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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: Othra vez!!! In verse 23, Paul's medical advice to Timothy a. Water in the ancient world was often unreliable in regard to purity, Paul's advice is reliable to Timothy as it is to any traveling person. b. Timothy was the victim of 'frequent infirmities'; yet Paul did not simply command a healing on apostolic authority, or even send him a handkerchief with healing power (Acts 19:11-12). c. Paul did not have miraculous powers at his beck and call, but only at the prompting of the Holy Spirit - and apparently, there was no such prompting in Timothy's case d. If it is God's will for all to be healed 'right now', then Paul (and the Holy Spirit who inspired him) lead Timothy into sin - calling him to look to a natural remedy instead of a divine healing. SICK NIGH UNTO DEATH. "For indeed he was sick nigh unto death..." (Philippians 2:27). Paul here refers to a Christian named Epaphroditus. Some "scholars" of the Bible read verses 25-27 and then teach "See, see! Paul left somebody sick. He failed to heal somebody." The implication is that it is not God's will to heal everyone, and therefore if you pray for healing, do not be too expectant since it may not be God's will to heal you. Just because someone was sick does not mean YOU have to be. Epaphroditus was not the "Word made flesh." If those "scholars" had read just a few verses down, they would have seen the reason for Epaphroditus sickness: Verse 30 says, "Because of the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me." Epaphroditus overworked! See those words "not regarding his life"? Epaphroditus made a choice to continue to work when he should have stopped. There were not many people helping Paul at this time so Epaphroditus pushed himself to "supply your lack of service" (or "take up the slack," make up the difference"). Epaphroditus pushed himself too far - that is all is to it. If he had rested and then got back to work, he would have stayed well. He did not even have to overwork - he made that decision himself. Now don't go and over work yourself :) God bless |