Footsteps #211.

2Cor.12:7(NLT) says,” 7 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.” An irritating thorn gets our undivided attention until we deal with it. The Greek term used here is more than a thorn from a rose bush, it is also used to describe a fishhook or even a stake. Paul is using the term symbolically, describing himself as a man impaled, pinned to the ground, writhing helplessly due to some physical, mental or emotional trauma. Have you ever felt like that? There are no symptoms given but is general enough to fit the suffering we all experience at some stage in life.  

Its source was identified as  “a messenger of Satan,” (messenger is the Greek word angellos, from which we get our English term angel.) An angel of satan is, of course, a demon. This thorn is demonic in origin. But God is also clearly involved. I find it instructive that in an effort to get rid of this thorn Paul doesn’t rebuke Satan; instead, he prays to God. I would assume that ultimately the thorn came from God; at least He allowed it. That shouldn’t shock us, because there are other examples in Scripture of God being active in the very same circumstances where satan is active. The model example is from the first chapter of Job. Satan delivers terrible suffering on Job, but only with the permission of God. Or consider Joseph, who told his brothers regarding their sale of him into slavery, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.” This thorn in the flesh is certainly satan-inspired and satan-delivered, but that doesn’t prevent God from being active behind the scenes and using it for His glory. Paul identifies its purpose in v7. But NO ONE ever visited Paradise before. Can you imagine how tempting it could be for him to feel conceited about this experience? To prevent Paul from swelling with pride, God gave him a daily reminder of his finiteness and weakness. TBC