Understanding Paul’s Thorn: Lessons in Humility

Posted on by korgrocker

“If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.”
2 Corinthians 12:6-8 NLT

I wonder what Paul saw and heard in Heaven. We don’t really have a clue about what is there, although Jesus called it Paradise. Revelation gives us a few glimpses of what John saw there, with a door opening for him to reveal a throne with the One sitting on it, appearing as brilliant as gemstones. There was a sea of glass, an emerald rainbow, flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder. Elders, 24 of them, wore gold crowns and white robes. Living creatures were there constantly singing a hymn of praise to God. But this was all that John could describe in a brief glimpse of Heaven. Paul had a similar experience, being “ … caught up to paradise and [where he] heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell” (2 Corinthians 12:4). John was told to write down his experience, but Paul was commanded not to. It’s possible that Paul saw what eternity would be like and now knew things the rest of humanity could never know. Such an immeasurable gift would have given Paul seemingly limitless confidence to keep preaching, despite terrible suffering. It also gave him the perspective that such suffering in this life was not worth comparing to the glory of eternity. 

A lesser person than Paul would have become puffed up with pride and would have gone through his life boasting about his experiences. After all, if someone today meets a special person, such as a royal, or a famous actor or actress, they make sure everyone knows about their experience. So just in case, Paul “… was given a thorn in [his] flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment [him] and keep [him] from becoming proud” (2 Corinthians 12:7). What would this have been? The imagery Paul creates here is that of a sharp object, like a sharp piece of wood, stabbed into his body, unable to be removed, bringing chronic pain and discomfort. Paul attributed it to it being a “messenger of satan”, and we read that he begged the Lord to take it away from him. It was something that he was constantly aware of, but it was not so debilitating that his ministry was affected. 

There has been much speculation by scholars and theologians about what Paul’s thorn was, with suggestions that it was his eyesight. We know from Galatians 6:11 that his writing had to be enlarged to make it visible to him. We also know from Acts 23 that Paul had a problem in trying to discern who the high priest was amongst the gathered members of the Sanhedrin, perhaps due to his poor eyesight. Then there are some who think he might have had a tremor of some kind, such as a friend of mine has. 1 Corinthians 2:3, “I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling”. Perhaps Paul had a problem articulating his words in a way that could be easy to listen to or understand. 2 Corinthians 10:10, “For some say, ‘Paul’s letters are demanding and forceful, but in person he is weak, and his speeches are worthless!’”. But this is all speculation, and we won’t know what his “thorn” was until we can ask him ourselves one day. 

But whatever the cause, Paul had a physical condition that kept him from becoming proud about his wonderful experience in the Third Heaven, a place he referred to as paradise. Paul was therefore continually in a state of humility, knowing that God had allowed something to happen to him for a purpose. We should also note that Paul attributed his condition to satan, meaning that God had given him permission to cause him some distress. We know that this can happen, because of the story of Job. We read in Job 1:10-12 the account of a conversation between satan and God about Job, and satan complained, “You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!” “All right, you may test him,” the Lord said to Satan. “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.” So Satan left the Lord’s presence”. Nothing happened to Paul by the devil without God’s permission, and we can assume the same. Why would God allow such an attack from the enemy? If it were against us, we could assume it was for our higher good, as it was with Paul. In Hebrews 12:6 we read, “For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child”. It is possible that the devil would be allowed to assist in this process.

If any of us pilgrims are living with a physical condition that is debilitating or unwelcome, we must never assume that it is a “thorn in our flesh” as it was in the case of Paul, or given to us by satan. We live in a fallen world, and sin will sometimes be manifested through illness or disease. But whatever the situation, we learn to look up rather than inward, because it is only as we see God and perhaps catch a glimpse of the Third Heaven that we can find the strength to continue in our lives here on Planet Earth. 

Dear Father God. We confess our sins before You today. Please forgive us for our moaning and complaining. Instead, we pray for a glimpse of Heaven to sustain us through Your Spirit, in our years ahead. Thank You. Amen.

