. I will put this eece of wool on the oor. If there be dew on the eece only, and all the ground beside be dry, I shall know that Thou wilt deliver Israel by my hand.''
The Lord granted Gedeon's Tequest. The next morning, Gedeon rose before dawn and, when he picked up the eece and wrung it, he lled a vessel with the dew. But the ground around it was dry.
Gedeon said again to God, ''Be not angry with me if I seek another sign in the eece. I pray that the eece only be dry and all the ground wet with dew."
God did that night as Gedeon requested. In the morning, the eece was dry, while all the ground was wet.
Full of con dence, Gedeon set out to raise an army for the protection of the Israelites. In a short time he gathered about him thirty-two thousand men. But lest the Israelites be tempted to trust too much in their own strength and to forget that God was their Deliv­ erer, the Lord told Gedeon to choose from among them only three hundred men. First, Gedeon persuaded twenty-two thousand to return home. The remaining ten thousand he ordered to drink from the river. At the command of God he watched to see which way they drank the water, and chose those who gathered up