Judges 7 - experience that affirms

"But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant, and you shall hear what they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp." Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the armed men who were in the camp. (Judges 7:10-11)

Don't you think God is so niceee? He is a gentleman lah! God has already told Gideon that He has delivered the enemies into his hands, yet He understood the weakness of man and was gracious enough to allow us to seek affirmation other than from the words He speaks. Remember that the word of God is life itself (John 6:63) and holds authority on its own, yet God understood that man needs assurance from what they experience by themselves.

In this case, Gideon had to make a trip to the enemies' camp and hear with his own ears the dream of a man and its interpretation, which was the same prophecy that God had told Gideon.

Remember also Thomas, the doubting disciple, who did not believe that Jesus had resurrected until He put his fingers through Jesus' hands and put his hand into His side. Jesus allowed him to do that, saying "Do not be unbelieving, but believing." (John 20:27)

The opening statement of the First epistle of John also tells us that Jesus didn't just speak to them, rather He was "heard", "seen" with their eyes, "looked upon", and "handled" by their hands. He did not simply told the words of God; He was experienced by His believers. And this personal experience gave assurance.

The Holy Spirit that we receive today in this end-times is precisely that assurance that comes from personal experience. When God poured down the Holy Spirit at the beginning (Acts 2), it was also to complement and affirm the word of God. It was something that believers can seek for themselves and experience for themselves. God didn't just give us a book filled with His word and then tell us, "Na, these are my words. Obey!" just like He also didn't force Gideon to believe in Him right from the start, but allowed him to work out his own weakness of not having enough faith in God.

Likewise, today when we receive the Holy Spirit, we can also learn to work through our own weaknesses to have complete trust in the Word of God. As we experience the indwelling and the fullness of the Spirit, we know that what we believe in is true. We experience firsthand for ourselves what it is like to have the Spirit of God in our hearts and we see for ourselves the Christ-like manner we slowly become when we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us. The Holy Spirit is thus our own personal experience that affirms the Word of God.