Gideon is the right kind of ruckus perpetrator in my opinion. Let's take a look. I remember hearing about the fleece and the military victory, but the test leading up to it gives me great respect for him.
Gideon is not the greatest man in stature out there. In fact, he is the least in his family, and in the least of the tribes of Manasseh. And I love the guy's honesty. It had been seven years of Midianite rule since the 40 year peace brought by Deborah. And it was no fun. And realization of this filtered all the way through Israel, even to Gideon, the low man on his family's totem pole. Anyway, an angel of God appeared to him, and said "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior." At that point, I imagine the scrawny Gideon leaning on his thresher, peering through the dust, squinting his eyes, and saying..."Huh?" Just a comical kind of picture to me.
And then Gideon asks the question that was probably on every Israelite mind...a question with the answer they didn't probably want to hear:
"If the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, 'Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian."Well Gideon...maybe you haven't heard. Maybe you weren't even told about the covenant. Which I could understand and not place any blame on him.
The angel (God's proxy) doesn't even answer, rather kind of sharply responds, telling Gideon to go save Israel from Midian in his own strength. Which, obviously would be impossible. Gideon explains his lowly position. He acknowledges his own weakness first, and then God tells him that he himself will conquer the Midianites, using Gideon.
Gideon still has some sense of disbelief, so he prepares an offering...of some kind...it didn't appear to be along the lines of the required offerings first described in Leviticus, but it was an offering. The angel of God pokes at it with his staff and the offering explodes into flame. Gideon finally realizes what's going on. He knew seeing God's face brought death, and he totally freaked. But it was "just" the angel of the LORD. ( I am assuming this is how Moses talked to God "face to face")
The angel told him to relax, because he had a test all prepared, and it was to take a bull from his father's herd, tear down the altar to Baal, rip down the Asherah pole, and build a proper altar to God, and then sacrifice that bull on the altar to God.
This is why this is significant. Gideon was nobody, basically, yet here he was, demolishing the precious religious artifacts upheld and revered by the most important people in his family. That is the ruckus. He tore Baal down. Of course, the townsfolk lost their minds and desperately investigated to find out whodunnit. They found out it was Gideon, and went to his father's house to demand recompense. Joash, surprisingly, has a pretty cool head here. It was his own altar destroyed and his faith denigrated, but he sticks up for his son, and rationally (irrationally?) offers that Baal can take care of himself, if he really is a god. Then townspeople call Gideon "Jerub-Baal" meaning, "Let Baal Deal With Him." Amazing.
Then the Spirit of God comes upon Gideon and he marshals an army to fight the Midianites. In a way, this section shows that even with the Spirit of the LORD on someone, that someone is still themselves...they are strong, but still have their weaknesses...Gideon is hesitant to go to battle, so he does the fleece experiment.
The first time, he asks that the fleece be wet, and the ground dry, to signify that it is he (the wet fleece) who will save Israel. The second time, he asks that the fleece be dry, and the ground wet. To remove doubt. And maybe to pester God. But probably to remove doubt. And it was so, so we'll see what happens.
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