Healing IS God's Will
Healing IS God's Will !
Chapter 1: Healing IS God's Will
Chapter 2: The Prayer of Faith
Chapter 3: Isaiah's Prophecy
Chapter 4: Paul's "Thorn"
Introduction: Forgiveness and Healing are clearly linked all through the Bible. (1)
While every dis-ease (and lack of peace) is associated with sin, peace and wholeness, health and every good thing are associated with our forgiveness through salvation by Jesus Christ's work on the cross. It is received only by faith, however, and faith comes by hearing. (Acts 14:9 HCSB - and heard Paul speaking. After observing him closely and seeing that he had faith to be healed...)
God's plan for our healing was set forth in the Old Covenant and was shown to be accomplished through our forgiveness by faith in Jesus' work on the cross, in the New Covenant.
2 Chronicles 7:14 HCSB - ...and My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
Isaiah 33:24 ESV - And no inhabitant will say, "I am sick"; the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.
Through our righteousness which is estalished through the "law of faith" in Jesus, we are completely forgiven. It is by grace, God's un-earned favor which allows His blessings to flow to us by our faith in Jesus' righteousness on our behalf. The New Covenant is the New Law: the law of faith in Christ rather than trusting in our ability to keep the Old Testament Law: Romans 3:27 KJV - Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
Jesus angered many when He healed people, but He truly upset the system when He demonstrated His power to both heal and forgive: Mark 2:9 NIV - Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'?
Was Jesus asking a rhetorical question? I don't believe He was. He was clearly making the point that forgiveness and healing go hand in hand. Which is easier to say? It doesn't matter: both healing and forgiveness are for those who will believe on Him ("whom God has sent").
Often it is not a question of whether God heals or not. Many believe He can, but wonder, "will He?". The answer again, is that healing IS God's will and like our salvation, has already been provided. All we need to do is believe and receive. Matt 8:2-3 NLT - Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. God does not offer healing for some and not for all. His free gifts are by grace to those who believe and are not based on works or genealogy or anything that we can earn or ever hope to pay for.
In the New Testament we see an interesting variation on the connection between forgiveness and healing. In James we read about a faith-based prayer which heals first, and then the person is forgiven: James 5:15 NIV - And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
He is a righteous judge and does not treat some with more favor or less favor than others. (Acts 10:34 HCSB - Then Peter began to speak: "In truth, I understand that God doesn't show favoritism… ; Romans 2:11 HCSB - There is no favoritism with God.; James 2:1 HCSB - (The Sin of Favoritism) My brothers, hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ without showing favoritism.) He is impartial and does not interfere with our free will to choose.
We might wonder why healing doesn't always just come immediately then, when we are born again. But like the Israelites who encountered the giants living in their Promised Land, I believe that the law of faith tells us we must access God's goodness by faith. We read in the Bible that we please God and receive from Him only by faith. We can see the giants and still know that our God is big enough to overcome them. It's not us doing it; but it is us trusting Him to lead us to victory. That doesn't mean there isn't sometimes a war. Sometimes we must stand, and after having done all, we still must stand on the promises of God.
Given the choice between accepting God's promises until we see the victory, or running from giants, let's choose to fight. We aren't called to be spoon-fed in this life. Sometimes it's war, and when it is, we remember that we are the army of the Living God. We win.
Healing IS God's Will
God likes to show and tell His people what's going to happen before it does.
No matter what you've heard to the contrary, He's not hiding things from us; He's not trying to keep us in the dark. He wants us to know Him, to know Truth, and to be free! In Hosea 4:6 God says "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge". It isn't His will for us to be destroyed - He loves us! And He has sent His Word to teach us all we need to know; all we have to do is seek Him, knock on the door, and let Him come in!
Anyway, God gave some vital information in advance to the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah lived some 700 years before Jesus, but he wrote about His coming and how Jesus, by His death, would redeem God's people from despair and darkness and separation, bringing us back into unity with God.
"His name Isaiah (Salvation of Jehovah) is almost identical in meaning with Joshua (Jehovah is salvation) which appears in the NT as Jesus, the name of the Messiah whom Isaiah heralded." – Zondervan's Pictorial Bible Dictionary, page 383.
