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NASB | Isaiah 57:1 The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart; And devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from evil, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Isaiah 57:1 The righteous man perishes [at the hand of evil], and no one takes it to heart; Faithful and devout men are taken away, while no one understands That the righteous person is taken away [to be spared] from disaster and evil. |
Subject: Thorn in the flesh |
Bible Note: Hello Scribe, The Scriptures reveal to us that physical healing has been provided for the believer through the atoning work of Christ; however, there are those who reject this view and contend that is is not God's will to heal everyone, even those who come to Him in faith. One argument these people use is that the apostle Paul himself had suffered numerous illnesses, implying that if such a one as the apostle Paul failed to receive healing, then it is only normal for many ordinary believers to remain ill. If it was not God's will to heal the apostle Paul, then it may not be God's will to heal us. I will present some of the biblical passages often used to "prove" that Paul was a sick man. I will argue that these passages in fact demonstrate the tremendous healing power of God at work in Paul's life. His life and experiences provide us with reasons to believe God for healing, not the other way around. PAUL'S INFIRMITIES. "Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first. And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? or I bear you record, that, if it has been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me" (Galatians 4:13-15). This biblical passage is often quoted as proof that Paul was sick and that healing is not for everyone (or for nobody at all). Even if Paul was sick (which he was not, as we shall see), that does not prove anything about God's will in the area of healing until we also take into the account the direct statements in the Bible concerning healing. Abraham, David, Solomon, and other righteous characters in the Bible had more than one wife, and from these examples, some have concluded that God allows a man to have more than one wife at the same time. However, when we take into account the direct statements from the Bible (as oppose to the implications derived from people's actions and experices), we understand that God's will is for a man to have only one wife. In the same way, Paul's experiences prove nothing unless it is consistent with the direct statements of the Bible. Verse 13 says "ye know how through the infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first." Paul visited Galatia "at the first" in Acts 14. The Bible says Paul went into Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. The province of Galatia contained Pisidia and Lycaonia, and therefore the towns of Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. So Paul first visited Galatia in Acts 14. What happened to Paul in Acts 14? He was stoned: "And there came thither, certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he has been dead." In those days, they dug holes in the ground outside of the city. Whenever they were to stone someone, they would push the victim into the hole. Then, a crowd would gather around the hole and throw big rocks at the person's head, until they were certain that it was completely crushed. From biblical evidence, it seems that Paul was actually dead. The timing would be about 14 years before he was to write 2Corinthians, which would make Acts 14 the time when he died and temporarily went to heaven to see the visions mentioned in 2Corinthians 12:2-4. Then what happened? God raised Paul from the dead right on the spot and Paul marched right back into the same city! This is why Paul had an "infirmity of the flesh"-His skull had been crushed and he was walking around looking like that. So, instead of disproving the biblical teaching on healing, this passage in Galatians demonstrates God's supernatural healing and resurrection power. Paul was walking around supernaturally with this and many other injuries. I still have to explain the phrase "you would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me" (v.15). From these words, people have concluded that Paul had an eye disease. This interpretation is both irresponsible and dishonest-it had extinguished many people's hope for receiving healing from God. "Would have plucked out your own eyes" is simply an expression! Just like a "thorn in the flesh" is an expression equivalent to a "pain in the neck." You want to know what Paul believed? He believed this: "But if the Spirit of him that raised Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you" (Romans 8:11). It happened to him time and time again. It can happen to you, if you believe. I write this to you Scribe, because you do believe and if you wish I will post much more concerning Paul's injuries and the "thorn in the flesh" God blessings |