Have you ever got a splinter in your finger or your foot? It sticks out just enough to be irritating but not far enough to pull it out. Every time you brush against something, it sends pain through out your body.
I know when this happens to me I try to ignore it. I hope against hope that some how it will work its way out. Because the alternatives are it will become infected or my wife will take the biggest needle, she can find to dig it out. I finally opt for the last choice. While she unmercifully digs into my skin, I am screaming as if someone is removing my appendix without any anesthesia.
Today we will learn about the splinter in Paul’s life. Paul shares his story in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4.
“I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows. Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.”
Paul is telling the church in Corinth about his trip to heaven.
He refers to it as “the third heaven.” He tells us that the heavens are layered. There is the first heaven that we see with our naked eyes as we look upwards. Then there is the second heaven that we are still exploring with telescopes and satellites. Then there is the third heaven that is not visible because it is beyond all these physical realms. Paul called it “paradise” which meant God’s garden.
He further states that what he saw was unexplainable. He could not find words to express the beauty and the wonder of what he heard. Furthermore, no one would be allowed to tell of the glory of this place. Later the apostle John would have the privilege of making the same trip that Paul did and would be allowed to record what he saw. We find that glimpse of heaven in the book of Revelation.
Let us continue with Paul.
2 Corinthians 12:6-7 “If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.”
Paul had a lot he could boast about. In a letter to the church in Philippi, he wrote, “I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.” (Philippians 3:5-6)
And earlier in his letter to the Corinthians, he wrote concerning others who were accusing Paul of not being an apostle, of taking advantage of them, and of being weak, “You put up with it when someone enslaves you, takes everything you have, takes advantage of you, takes control of everything, and slaps you in the face. I’m ashamed to say that we’ve been too ‘weak’ to do that!
But whatever they dare to boast about—I’m talking like a fool again—I dare to boast about it, too. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.” (2 Corinthians 11:20-27)
Now Paul could add to his list that he had seen paradise. That he had been there.
Can you relate to Paul? If someone accuses you of not being as spiritual or disciplined as them, can you go through a checklist of comparisons like those that Paul did? Therefore, God decided to humble him.
The word thorn would be better translated as a splinter. He had that splinter that would snag on things and cause him pain. That splinter that was not deadly just irritating. What was that splinter? We know for sure it was a messenger of Satan. But what in Paul’s life could have inflected him with pain?
It could have been a group of people. We can read in both letters to the church in Corinth that Paul’s authority as an apostle was under attack. We find what he wrote in his first letter in 1 Corinthians 9:1-6 “Am I not as free as anyone else? Am I not an apostle? Haven’t I seen Jesus our Lord with my own eyes? Isn’t it because of my work that you belong to the Lord? Even if others think I am not an apostle, I certainly am to you. You yourselves are proof that I am the Lord’s apostle.
This is my answer to those who question my authority. Don’t we have the right to live in your homes and share your meals? Don’t we have the right to bring a Christian wife with us as the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers do, and as Peter does? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have to work to support ourselves?”
Perhaps God had allowed this messenger from Satan to come to him in the form of a foe to keep him from become prideful for all his accomplishments.
Perhaps it was an illness. Let’s read Galatians 4:13-15
“Surely you remember that I was sick when I first brought you the Good News. But even though my condition tempted you to reject me, you did not despise me or turn me away. No, you took me in and cared for me as though I were an angel from God or even Christ Jesus himself. Where is that joyful and grateful spirit you felt then? I am sure you would have taken out your own eyes and given them to me if it had been possible.”
Often Paul would write in his letters “This is me writing. See what large letters I use?” This would tell us that others penned his letters at Paul’s dictation. And when Paul did write, it was with large letters due to his eyesight. Perhaps God had allowed this messenger from Satan to come in the form of an eye disorder to keep him humble and dependent on God.
Perhaps it was a mannerism that Paul struggled to overcome.
Romans 7:15-19 “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.
We all can relate to Paul on this one. So many times, we find ourselves tripping over the things that we should not be doing. We know that is wrong but you we do it anyway. And the things God wants us to do, we find excuses not too.
Perhaps God had allowed this messenger of Satan to show Paul his weaknesses in his flesh to remind him that true spiritual victory can only come through the work of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps it was to keep Paul from being proud of winning his battles on his own. But all of these are speculations. We really do not know.
So Paul goes to God with a request.
2 Corinthians 12:8-9 “Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”
Paul goes to God three times to have this thorn, this splinter removed. All I have to do is ask Debbie once and she has that huge needle out, ready to dig. I think she enjoys hearing me scream. But God tells Paul “No. My grace is all you need.”
What is God’s grace? The Greek word is charis (khar‘ece). It meant “the state of kindness and favor toward someone, often with a benefit given to the person.” God tells Paul “My kindness and favor toward you, with the benefits they offer, is all you need. Because when you are dependent on me and not yourself, then my power shows through. That splinter you have is a reminder of your dependence on me.” And that is why God gives us splinters.
Perhaps you are thinking of someone and wondering if that is your splinter. Or perhaps an ailment you are going through. Or a compulsion that overwhelms you. How do we know if it is a splinter from God? Let us talk about Job here also.
We know the story of Job, a man that God described as his servant and said of him, “He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.” (Job 1:8)
God allows Satan to destroy all of Job’s possessions, his family, and his health. Job is left sitting in a pile of ashes being grilled by his friends. Like Paul, Job had a splinter. Here is how you can tell if you have a splinter from God.
It will have a divine purpose. For Paul, it was to guard him from becoming filled with pride. All his many accomplishments along with this journey to paradise could have set his feet on a pride-filled trip that would have caused him to fall. For Job it was so his faith would shine through all of the bad circumstances of his life.
It will be sent by God. Satan has no power except that which God allows him to have. For Paul, it was his wonderful journey to the third heaven that caused God to unleash the messengers of Satan onto Paul’s life. For Job, it was his faithfulness and his righteous living.
It will be demonic in nature. Whether it was Paul’s foes, illness, or weakness in the flesh, he recognized the hand of Satan at work. For Job it came in the form of marauders, meteors, storms, and diseases.
It will be inescapable. Paul and Job could not escape the agony of that splinter. It rubbed them everywhere them went. Paul could not hide from it. Job set in the ashes because of it.
It will not be removed until it has fulfilled its purpose. What we want removed, God wants endured. We never know if Paul ever was free from his splinter but we know Job was freed from his.
It will cause grace beyond measure. Paul understood the benefits of God’s grace. Job saw it when he was restored to health and given ten times what he had lost.
Not every problem in life is a thorn, a splinter in our flesh. It is okay to ask God to remove a problem but also see if perhaps He wants you to endure the problem. There is grace, that wonderful state of favor and kindness with benefits that we can enjoy by enduring those splinters in the flesh.
