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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. |
Bible Question:
Just one point I'd like to address. The thorn in the flesh that Paul had to deal with. Are you saying it was some type of sickness? He said it was a messenger of Satan. I read a book dealing with 'the thorn in the flesh' issue. In the book, the author went thru scripture and found instances where the term 'thorn in the flesh' was used and if I'm not mistaken, they referred to a person or a people. I will try and get the book and pull out those scriptures. Well maybe two points I'd like to address. If we always pray 'if the LORD wills', can we ever pray according to I John 5:14-15. Thanks again. Yours in Christ |
Bible Answer: Hello mbooker, Here are some scriptures to enlighten your post. PAUL'S THORN. "...There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me..." (2Corinthians 12:7). This verse is frequently used by ministers to prove that sickness can be the will of God, and that Paul was sick. First of all, even if Paul was sick, it is no proof that it was the will of God. David committed murder and adultery - was that the will of God? Judas betrayed Jesus - was that a moral act? Just because someone in the Bible did something does not automatically make it right. Even Satan is in the Bible. You have to read the implied principles from the experiences of biblical character as well as the directly stated principles in the Bible. Nevertheless, Paul was really a solid proof of the supernatural healing power of God - even in his experience. Many Christians have been deceived in this area. Notice Paul says he had "a thorn in the flesh." The words "scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes" in Joshua 23:13 are also used the same way. Since when did it become a sickness? Paul was simply using an expression commonly used in those days. When you say, "Tom is a pain in the neck," you are talking about a person that bothers or annoys you, not a sickness. To further confirm that, Paul says the thorn was "a messenger of Satan." This tells us it was a person or demon, and that he was from Satan, not God. What Paul experienced was most likely persecution from people (inspired by Satan). Most of them followed Paul around to preach circumcision to the people right after Paul leaves a city. Some even reacted to Paul's preaching with physical violence. This is why the evil spirit or "messenger" was a "thorn in the flesh," or a "pain in the neck." You need to know the truth about the biblical passages that have been used to preach sickness. Many times those passages are some of the greatest proofs for healing. Some of them prove neither healing of sickness - just the need for wisdom. For example, if the Bible says that someone accidentally fell off a building and died, does that prove sickness, or that it is not God's will to heal and protect? No, it proves the need for wisdom and caution. By the way, this happened and Paul resurrected the dead man by the POWER of God (Acts 20:9-12). God bless you, stand firm on the Word of God. |