God told Isaiah about His plan to send a Savior into the world, and Isaiah wrote it all down for us to read, some 3000 years later:
Isaiah 57:18,19 (Amplified Bible)
I have seen his [willful] ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him also and will recompense him and restore comfort to him and to those who mourn for him.
Peace, peace, to him who is far off [both Jew and Gentile] and to him who is near! says the Lord; I create the fruit of his lips, and I will heal him [make his lips blossom anew with speech in thankful praise].
This sounds lovely, but what does it really mean? How important it is when God Almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth, says to us "Peace, peace"!
What do you think of when you think of peace? Probably the first though that comes to my mind is the flower children of the 1960s, peace signs, and paisley shirts. (I was just a young child, but those times left quite an impression!)
I think most people today think of an absence of war. Maybe you have your own ideas about what "peace" means, such as comfort, security, safety, and quiet calmness.
But whatever we think of peace today, we need to know what was meant when the words were written some nearly 3000 years ago, and to do that we need to know what the original Hebrew word was here, because the word Isaiah wrote must have pretty accurately described the condition God was referring to. It was His intention that we understand. He does not mean to confuse; He is not the author of confusion. (That job belongs to the Devil.)
"Peace - Strong's Number: 07965; Browse Lexicon Original Word Word Origin ~wlX from (07999) Transliterated Word TDNT Entry "
"Shalowm TWOT - 2401a Phonetic Spelling Parts of Speech shaw-lome' Noun Masculine"
Definition 1. completeness, soundness, welfare, peace a. completeness (in number) b. safety, soundness (in body) c. welfare, health, prosperity d. peace, quiet, tranquility, contentment e. peace, friendship 1. of human relationships 2. with God especially in covenant relationship f. peace (from war) g. peace (as adjective)
So when God tells us that He is giving us "peace" He is actually giving us "completeness, safety, health, prosperity, and contentment" in addition to the usual ways we describe peace (quiet, freedom from war, etc). He is restoring us to our original place of relationship with Him, no longer separated by sin, but unified with Him in perfect peace and righteousness.
Definition #2 listed above describes this as a 'covenant relationship', meaning an agreement. If God makes an agreement, we can pretty much stand on that as truth, can't we?! What was this "covenant agreement"? The New Covenant of Blood; the offering of our Lord, a freewill sacrifice in our place, restoring us to peace (welfare, health, tranquility, contentment, and safety).
In fact, restoring us to Him was His plan from the beginning. He stated His plan back in the garden when He told the serpent that He would send someone to crush him through the woman's offspring. Satan may have messed it up, but it was God's plan from Genesis, to fix it! He loves us! And as many times as we come back to Him, asking Him to forgive us, He'll take us back, always offering His arms opened wide to us, the prodigal children.
What about the part of that verse in Isaiah, where He says "I will heal him"? What does He mean? Does He really mean that Jesus will heal us? Do we dare to hope? Yes! In sending Jesus as the new Covenant, restoring all His people to Him, He also mentions healing, more than once. Can we take that literally?
"Heal - Strong's Number: 07495; Browse Lexicon Original Word Word Origin apr a primitive root Transliterated Word TDNT Entry"
"Rapha' TWOT - 2196 Phonetic Spelling Parts of Speech raw-faw' Verb"
Definition 1. to heal, make healthful a. (Qal) to heal 1. of God 2. healer, physician (of men) 3. of hurts of nations involving restored favour (fig) 4. of individual distresses (fig) b. (Niphal) to be healed 1. literal (of persons) 2. of water, pottery 3. of national hurts (fig) 4. of personal distress (fig) c. (Piel) to heal 1. literal 2. of national defects or hurts (fig) d. (Hithpael) in order to get healed (infinitive)
Yes, when we receive salvation through the new covenant, Jesus Christ, we have received also healing! We've been healed in every way possible, as a physician heals, as being restored to favor, of having our cares taken from us, we have truly been healed.
If you've received the promise of Jesus as the new covenant, you have not only been saved from sins, but you've been given the ability to praise God (the fruit of your lips) and receive healing from sickness, poverty, disease, lack, and every other evil which came upon man in the Garden of Eden because of disobedience.
God told this all to His prophet Isaiah. He planned the way, He sent His Son to fulfill His plan, and Jesus did His will, the will of Him Who sent Him, completed the job, and then sat down at the right hand of God! Praise God for salvation and victory over the world through Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Redeemer, our Healer!
