Healing
Questions and Answers
Part 2
John Hoole - August 15, 2010
QUESTIONS INCLUDED IN THIS LESSON:
• Does sickness or disease bring glory to God?
• Was Paul's thorn in the flesh an illness or disease?
In our last lesson, we began to answer questions that, by themselves, would not constitute an entire lesson. Today, we continue in that vein. The three questions we addressed in our previous lesson were:
• What do we learn from the healing of Hezekiah?
• Does having the gift of healing make the person the healer?
• Do you have to be a follower of God to receive God's healing?
=> DOES SICKNESS OR DISEASE BRING GLORY TO GOD?
I have addressed this question partially during a couple of previous lessons. Now, I want to do it more completely. I think the Bible very clearly teaches that God does not cause us to get sick or to be diseased. It is Satan and the fallen state of mankind that causes all sickness. We get sick because we are part of the human race.
Lazarus raised from the dead
One of the passages I mentioned in a previous lesson on this topic is John 11:3-4. It is the story of the sickness and resultant death of Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha.
John 11:3-4 NKJV
3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."
4 When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
Taken out of it's contextual setting, this Scripture would appear to teach that God gets glory out of the sickness of others. The fact that Lazarus was sick is not what brought God glory. When Jesus and the disciples arrived in Bethany, they did not hear or see people glorifying God. They were mourning and trying to bring comfort to Martha and Mary. Martha complained to Jesus, in verse 21, that if Jesus had come sooner, Lazarus would still be alive. All Jesus received was criticism - not glory. So far in the story we have not seen anything that glorified God. The first mention of it is found in a statement by Jesus to Martha.
John 11:40 NKJV
40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"
In verse 43, Jesus utters a short command.
Notice as I read this verse and the next two how the attitude changes.
John 11:43-45 NKJV
43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"
44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."
45 Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.
What caused the people to believe on Jesus? Was it the sickness and/or the death itself? NO! The fact that the sickness was not healed cause some to criticize the Lord (verse 37). It caused Martha to limit the power of God when she said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." (verse 21). Rather, the sickness was for the glory of God in this manner: It was an opportunity to demonstrate the power of God over sickness, disease and death itself. The sickness and death brought doubt, sadness, criticism and grieving. But, when Jesus demonstrated the resurrection power, this caused many to believe on Him. The demonstration of the power of God brought Jesus glory. This same resurrection power is still available to give life to your mortal body.
Romans 8:11 NKJV
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Now I want to present to you several Scriptures that I believe show beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is divine healing, not sickness itself, that brings glory to God. I will not expound very much on these passages.
Luke 5:24-26 NKJV
24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" — He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."
25 Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, "We have seen awesome things today!"
Notice when they glorified God. It was after the man was healed.
Luke 13:12-17 (NKJV) - Woman bent over
12 But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity."
13 And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
14 But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day."
15 The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?
16 So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound — think of it — for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?"
17 And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.
She glorified God for her healing. There is no indication she ever glorified God for her infirmity for 18 years.
Luke 18:35-43 NKJV - His last recorded visit to Jericho.
35 Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging.
36 And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant.
37 So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.
38 And he cried out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
39 Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
40 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him,
41 saying, "What do you want Me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight."
42 Then Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well."
43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
Matthew 15:30-31 NKJV - Near Capernaum
30 Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.
31 So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.
Luke 7:12-16 NIV - Widow of Nain
12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out — the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.
13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry."
14 Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!"
15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
16 They were all filled with awe and glorified God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said. "God has come to help his people."
Romans 15:8-11 NIV - Gentiles
8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs
9 so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name."
10 Again, it says, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people."
11 And again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples."
Compassion and mercy are always present when God heals someone. Here, we are told that because of the mercy of God, the Gentiles will glorify Him.
Psalms 50:15 NKJV - His deliverance in the day of trouble
15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me."
Miracles, including healings, will always bring glory to God. But failure, sickness and disease will not. To say it another way: God gets glory in spite of our sicknesses, not because of it. Would God have received glory if all the people Jesus healed were left infirmed? Would he have received glory if Lazarus remained dead? Certainly not!
=> WAS PAUL'S THORN IN THE FLESH AN ILLNESS OR DISEASE?
