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NASB | Ezekiel 28:24 "And there will be no more for the house of Israel a prickling brier or a painful thorn from any round about them who scorned them; then they will know that I am the Lord GOD." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ezekiel 28:24 "And there will no longer be a briar or a painful thorn to prick the house of Israel from all those around them who treated them with contempt; then they will know [with clarity] that I am the Lord GOD." |
Bible Question:
1st Peter 5:6 says that God exalts us in due time. Does that mean then that God was exalting the Ministry of Paul and at the same time using the Devil to keep him humble? Sounds kind of psycho to me. I cannot find God "allowing" there either. From what I can see, God was exalting the ministry of Paul in the eyes of the Jews and he was spreading Christianity all over the known world. Act 19:10-in two years all asia heard the word. That's dangerous to Satan. Satan sends a messenger or Angel to beat Paul to persecute Paul and to try and force him to stop preaching. I mean, they even stoned him to death once. Also at Philippi, Act 16, this demon possessed Girl followed Paul around preaching for him. "This she did for MANY days". Finally Paul turned around and cast the devil out of her. Why not do it the 1st day? Maybe he was beseaching the Lord 3 times. Pauls annoyed by this demon and starts whining to God about it. God responds. And I'm Paraphasing it..."Hey wake up! I've given you grace to overcome it. So overcome it." That's what the entire book of 2 Cor is about. 2 Cor 1:8-10 "Our trouble which came to us in Asia" and Vs 10 "God DOES deliver us, in whom we trust THAT HE WILL STILL DELIVER US." I believe it is erroneous to say that God said no I will not deliver you. See 2 Tim 3:11-12. |
Bible Answer: There is a difference between God exalting and spreading the Gospel by Paul who was a chosen vessel to do so, than for Paul to be exalted within himself. Paul could write "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Galatians 6:14) In fact at the time of Pauls conversion Acts 9 the Lord spoke about his mission and the suffering which would be his. "For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake" Acts 9:16. In 1 Cor. 12 Paul speaks of his experience at Lystra where he was stoned by the Jews. Acts 14:19. His humility is seen in that in 1 Cor. 12: 1-3 he speaks in the third person as he describes the things which he heard when caught up into paradise "unspeakable words which it is not lawful for man to utter" Paul continues on to speak about a thorn in the flesh which was given to him in v. 7. In v. 8 "he besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me" However, it was here that he learned an even greater truth that "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" V9 I do not believe that God is saying no, but is saying in your time of weakness my grace will deliver you and give you the strength to bear the trial. In Paul's letter to Cornith we read "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." ( 1 Cor. 10:13) Robert |