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The Prayer Of Faith
Are you A Christian? If you are, you're probably doing what Christians are supposed to do, like seeking to do His will. I mean, it should be understood that you are praying, reading the Bible and really wanting in your heart to do right. You are doing your best to love others and Him by obeying His word to you, right?
If so, are you praying for healing for yourself or someone else?
Are you praying in faith – that is, really, really believing for healing because you know it's His will, and then praising Him for the healing He's provided even as you wait to see it manifested in your physical body? You're calling those things that are not (yet) as though they are, and standing your ground, in faith, against anything that tries to exalt itself against the Truth of God's word, right? "And having done all, stand."
If so, praise God! You have read and believed the Word. You have faith and you've acted on it!
If not, maybe you didn't know that God told you to pray for the sick so that they would be healed. If not, then you need to get out your Bibles and start reading. Because, yes – it is God's will for us to healed!
"Are any among you suffering? They should keep on praying about it. And those who have reason to be thankful should continually sing praises to the Lord.
Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.
And their prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make them well. And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." (James 5:13-18 NLT)
Huh. Pray for each other and be healed? What else do we have to do? There must be more to it than that; if it was that simple, why aren't more people healed?
"Their prayer offered in faith will heal the sick…" Oh. We have to pray in faith. Well, that's different. I mean, who can pray in faith these days?
I think James may have been anticipating that question when he wrote it to the church, because if we keep on reading, he kind of takes the wind out of our excuses (to maim a cliché):
"The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and a half years! Then he prayed for rain, and down it poured. The grass turned green, and the crops began to grow again." (James 5;16-18 NLT)
Well, you say, it says "the earnest prayer of a righteous person". No one on earth is righteous, so how can we expect our prayers to be answered?
First of all, you need to find out who you are in Christ. You are that righteous person! We are the righteousness of God in Christ. Paul goes into great detail describing our righteousness, or "rightness" with God, our "justification" in God's eyes because of the sacrifice of our Lord:
Romans 3:21-26 (HCSB)
But now, apart from the law, God's righteousness has been revealed… that is, God's righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe, since there is no distinction… justified freely by His grace… through faith in His blood… so that He would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus.
So if you have faith in Jesus, you have been declared righteous by God Himself. Who are you to argue with God? Accept His shed blood as the only act that could ever, ever acquit you, and receive the perfection that He attained to when He walked the earth, in your place, as your righteousness through Him.
For more on righteousness through Christ, read Romans 4 and 5; learn about Abraham's righteousness through faith in God's word; learn about Abraham being the father of all those who are justified by faith instead of works. Learn about your place as Abraham's offspring by adoption, and how all the promises God made to him have now come to you by faith (Rom. 4:14-18).
You are that righteous person, not because of anything you've done, but because of what Jesus did; start believing your prayers to be answered when you pray for healing. In fact, if you believe the Bible is God's Word of Truth to you, then you will be obedient to do what it says. Faith expects answers.
If God says, "Pray for each other that you may be healed", then why question it? Obey! God said to pray for healing, so why would you refuse? He said if someone is sick, pray for them (James 5:16). He said to pray so that the sick may be healed. Do you then ask, "Well, I don't know if it's God's will"? God's word is His will.
Is healing God's will? If we believe He told us to pray so the sick may be healed, then what more do we need to know? YES! It IS God's will – He told us to pray for the sick so that they may be healed.
Pray in faith, you righteous Saints! Believe your prayer is the prayer of faith and that you are righteous to pray in faith. And then wait… It may not happen immediately, but stand in faith, because faith sees it done. Persevere. Don't grow weary in well doing.
"Keep on praying"… (James 5:13 NLT)
The Prayer of Faith Will Save the Sick
James 5:15 (KJV)
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.
"Save" the sick.
Romans 10:9-13 (KJV)
If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek; for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Shall be "saved".
What exactly does this word "saved" mean? Does it just mean salvation from eternal damnation in hell? That's the way I was taught, and you probably heard it explained that way too. But let's try to stop limiting God to our own understanding, and really seek to know Him and to understand what He is telling us. Let's stop assuming things and look at what He's really saying:
Saved – Strong's Concordance # 4982 – sozo; from a primary sos, to save, ie. deliver or protect (lit. or fig.): - heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole.