Speculation has abounded on what it is that Paul means when he refers to his "thorn in the flesh." Some have assumed it to be a physical ailment such as poor eyesight (Gal. 4:12-15; 6:11) or stuttering (or stammering) as he spoke. Let's read the passage where Paul writes about this "thorn."
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NKJV
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
This passage has been used strongly by those who believe that the working of miracles ceased at the ended with the dying of the apostles, or by the end of the first century. This would include the gifts of healings mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10.
One of the first principles of sound biblical hermeneutics is that the Scripture is its own interpreter. That means we should search the Scriptures to see how words or thoughts are used elsewhere in the Bible. We need to be careful to note if there are related verses in the Bible. In this case I believe there are.
I will tell you, before we start investigating the Scripture, that I do not believe Paul's "thorn in the flesh" was a disease or illness. Let's closely examine this passage in 1 Corinthians 12.
The word used by Paul, translated "thorn" in our English Bible, is the Greek word, SKOLOPS. This Greek word can mean both "thorn" or "stake." It is a reference to something with a sharp point. In Jewish rabbinic writings, this word has been found to indicate an annoyance, but it has yet to be found in such writings as an illness.
I think we will find our best evidence for what is meant by Paul's "thorn" by investigating what the Old Testament has to say about it. We do this by examining the Greek translation of the Old Testament - the Septuagint. As we do, we will find that a "thorn" is never used of a sickness or disease. And we will find that every use of it is as an illustration or metaphor - i.e., not literal. And every time the expression is used in the Bible, we are told exactly what the "thorn in the flesh" was.
For instance, in Numbers 33:55, Moses told the children of Israel, before they entered the Land of Canaan:
Numbers 33:55 NKJV
55 ... if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell.
The NIV reads: "will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides."
Here we are specifically told that the 'barbs' and 'thorns' in the sides of the Israelites, were the inhabitants of Canaan that remained in the land after the Israelites entered it. The barbs and thorns mentioned here are not indicative of eye trouble or sickness. God was using these phrases as illustrations of the constant annoyance the Canaanites would be if the Israelites did not drive them from the Promised Land.
The thorn in your side IS a thorn in the flesh. And contrary to popular belief, it is not a physical ailment. It is people who, if left among the Children of God, would vex or trouble them continuously. This is what the thorn in the flesh signifies.
Again, about eight years later, we read what Joshua said. He tells the nation not to adopt the customs and religions of the Canaanites, for it they do,.....
Joshua 23:13 NKJV
13 ... they shall be snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the Lord your God has given you.
Again, this is not talking about some sore eyes or sore sides. Rather, it is a metaphor illustrating what would happen if the Israelites stopped serving Jehovah. So, once again, we know precisely what is meant by thorns. Like we read in Numbers, the thorns are referring to personalities - not bodily disorders.
With regard to the Canaanites, if we continue in their history in this land, we will find that the Israelites did not do as God said, and did not drive them out. And we find the second chapter of Judges addressing this issue.
Judges 2:1-3 NKJV
1 Then the Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: "I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, 'I will never break My covenant with you.
2 And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.' But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this?
3 Therefore I also said, 'I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.'"
Again, we find that the "thorn in their side" are people, not illnesses or bodily disorders. Actually, we have phrases in English that are figures of speech. You might call someone who vexes us today as a "burr in the saddle." Another term we use is to say someone is, "a pain in the neck." These are colloquial phrases that convey the same meaning as Paul's thorn in the flesh. They don't indicate we have some physical impairment - a literal pain in the neck. Likewise, Paul is not speaking about a literal thorn sticking in his flesh.
But not only do we find these words used illustratively with regard to the Canaanites. We can find them mentioned in that manner in the writings of the prophets.
In Ezekiel 2, we find God calling Ezekiel to be one of His prophets to the Israelites.
In all likelihood, considering the era in which Ezekiel lived, he is writing during the Babylonian captivity - late 7th and early 6th centuries before Christ.
Ezekiel 2:1-6 NKJV
1 And He said to me, "Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you."
2 Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me.
3 And He said to me: "Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day.
4 For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God.'
5 As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse — for they are a rebellious house — yet they will know that a prophet has been among them.
6 "And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house.
