Paul’s Thorn — II Cor. 12:1-10
Intro: In this passage of scripture we learn that this great apostle of God has an issue that he refers to as his ” Thorn in the Flesh”. There as been much speculation as to what this issue might have been. I will not further go into detail about the different ideas surrounding the speculation other than to say that I personally feel that it was a physical problem that caused a hindrance to his ministry. I do want us to consider some ideas about the fact he had a thorn because we all face different types of thorns in our life that Satan uses to buffet us just as he did Paul. Anytime thorns are spoken about in the Bible it is generally associated with a type of suffering.
I. The Resource of His Thorn — V. 7 ” There was given to me ”
A. Who was responsible for allowing this to happen in his life??? God. Nothing can happen in our lives that God doesn’t allow to happen. Even though it was a messenger of Satan that was buffeting him, God allowed this to happen. We see a similar situation in the life of Job. Satan had to get permission from God before he could do anything harmful to Job’s person.
II. The Reason for His Thorn — V.7 ” Lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations”
A. Why did this great man of God have a Thorn?? To keep him usable due to the events that he spoke of in verses 1-6. It would have been normal for any man to become proud and boastful after seeing the sights and wonders of the third Heaven. His thorn kept him usable.
B. God allows thorns in our lives to keep us humble and usable !!!
III. The Rejoicing About His Thorn — V.9-10
A. The first time he mentions his thorn he is complaining about it. Then he begins to rejoice about it. What happened that changed this situation??
1. God Promised to Provide Grace – It wasn’t God’s will to remove the Thorn, It was God’s will to provide strength and help to face his thorn. It isn’t always God’s will to remove our thorns, but he will provide Grace to help in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16
2. God’s Grace is Sufficient — To ask if God has enough grace to deal with our thorns is like taking a small thimble to Niagara Falls to see if there will be enough water to fill the thimble. He has sufficient grace to help !!!!
3. God Provided Strength for His Weakness
One Note:
The Greek meaning for the word “rather” in verse 9 means “instead of”. Basically Paul is saying that instead of doing something else he will Glory in his infirmities. What does he mean?? A few ideas are listed below.
- Maybe instead of quitting, he will rejoice about the thorn
- Maybe instead of charging/blaming God, he will rejoice about the thorn
- Maybe instead of becoming bitter, he will rejoice about his thorn
These reactions would be the wrong way to deal with the thorns we face in life. When we face thorns let’s claim the grace and strength of God and he will help us face them.