Here's an excerpt from Darlene Bishop's book, Your Life Follows Your Words:
As I read the meaning of the word saved given by Strong's, I realized that this was the case. According to the concordance, saved also meant being delivered, being healed, being protected, being preserved, and being made whole. With that discovery, my soul filled with rejoicing, and I did as David had done in Psalm 103; I began to bless the Lord:
Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits... Psalm 103:1-2
Believing in the Lord brings many benefits, not just forgiveness from sins. David was happy because the Lord was forgiving of all of his iniquities, but he was also rejoicing because the Lord, in the same way, was the Healer of all his diseases. And there was much more:
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. Psalm 103:3-5
There it was spelled out for me in detail. All of these wonderful blessings were the result of our salvation. How awesome!
It was perfectly outlined. Salvation was not just forgiveness from sin and escape from judgment and hell; it was much more. It was a complete package of benefits that included healing.
For those of us who are saved, or have received Christ as savior from sins, our needs are already met. The problem is that we have been taught wrong, that salvation is one work and healing is another. In truth, it is all part of the same package.
- Darlene Bishop, Your Life Follows Your Words, Page 15 - 17
I hope you are starting to see that God's abundance has been poured out on every part of our lives with the blood of Jesus. His sacrifice was enough to take care of everything; let's stop limiting Him, let's stop leaning on our own understanding and really start learning what is meant by salvation! He loves us and provided salvation for not only our souls, but for our physical bodies, our minds, our emotions, our entire beings, in this life and the one to come. We are His witnesses here, now, and we should be living epistles of His abundant goodness poured out on this earth when Jesus' blood was poured out. It truly was – and is – enough.
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Isaiah's Prophecy
Isaiah was a prophet who lived hundreds of years before Jesus, yet he told the story of our Lord and what He would suffer and endure for our sake around 700 years before it happened:
Isaiah 53 NLT
Who has believed our message? To whom will the Lord reveal his saving power?
…Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins!
But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed!
All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the guilt and sins of us all.
He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth…
… But who among the people realized that he was dying for their sins – that he was suffering their punishment? He had done no wrong, and he never deceived anyone…
… And because of what he has experienced, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of one who is mighty and great, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among those who were sinners. He bore the sins of many and interceded for sinners.
According to Isaiah's prophecy of Jesus dying on our behalf, we were healed. Make no mistake, this has been accomplished. When Jesus bore our griefs and our sorrows, He bore them so that we wouldn't have to. For us to suffer them again is for Jesus to bear them again. Why? Because He is in us. When Satan comes against us, he is coming against God in us, for we are now the temple of the Lord. We've been cleansed, sanctified, and made holy in His eyes by the blood sacrifice of our Lamb, Jesus Christ.
Peter retells this story of sacrifice and healing, death and righteousness:
1 Peter 2:24 HCSB
He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; by His wounding you have been healed.
Again, we have been healed. The past tense wording is not a mistake. It was God's intention all along, and it has been accomplished. It was planned in the beginning (we first read of God's plan in the Garden of Eden), and it was done ("It is finished," Jesus said.) 1974 years ago or so, when Jesus died so that we wouldn't have to.
Here it is again. This time we hear about it from Matthew, one of Jesus' disciples, who was an eye-witness to the miracles that Jesus performed:
When evening came, they brought to Him many who were under the power of demons, and He drove out the spirits with a word and restored to health all who were sick.
And thus He fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, He Himself took [in order to carry away] our weaknesses and infirmities and bore away our diseases. [Isa. 53:4.] - Matt. 8:16,17 (AMP)
I don't know about you, but if Jesus Himself took away my weaknesses and sicknesses, then that leaves me strong and well in Him! All that's left for me to do is believe and receive; it is His will for me! Thank You, my Father and Savior!
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The Believer's Authority
"Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick." - Luke 9:1-2 (KJV)
Jesus called His disciples and deputized them, much like a sheriff with his posse in the times of the wild West. Thus, He enabled His disciples to defeat Satan and to cure diseases. And now the entire New Testament Church has been give this authority by Christ.