Here the thorns and briers and scorpions are illustrative of those among the Israelites, who have erred from serving the Most High God. As has been true in every passage we have read thus far, the thorns are representative of people and personalities.
You will find the same illustrations in many other passages. 2 Samuel 23:6 refers to the "sons of rebellion" as thorns. These are among the last words of David before he dies. When Solomon writes about his lover, the Shulamite woman, in Song of Solomon 2:2, he refers to her as a "lily among thorns," - the "thorns" refer to people.
I have taken you through these verses to show that the "thorn of the flesh" is not an illness or disease. In each case we are specifically told who the thorns were. It is always used as a figure of speech to represent personalities. I believe this is true in the case of Paul as well.
Paul, in saying, "a thorn in the flesh was given to me," follows with a comma, and a description of the thorn in his flesh. He says the "thorn" is "a messenger of Satan to buffet me." The Greek word used for "messenger" is "Angelos." This Greek word is used 175 times in the New Testament, translated "angel" 168 times, and "messenger" 7 times. The word "angel" "means messenger."
Paul refers to his thorn in the flesh as being a "messenger of Satan," which could easily be translated as an angel of the devil. In every case, this Greek word is used of a person, or personage, in the same manner "a thorn in the flesh" was used in the Old Testament. It is never used to indicate a disease or sickness.
Paul not only tells us that his "thorn" was an angel of Satan, but he also tells us what the angel came to do: "to buffet me." Rotherham, in his Bible translation, translates it as "HE" rather than "it." And Weymouth's translation reads: "Satan's angel dealing blow after blow."
Since buffeting means repeated blows, if Paul's buffeting was a disease, it would have had to have been many diseases or the same disease many times repeated. The next verse in Paul's writings in 2 Corinthians 12:8 reads: "I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me."
Weymouth's translation of that verse is, "As for this, three times I besought the Lord to rid me of HIM."
Wuest, well-known as a Greek scholar, also uses a personal pronoun to indicate the "thorn."
I believe Paul's "thorn in the flesh" was an angel from Satan to buffet him - blow after blow. And if you read 2 Corinthians, chapters 6 & 11, you will see the buffeting he endured. But God's grace was sufficient.
What about the buffeting of the angels of Satan against us?
Why did God tell Paul that He would not remove the buffeting of the messenger of Satan? The answer to this also applies to us and all Christians. While the remedy for our sickness and diseases is found at the cross of Christ and the stripes He bore, the Word of God never tells us we are exempt from the buffeting of Satan and his demons. Like Paul, He will give us the grace to endure them.
2 Timothy 3:12 NIV
12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
In fact, we are actually told to rejoice when we are buffeted.
Matthew 5:10-12 NKJV
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
We are not redeemed from persecution and difficulties. In Acts 14:19, Paul was stoned and left for dead. But God raised him up and the very next day he walks 20 miles into the next town, and began preaching once again. The Lord did not stop the persecution, but God's strength was made perfect in Paul's weakness. Can you imagine what those who had stoned him thought? The could see Paul's humanity in the cuts and bruises, but they could also see the supernatural strength of God flowing through him.
The thorn in the flesh was not something which Jesus died to redeem us from.
We will all go through difficulties.
The following Passages indicate what I think were Paul's "thorn in the flesh."
2 Corinthians 6:4-10 NKJV
4 But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses,
5 in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings;
6 by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love,
7 by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
8 by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true;
9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed;
10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
2 Corinthians 11:23-28 NKJV
23 Are they ministers of Christ? — I speak as a fool — I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often.
24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one.
25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep;
26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness —
28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.
Acts 14:19-21 also lists some of Paul's ailments
Following are the passages used by some to prove that the "thorn" was Paul's eyesight.
Galatians 4:13-15 NIV
13 As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you.
14 Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.
15 What has happened to all your joy? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me.
Galatians 6:11 NKJV
11 See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand!
The following Passages indicate what I think were Paul's "thorn in the flesh."
2 Corinthians 6:4-10 NKJV
4 But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses,
5 in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings;
6 by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love,
7 by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
8 by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true;
9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed;
10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
2 Corinthians 11:23-28 NKJV
23 Are they ministers of Christ? — I speak as a fool — I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often.
24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one.
25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep;
26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness —
28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.