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NASB | Judges 6:38 And it was so. When he arose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece, he drained the dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Judges 6:38 And it was so. When he got up early the next morning and squeezed the dew out of the fleece, he wrung from it a bowl full of water. |
Subject: laying out fleece vs divining |
Bible Note: Dear Doc, Thank you for that insight there about what the church has generaly taught... I have noticed you have a propensity to refer to what the compendium of theologians and commentators in the church have taught. I would say it is good to do this, but I would not rely on it primarily myself before trying to see what the scripture is saying, not saying you are either. Of course we take into account that these great men have had the time to study these things for longer and more intesnly than we might ever hope to do. I like the idea of starting with the scriptures first as a starting point in order to arrive at a conclusion; Quote, What is Theology, by Tamara Brewington, excerpt; A Starting Point for the Study of Christian Doctrine The first question that has to be answered in doing theology is where to find the sources for composing a doctrine and the sources are as follows: 1.Natural Theology – general revelation of God, i.e., the parts of creation in the universe are examined in order to extract definite facts about God and human nature as empirical evidence. 2.Tradition – the teachings of the compendium of persons and institutions which comprise the church fathers, theologians, and the Universal Christian Church throughout history provide a foundation of beliefs as a basis for what ought to be believed as being normative. 3.The Scriptures – the Bible as a document is the authority for the Christian faith ruling what should be believed and acted upon. 4.Experience – the religious experience of the Christian provides authoritative divine information from which to provide a foundation of beliefs as a basis for what ought to be normative. The scriptures provide the best source as the divinely inspired word of God from which to gather materials for composing a doctrine because it is the highest authority out of the four sources from which to choose. I would go in order by 3, 2, 1, and 4 with great caution. I was unfamiliar with this example by John Gill that you gave, I have never, ever heard this take on this passage before... Quote, MacArthur Bible Commentary, by John MacArthur, pg. 277, par.6; Gideon's two requests for signs in the fleece should be viewed as weak faith; even Gideon recognized this when he said, "Do not be angry with me" (v.39) since God had already specifically promised His presence and victory (vv. 12,14,16). But they were also legitimate requests for confirmation of victory against seemingly impossible odds (6:5, 7:2, 12) God nowhere reprimande Gideon, but was very compassionate in giving what his inadequacy requested. In 7:10-15 God volunteered a sign to boost Gidneon's faith. He should have believed God's promises i n7:9, but he needed to bolstering, so God graciously gave it without chastisement. I am thinking about John Gill's statement there that; "and perhaps his view was more for the encuoragment of those that were with him than himself". I do not find that very credible because Gideon seemed to need a personal confirmation for himself because he says to God, "then I will know that You will deliver Israel throug me,". Perhaps you see why I came to the conclusion there that Gideon was seeking for God to confirm what God has already said and that it was a testament of the state of his faith or so. Thank you for the information... God's Day To You, Tamara |