Whenever we speak of God’s consistent willingness to heal because that is God’s heart and his nature, someone always brings up Paul’s thorn in the flesh (2 Cor. 12:7) as an example of God leaving Paul with an illness to keep him humble after receiving amazing revelations. The argument goes that if Paul was afflicted with an illness (a thorn in the flesh) in order to facilitate his humility or his spiritual maturity, then why would God not send illnesses on others or, at least, leave us in that condition in order to mature us spiritually? It’s a fair question that needs to be answered.

First of all, the idiom Paul used – a thorn in the flesh – has equivalents in the Old Testament. Speaking of pagan tribes in Canaan, God told Moses, “But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live” (Num.33:35). Speaking to Joshua, God said, “the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the Lord your God has given you” (Josh. 23:13). After the death of Joshua, an angel of the Lord told the disobedient Israelites, “Now therefore I tell you that I will not drive them out before you; they will be thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you” (Judg.2:3).

In these texts, the idiom speaks of external forces (men from surrounding tribes) persecuting, afflicting, and harassing God’s people. In Chapter 11 of 2 Corinthians, Paul speaks about a group of men who had come to Corinth after his departure. These men were masquerading as apostles of Christ and were attempting to undermine his work there. He says that Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light so it is no surprise that his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness (2 Cor.11:13-15).

According to Paul these men were attempting to enslave, exploit, and take advantage of the believers at Corinth and to exalt themselves while insulting the church. Paul says sarcastically, “we were too weak for that.” In other words, Paul and his companions did not press their authority or positions as apostles but took a position of weakness as servants. He then lists all the suffering he has experienced at the hands of the Jews and refers to his submission to that suffering as his weakness (2 Cor.11:30) and again refers to his submission and acceptance of persecution and hardship as his weaknesses in 2 Corinthians 12:5.

Paul goes on to speak of extraordinary revelations he had received and of a thorn in the flesh that he had been given (or that was allowed) in order to keep him from becoming conceited or exalted. He went to the Lord three times asking for the “thorn” to be removed but God said that his grace and power were perfected in Paul’s weaknesses. The weaknesses Paul listed in previous parts of the texts were sufferings from persecutions. Nowhere did he mention illnesses.

The idiom used in other parts of the Bible refers to men who were afflicting, persecuting, or harassing God’s people. Paul had just spoken of such a group who served Satan and masqueraded as ministers of righteousness. He also describes the thorn as a messenger of Satan. In the context, it seems that Paul was describing these men and others like them who seemed to follow the apostle wherever he went in an attempt to undermine his preaching of grace and draw new Christians back under the Law of Moses. These Judaizers were absolutely a thorn in Paul’s side wherever he went.

Christians are promised persecution in numerous places in the New Testament but never are they promised sickness. In fact, they are promised deliverance form sickness. James says, “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up” (Ja.5:14-15). He does not qualify this by saying, “Let him call the elders of the church unless God has given him an illness in order to purify his soul.” This promised healing is clearly for everyone. Even if the illness came through sin, James goes on to say, “and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven” (Ja.5:15). Our good Father, who is “the God who heals his people,” does not rejoice in the illness and suffering of his children any more than a loving, earthly father would. He gave gifts of healing to the church and gave elders in every congregation a healing ministry. Illness is not the Biblical norm for Christians and it is not God’s way of making us holy. I believe that Paul’s thorn was the persecution of those false apostles who followed him from town to town, not an illness that God would not heal. Anyway, these thoughts are for your consideration.

If Paul’s thorn has been a thorn in your flesh when seeking healing, I hope this is helpful. Blessings in Him, Jehovah Rophi, the God who heals his people.