Jesus gave us power and authority to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick, and it is wrong to do one without the other. They are part of the same package. If healing is not for today, as many assert, then neither is salvation from sins for today. They go together. Our commission to proclaim both still stands.
- Your Life Follows Your Words, by Darlene Bishop, page 19, 20
Jesus: Preach the kingdom; heal the sick.
As you go, announce this: 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, drive out demons. You have received free of charge, give free of charge. Matt. 10:8 (HCSB).
Jesus: Heal the sick, raise the dead, drive out demons.
Now Peter and John were going up together to the temple complex at the hour of prayer at three in the afternoon. And a man who was lame from his mother's womb was carried there and placed every day at the temple gate called Beautiful, so he could beg from those entering the temple complex.
When he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple complex, he asked for help. Peter, along with John, looked at him intently and said, "Look at us." So he turned to them, expecting to get something from them.
But Peter said, "I have neither silver nor gold, but what I have, I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!"
Then, taking him by the right hand, he raised him up, and at once his feet and ankles became strong. So he jumped up, stood, and started to walk, and he entered the temple complex with them – walking, leaping, and praising God, and they recognized that he was the one who used to sit and beg at the Beautiful Gate of the temple complex. So they were filled with awe and astonishment at what had happened to him. Acts 3:1-10 (HCSB)
I don't know about you, but doesn't this beg the question:
What did Peter have that he gave to the lame man?
It was something he already had ("what I have"). Was it the power to heal? Was it the power of faith? Was it the power of the Holy Spirit to fulfill Jesus' commission?
Whatever it was that Peter gave the man, it was enough! The man actually jumped up and began leaping! A man who was lame from before birth, meaning he had never learned to walk before!
He'd never practiced balancing, or placing one foot in front of the other. He wasn't given back something; he was given something for the first time!
Who gave it to him? Peter.
How? What was it? Whatever it was, it still is, because God does not change! He didn't change His mind and decide that He doesn't want people healed. He didn't send Jesus to heal as many people as He could and then that was it. No! Jesus gave His disciples the same job that God gave Jesus: heal the sick.
God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And we are His disciples now, and we are to be doing the work He gave us to do by His Word:
If you continue in My word, you really are My disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. - John 8:31,32 HCSB
Are you His disciple? If you believe His word, then you have a job to do, and it begins with faith, and it ends with acting on it, for "faith without works is dead" (James 2:17). Believe His Word and then act on what you believe and nothing will be impossible for you (Matt. 17:20).
A Study of Paul's "Thorn"
Paul's "thorn" is often cited as an example of God wanting people to suffer. I've personally heard it used to justify many physical and emotional illnesses. But if we really examine the scriptures surrounding the term 'thorn' we see that it is very likely – in fact, highly probable – that Paul was not speaking of any sort of physical illness or damage.
And what if Paul wasn't referring to sickness? What if he was talking about something else entirely? What if we've allowed Satan to once again twist and pervert the Truth of God's word, giving our old enemy an edge against us? What if we've been tricked once again, just like in the Garden of Eden? What if we've been deceived into allowing Satan to afflict us and all this time we've been ignorantly blaming God, our "Lord who heals" us? (Ex. 15:26, Ps. 147:3, Is. 53:5, Jn. 12:40, James 5:16, I Pet. 2:24)
If there's even one small possibility that we've been taught wrong, then let's get it right! Let's admit our mistake, let's repent, let's ask for forgiveness, and then let's get in there and tell Satan to leave! It is our right, after all, to tread upon spiritual "scorpions and snakes" (Luke 10:19), of which Satan is the leader! (And sickness comes from him, not from our Good Father; it is a curse for disobedience, Deut. 28:15; and Jesus redeemed us from the "curse", Gal. 3:13).
Here's a short background on Paul:
Born of purest Jewish blood (Phil. 3:5), the son of a Pharisee (Acts 23:6), Saul was cradled in orthodox Judaism. At the proper age, perhaps 13, he was sent to Jerusalem and completed his studies under the famous Gamaliel (Acts 22:3; 26:4-5). Being a superior, zealous student (Gal. 1:14), he absorbed not only the teaching of the OT but also the rabbinical learning of the scholars.
