Judges 6:37Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Many, distressed by the reign of sin, seek solace in grace, which now abundantly covers the earth, whereas in earlier times only a few sought it, much like the wool that initially concealed the dew. This distinction between eras is a testament to the profound Divine wisdom and the immense depth of God’s understanding, which inspires the words, Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! (Rom. 11:33).

Gideon, a faithful figure from the past, requested a sign from the Lord for a second time, saying: If You will save Israel by my hand, as You have stated, behold, I will place a fleece of wool on the threshing floor: if the dew rests solely on the fleece, while the ground remains dry, I will know that You will indeed save Israel by my hand, as You have promised. And it happened: the following day, he arose early and wrung out the fleece, extracting a full cup of water from the dew. For God grants grace to the humble (1 Pet. 5:5). You are aware of what the Lord accomplished with His disciples in the basin (See Jn. 13:19). Once again, Gideon approached the Lord for another sign, imploring, Do not be angry with me, if I ask for just one more test: let the fleece be dry, while the dew descends upon all the earth. God fulfilled this request that night: the fleece was dry, but there was dew across the land. Observe that in the Old Testament, grace was concealed like rain in a cloud, akin to dew in fleece. Now, in New Testament times, regarding the Jewish nation, they resemble dry fleece, while the entire world can be likened to ‘the whole earth,’ saturated with open, abundant grace. Consequently, we have reason to grieve that they resist the dew of unveiled grace, no longer hidden in fleece. However, let us extend forgiveness to the Jews. But what can we say regarding Christians? What prompts you to oppose the grace of Christ? Why do you depend on your own efforts? Why ought you to be ungrateful? For what purpose did Christ come? Was not human nature present before, which you now deceive with excessive flattery? Was the law not established? Yet the apostle declares, But if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing (Gal. 2:21). What the apostle asserts regarding the law, we affirm concerning human nature: if justification is found in nature, then Christ died for nothing.

However, it is important to note that Gideon positioned the fleece not in a field or on the grass, but in the very spot where he threshed the wheat: indeed, the harvest is abundant, but the workers are few (Luke 10:12). Only by placing trust in the might of the Lord can the future harvest yield its fruits.

In a time when the entire world was parched by the unfruitful drought of pagan beliefs, the dew of divine visitation rested upon the shorn wool, representing Judah. However, after the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24), whose image is reflected in wool, turned away from the spring of living water, the dew of faith became scarce in the hearts of the Jewish people, and the flow of this divine stream shifted toward the Gentiles. Consequently, the whole world is now nourished by the dew of faith, while the Jews have lost their prophets and advisors. It is no surprise they find themselves in a drought of disbelief, as the Lord has withheld from them the fruitful rains of the prophets, declaring, "I will command the clouds not to rain upon him" (Isaiah 5:6). The rain from the clouds of prophetic utterance is of great salvation, as David expressed, "He will come down like rain on a mown meadow, like drops that water the earth" (Psalm 71:6). All the sacred texts throughout history have prophesied this rain that would refresh the earth with the arrival of our Lord and Savior through the dew of the Spirit of God. And truly, the dew has already descended, and the rains have come; the Lord has arrived and has brought with Him the heavenly showers. We, who once thirsted, now drink deeply, embracing the Spirit of God.

Such blessings were promised by Isaac to Esau (Genesis 27:28), by Moses to Joseph’s tribe (Deuteronomy 33:13), and Job recalls the dew in relation to the prosperity of his harvest during happier times (Job 29:19). In the Old Testament, the beneficial effect of dew on the earth symbolizes God's grace that revives humanity (Isaiah 26:19). It is likely that Gideon is mindful of this symbolic representation of dew when he implores God for a sign through it, saying essentially, Grant unto me, O Lord, the assurance that Your grace will pour out upon Your people, weary from trials, just as the dew refreshes a parched land.