Rule or exception / example?

Recently, I heard the following from someone:

God will give me a sign! I asked Him and if I get that sign, then I believe in God!

When I asked how that person arrived at that wisdom, I was told that Gideon asked God the same thing. (Two specific signs with a fleece to confirm God’s will, Judges 6:36-40). So, if Gideon did that, we should do it as well! We should ask God for a sign, and then God will always provide one.

If God said something to person X in the Bible, then that applies to everyone today. Then that is the rule.

And then something goes wrong, because that statement is not true. Absolutely not! Just because one person did or received something in the Bible, does not mean that this is automatically a rule or standard for others. The Bible gives both descriptive passages (that tell what happened) and prescriptive passages (that indicate what should be done). The actions of individuals are sometimes written down for historical or narrative reasons, without (!) the intention of establishing a universal command.

That person found that complicated. I then gave some examples:

• God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son Isaac as a test of Abraham’s faith and obedience. (Genesis 22) Does that make it a rule for us to sacrifice our sons? No, thankfully not. This was a unique and specific test of Abraham’s faith and obedience, and it is clear from the text that God did not really want Isaac to be sacrificed. The story is not meant to establish a rule for others to follow. God later provides a ram as a substitute, confirming that human sacrifice is not God’s will (Leviticus 18:21).
• King Solomon had hundreds of wives and concubines. (1 Kings 11:1-3) Although this is described, it is not presented as a rule for marriage. In fact, the Bible later explains that Solomon’s many wives drove him away from God (1 Kings 11:4-11). Marriage is biblically monogamy, as Jesus affirmed in Matthew 19:4-6.

And than we got back to Gideon:

• Gideon asked God for two specific signs with a fleece to confirm God’s will. (Judges 6:36-40) Although Gideon’s action is described, this is not a rule for how believers should always seek confirmation from God. In fact, the Bible encourages faith. And repeatedly asking for signs can actually be seen as a lack of faith:

But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. (Matthew 12:39)

And that is indeed an example of a rule… oops. The example of Gideon is specific to Gideon and is not universally applicable to everyone today, whereas Matthew 12:39 is certainly a rule for everyone today. Even worse, Gideon already believed in God and didn’t ask for a sign to believe in the first place. So using Gideon as a non-believer, asking for a sign in order to start believing, is completely incorrect…

Context, people, context. Without the right context, we could end up believing in something that is not correct, or worse… very false. And if you repeatedly fail to apply that context, sooner or later, you’ll have a huge problem unlearning all the false beliefs you or others have taught you. If you’re even able to unlearn them… and that… that is a serious problem.

The person who made that incorrect statement probably grew up in a church somewhere (otherwise, they wouldn’t have known the story of Gideon)… but they grew up with half-truths, without context, without a stable foundation… and now they think they are a Christian, but only believe if God gives them that specific sign He promised?

Does it make sense to you? It doesn’t to me… and I fear that the god they believe in (or not?) is not the God of the Bible. Very concerning… and we encounter people like this several times a week…