- Zondervan's Pictorial Bible Dictionary, page 627
It is very likely that Paul began memorizing scriptures (this would be the Old Testament) as young as age three. He was prolific in OT verse and often added scripture to his writings to the churches to punctuate his arguments. And if we look closely at his words, "thorn in the flesh" we find what very well could be their origins in his letter to the Corinthians:
I brought you out of Egypt and led you into the land I had promised to your fathers. I also said… You are not to make a covenant with the people who are living in this land, and you are to tear down their altars. But you have not obeyed me… Therefore, I now say: I will not drive out these people before you. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a trap to you. - Judges 2:1-3 (HCSB)
In this situation, what were the thorns? The people in the land, the Canaanites. Not a physical discomfort or illness, but people. And knowing how well Paul was able to mingle in OT scriptures to make points in his letters, let's look again at exactly what he said about "his thorn":
Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so I would not exalt myself. - 2 Cor. 12:7 (HCSB)
The first point I'd like to make is that Paul didn't even try to blame the situation on God. According to Paul, the 'thorn' was sent by Satan! "A messenger of Satan to torment me…"
The second point is that the word messenger according to my Bible is also translated angel. An angel from Satan is usually considered to be a demon. In other words, a demon from Satan was sent to torment Paul.
We still aren't sure what form the 'thorn' took, but we'll look at more of that in Part 2. And, please, before you start defending your right to be sick, hear me out! I really believe I can convince you that sickness is from Satan and not from God.
So far we have discussed Paul's "thorn" and how the usual assumption that it was a physical illness is most likely not accurate. We discussed Paul's use of OT scriptures in his letters and what he may have been referring to when he wrote "a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me" (2 Cor. 12:7). I believe he may have been quoting OT scripture that he learned as a young child, referring to a situation similar to his:
Therefore, I now say: I will not drive out these people before you. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a trap to you. - Judges 2:1-3 (HCSB)
The thorns in this situation, and in fact many times throughout the Bible, refer to people. Many times Satan uses people to hinder us, confuse us, harass us, and just plain bug us. Why would it have been any different in Paul's time? "There is nothing new under the sun." (Ec. 1:9)
In Why Should Christians Suffer?, author Frederick K.C. Price, D.D, examines Paul's usage of that particular terminology, and he takes us on an in-depth look at the scriptures:
2 Cor. 12:8-10: "Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 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. Therefore I take pleasure in my infirmities, in reproaches, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
… So we know several things immediately, the first being that Paul listed the characteristics of this "thorn" as infirmities, reproaches, needs, persecutions, distresses, for Christ's sake. Significant by their absence are sicknesses, diseases, and maladies. He went through the trouble of telling you all sorts of things that happened to him as a result of this "thorn," and not one of them involves sickness or disease.
You might stretch it if you argued that the word "distresses" could imply sickness – because when you are sick, you are distressed – but in the context of "reproaches" and "persecutions", the word "distresses" seems to much more imply the kinds of hassles you get when you are wrongly arrested, or harassed by the Internal Revenue Service, or served a subpoena to go testify in a court. In other words, Paul met with all of these difficulties specifically in the process of preaching the Word.
… I'm sure, however, some learned person would say, "Well, Dr. Price, if disease came from the devil, would sickness and disease constitute a "messenger" of Satan?" That's a legitimate question. We need to examine the word "messenger", and see how it is used and what it means. When the Bible uses the term "thorn" in any reference other than a literal thorn, it always refers to people, and never to a physical infirmity. [Numb. 33:55, Josh. 23:13, 2 Sam. 23:6, Jud. 2:1-3]
… What "person" afflicted Paul? Look at 2 Cor. 12:7, where he says "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…" Now can you tell me what the "thorn in the flesh" was? It was "a messenger of Satan." The word "messenger" is the Greek word angelos for angel, and is used in the New Testament 178 times. Of those 178 times, it is translated "angel" 171 times and "messenger" seven times. Pretty clearly, angel means messenger and messenger means angel when the word is angelos – but it is never defined as 'sickness", "illness", or "disease". This angel was one of the rebellious angels who joined Lucifer when he challenged God. Satan dispatched one of his angels to harass Paul to limit his influence.
