The Doubt of Gideon and Thomas

When Moses is instructing the Israelites and giving them the laws of the land, one of the decrees is "Do not put the Lord your God to the test."

When Jesus is tempted in the wilderness by Satan, one of the things Satan tries to get Jesus to do is to test the power of God. Jesus in His perfect knowledge of Scripture, quotes Deuteronomy 6:16 - "Do not put the Lord your God to the test."

In the book of Judges, we are introduced to a man named Gideon. In Gideon's time, the people of Israel are slaves to the people of Midian. God speaks to Gideon and tells him that God will use Gideon to free the Israelites.

Gideon doesn't believe what he's hearing, and he asks for a sign. God gives him a sign. Soon after, Gideon asks twice more for signs to prove that God is with him. The Scripture seems to present a patient God who is willing to put up with Gideon's constant need for proof.

Gideon's experience is very reminiscent of the story we've all heard about "Doubting Thomas." When Jesus is resurrected from the grave, Thomas refuses to believe until he personally sees Jesus' wounds. And Jesus acts just as we would expect Him to act. He doesn't condemn Thomas; He simply shows Thomas His wounds. Jesus does, though, make sure to emphasize that this is not the ideal. Faith without a need for proof is the true desire of the Lord.

Created almost 2 years ago