Illness

Posted on by korgrocker

“You know what I long for, Lord; You hear my every sigh. 
My heart beats wildly, my strength fails, and I am going blind. 
My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease. 
Even my own family stands at a distance.”
Psalms‬ ‭38:9-11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David, the Psalmist, is ill. And it sounds pretty serious. Serious enough for people to keep well out of his way. We don’t have any clues from Scripture about what he was suffering from, but he was complaining well. 

How do we react in times of illness? Of course it depends on how serious the situation is. Some people are positive and stoical. Others see the Grim Reapers coming up the garden path with the first snivel. I’m the worst when it comes to illness, complaining and ruing the injustices in life before whatever I have caught even takes a hold. In this Covid pandemic, however, we’re reminded once again of the frailty of human life and how vulnerable we are to the damage microscopic organisms can do to us. Unless we lock ourselves away to avoid contact with the people and the environment around us, we will always be at risk of catching something. 

But in His wonderful design, our Creator God has provided two defence mechanisms. One is the natural process our bodies go through to deal with infections, our immune systems, boosted by the vaccines and drugs provided by modern science. The other is the power of prayer and the importance of our relationship with Father God, particularly when the illness is more serious and as yet beyond what medical science can treat. 

What was it about the great missionary doctors and nurses, who in past ages deliberately ignored the risk of infections, instead to minister compassionately to those with horrible illnesses like leprosy? Or those Christians in the Middle Ages, who stayed behind to nurse plague victims while everyone else did a runner? These were dear people who often died at a young age from illnesses caught from those they were ministering to. They had that realisation that our time here on Planet Earth is finite and our lives as Citizens of Heaven has to be lived in accordance with God’s will and purposes; they dedicated their lives to the care of others. 

But David also made the association between his feverish state and his sins and guilt. Is there such a connection? Many people have argued that there isn’t but others, even the medics, have found that an uneasy and guilt-ridden conscience can impact our bodily functions. Personally, I think there is a link, because God has designed us with something called a conscience inside of us; the violation of it will upset our physical and mental well-being and equilibrium, as our Psalmist David knew well.

David finished his Psalm with the prayer, “Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Saviour.” There are two significant words and sentiments here – “help” and “Saviour”. God is always our Helper; He is only a prayer away from our predicament. And He is also our wonderful Saviour. What a wonderful God He is!

God’s Mighty Warriors

Posted on by korgrocker

God has promised this by His holiness: “I will divide up Shechem with joy. I will measure out the valley of Succoth. Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh, too. Ephraim, My helmet, will produce My warriors, and Judah, My sceptre, will produce My kings. But Moab, My washbasin, will become My servant, and I will wipe My feet on Edom and shout in triumph over Philistia.”
Psalm 60:6-8 NLT

David, the Warrior King, is out doing battle again. This time the fight was against Aram to the North but it seemed to be a struggle, if verses 1-4 of the Psalm are anything to go by. However, God made clear His support for His people and His disdain for the other three nations who surrounded Israel to the West, East and South. 

But what is the relevance of this Psalm to 21st Century Planet Earth? To the societies in which we live? Though the Western societies are largely at peace with each other, there are places in the world that seem to exist in a permanent sense of strife. And there are governments that impose peace on their populations with a heavy hand. The answer comes in the last verse, “With God’s help we will do mighty things, for He will trample down our foes.” Whatever we are about, God’s help is available to us. We may not be fighting a physical battle with a strong foe. We may not be surrounded by malevolent nations. But we will be facing one battle or another or know someone who is. We might be fighting a battle on a ventilator with Covid. We might be fighting a battle against cancer or some other life-threatening illness. It might be our mental health that is drawing us into a battle against depression. We might battle to get up in the morning, held back by aches and pains due to arthritis. These days, we might be fighting a battle getting basic commodities such as road fuel or paying rising energy bills. It doesn’t matter what we are facing into in life, though. God will help us in our battles. There are many helpful Scriptures. Here’s a good one (they’re all good though!), “Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God Himself will fight for you.” Deuteronomy 3:22.

So whatever you are facing into today, whatever battle you are fighting, hang on to the thought written by David in today’s Psalm – “With God’s help we will do mighty things...” So go for it, mighty warriors! And believe for God’s provision in your fight against your foes.