… "Infirmities" does not mean sicknesses but rather "frailties", or "human inabilities". We know these are different, because in Matthew 8:17 (quoting Isaiah), the scripture says of Jesus, "…He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses." Sicknesses are not infirmities and infirmities are not sicknesses. Infirmity means inability to perform up to standard. Paul recognized this – he took pleasure in his inability to do things because he knew that God could and would step in to do the job that he could not do.
-- Excerpt from Why Should Christians Suffer?, by Frederick K.C. Price, D.D.
Now Christians do, and will continue to, suffer persecution, but persecution occurs at the hands of people, for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus. That is not what this is about. What I'm talking about here is our need to refute illness, to realize that sickness, disease and illness is not God's way of teaching us and that it doesn't come from Him. That is a snare that keeps us from really seeking after healing, which is His will, according to many, many scriptures which we've discussed.
Sickness is not from God; it's from the devil. Satan has twisted the Word of God around (again!). He's trying to trick us into thinking that it's God's way of teaching us something, but this is a lie!
One would really have to twist things around to say that sickness is a good thing. The Bible doesn't say it's something to seek after; the Word of God considers sickness to be a curse. It isn't God's will for us to be cursed; He has chosen us, His children, to be good to us. All we have to do is come to Him, and receive His goodness:
Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32 ESV)
God, our Father takes pleasure in giving us the kingdom; righteousness, peace and joy!
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Rom. 14:17 ESV)
God tells us to give, to love, to free the oppressed, to help, to heal. Should we expect any less from Him?!
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (James 1:17 ESV)
Do we think that it's a good idea to make our kids sick, so that they can learn their lessons?
No! We don't want them to get sick and we teach them how to avoid it. We tell them to wash their hands, not to play with strange animals, to wear their coats when it's cold outside. Why do we do that? To keep them well.
In the same way, our Good Father God has given us His rules in order to keep us safe from the enemy's attacks. He wants us well, but we must obey Him in order to walk through this world without being destroyed by Satan.
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! ( Matt.7:11)
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep… I am the good shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they know Me, as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep. But I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. (John 10:11-16 HCSB)
If you know anything about the shepherds of Jesus' time, they led the sheep to pastures, in order to eat and not be hungry. They led them to water so they could drink and not be thirsty. They watched over them at night and protected them from wolves. They didn't hurt the sheep; they provided for and protected the sheep. The sheep knew their master's voice and they followed him knowing that when they stayed with him they would be kept safe from predators.
He's the Good Shepherd. He's good and He loves us. But we must listen to Him and receive by faith.
My son, pay attention to my words; listen closely to my sayings. Don't lose sight of them; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and health to one's whole body. (Prov. 4:20-22 HCSB)
The Spirit is the One who gives life. The flesh doesn't help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. (John 6:63)
God's word is healthy – read it! The Spirit gives life – receive it! Seek after Him – you will find Him!
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A Final Thought:
The word says that FAITH comes by hearing the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). Don't judge yourself as unworthy – you were bought and paid for with a high Price. You were redeemed and set free from sin and bondage and oppression. "Let no one disqualify you." (Col. 2:18 HCSB). Pray, seek God, ask Him for guidance, look up the scriptures for yourself, ask for His wisdom to understand and study to show yourself approved. Don't take anyone's word over God's Truth. It will make you free! Shalowm.
(1) Following are some additional scriptures linking forgiveness with healing. I encourage you to study these scriptures - along with other scriptures regarding God's grace and healing - yourself; you will be blessed!
2 Chronicles 7:14 HCSB - and My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
Psalm 103:3 HCSB - He forgives all your sin; He heals all your diseases.
Matthew 9:1 HCSB - [The Son of Man Forgives and Heals ] So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own town.
Mark 2:1 HCSB - [ The Son of Man Forgives and Heals ] When He entered Capernaum again after some days, it was reported that He was at home.
Luke 5:17 HCSB - [ The Son of Man Forgives and Heals ] On one of those days while He was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea, and also from Jerusalem. And the Lord's power to heal was in Him.
Revelation 22:2 HCSB - down the middle of the broad street [of the city]. On both sides of the river was the tree of life bearing 12 kinds of fruit, producing its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations,
Hebrews 12:13 HCSB - and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but healed instead.
James 5:16 HCSB - Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The intense prayer of the righteous is very powerful.
1 Peter 2:24 HCSB - He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; by His wounding you have been healed.
