every way afflicted, but not straitened; seeing no apparent issue, but our way not entirely shut up;
Paul has just described the light of the knowledge of God's glory as treasure inside jars of clay. Now he shows what that looks like day to day. Each phrase names a real pressure, then denies its worst outcome.
Each clause has two halves. Commentators trace them to two sources: the weakness of the man, and the presence of God with him.
The treasure is the light of the knowledge of the love of God, and it is in a clay vessel, so that the surpassing power may be God's and not ours... "We are afflicted in every way" — that is the vessel. "But not crushed," because God was there. "Perplexed," see no way out. "But not driven to despair," for there was a way out after all, since God was there. The vessel is completely broken and dealt with, but God is there the whole time.
Paul is not describing one bad season.
The whole aim is to make it clear, by the contrast with man — weak and fragile and suffering — that the power is God's... The vessels of this delivering power were not exposed to an occasional attack by the enemy. God kept them going under constant pressure, severe trial and extreme weakness, and blessing still flowed out on every side: hard pressed, but not hemmed in; at a loss, but not completely so; pursued, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
Being at a loss is not the same as being trapped.
When we see so much sorrow, and so many problems and trials, how do we react? Do we look for a "solution" in a worldly way? We won't find one. We may even make things worse. But perhaps, like the apostle Paul, we reach the point where we are perplexed — an older translation says we see no apparent way out. If we then have a truly broken and humble spirit before the Lord, He will save us and show us the way. Then we can add, like the apostle, "but our way not entirely shut up." This may not be the easy way — but we will be certain it is His way.
Every pressure in this verse depends on having a body that can be hurt. That is not a flaw in God's plan for the messenger; it is the plan.
If God had sent an angel on this service, the angel could not have been troubled, or perplexed, or persecuted. He would have no body for circumstances to touch. A testimony given by an angel would be a testimony given by someone with irresistible power... A testimony given by a man with a frail body is a testimony given in weakness. Yet that very weakness only shows the surpassing greatness of the power of God.
One writer sees the same pattern in Gideon.
Gideon blew his trumpet, and at the same moment he broke his own pitcher (Judges 7). Breaking the pitchers mattered as much as blowing the trumpet. The light inside stayed hidden until the pitchers broke; then it shone out. The Apostle Paul may be referring to this when he says, "But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us."
It would be easy to read Paul as made of different material from us.
A close look at these verses shows that trouble reached him in three ways. First came hostile circumstances, in verses 8 and 9. Trouble, perplexity, persecution, being cast down — all these came upon him. He really was "a man," as he told the Jews (Acts 22:3), and so not beyond these things. He knew what it was to be perplexed and cast down like the rest of us.
What held Paul steady was not his personality.
He was not lifted up when things went well, and not depressed when they went badly. He lived in no ruts, and he did not depend on outward conditions. In fact, the harder the conditions, the brighter his light shone... And what lay behind this tireless energy, this more than human courage, this unconquerable enthusiasm and joy? He knew God, THE LIVING GOD, and he leaned upon the surpassing power of Christ.
- Pressure. The first half of every pair is honest: hard pressed, at a loss, chased, knocked down. Paul was a man, and felt all of it.
- But. The second half of every pair is God. Afflicted, but not crushed; no way visible, but the way not entirely shut up — because God is there.
- Clay. God chose a breakable messenger on purpose. An angel could not be perplexed, and so could not show that the power belongs to God and not to the vessel.
- Break. Like Gideon's jars, the vessel has to be broken before the light inside can be seen. The trouble is not interrupting the work; it is the work.
- Shine. The point of every "but" is not survival. Anyone who watches a hard-pressed, perplexed believer still standing is looking at the power of God.
persecuted, but not abandoned; cast down, but not destroyed;
Paul has just called believers clay jars that hold a treasure. Now each phrase names a blow, then a limit on it — and God sets the limit.
Every clause pairs a fact about the man with a fact about God:
So Paul was troubled on every side; this was the earthen vessel. Though troubled he was not distressed — this was the power of God. He was perplexed — the earthen vessel; but his way was not entirely shut up — the power of God. He was persecuted — the earthen vessel; but not forsaken — the power of God. He was cast down — the earthen vessel; but not destroyed — the power of God.
Persecution was no surprise for a man who lived as his Master lived. But there was a line his trials could not cross.
It was only to be expected that he would be "persecuted." His whole life and walk were Christ (John 15:20; 1 Corinthians 11:1). But if persecuted, he was not forsaken; the trials of the servant must fall short of those which came upon his Lord. All forsook the Saviour in the hour of His desolation, but Paul was never left completely alone. If he was cut off from human help or sympathy, the Lord stood by him, whether in his prison cell or before unjust judges. "Cast down," he had to be, in case he was tempted to think he could stand by his own power. "Destroyed," he could not be, for his soul was in the keeping of his Saviour. The enemy could not even kill his body until his course was finished and the work his Lord gave him was done. Left for dead by the haters of the truth, he was soon back among its friends as a living comforter (Acts 14:19-20).
Not being rescued is not the same as being forsaken. Only one Man was ever truly forsaken.
Yet a long line of martyrs shows us this: as far as plain rescue from the hands of enemies goes, many have cried and were not delivered. Their sufferings only proved that they were not forsaken. A power held them up and strengthened them for whatever they went through, and that power showed itself all the more because of it. How many before and since have proved Paul's experience, "Persecuted, but not forsaken"! Their patience was precious and acceptable to God. Yet none of these patient sufferers touched even the edge of the darkness of the cross, when the cry of the holy One found no answer.
Both halves describe a real fall, not a near miss. One writer works through them in an older wording — "abandoned" for forsaken, "cast down" for struck down:
"Persecuted, but not abandoned." However great the persecution, to have God's presence in it more than makes up for it. "Cast down, but not destroyed." This was deep suffering to the flesh, but as Proverbs tells us, a righteous man may fall seven times, and rise up again (Proverbs 24:16).
The blows landed. Paul kept coming back up:
Circumstances were always against him. Yet he was not distressed, not in despair, not forsaken, not destroyed. Clearly a sustaining power was working in him which counteracted all that was working against him. He was like one of those self-righting lifeboats. Stormy seas pound it and even turn it over, yet it comes up the right side up once the crashing waves have passed.
One writer ties Paul's broken jar to Gideon and his soldiers:
Empty pitchers represented what Gideon and his warriors were in themselves. Like Paul's earthen vessel, these empty pitchers were only fit to be broken. When God raises up a testimony, He glorifies Himself only in instruments which He has broken. He carried His gospel to the nations through a Saul whom He had first thrown down in the dust on the road to Damascus. He displayed the excellence of His power in a Paul whom He kept on disciplining to the end. Gideon's men blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers (Judges 7:19), and the light shone out all around them.
- Vessel — every phrase names the jar, then names God. Persecuted is the jar; not forsaken is the power of God.
- Broken — the jar has to crack before the light gets out. God shows His power through instruments He has first thrown down.
- Not forsaken — many have cried and were not rescued, yet a power held them up all the more. Only Christ cried and got no answer.
- Not destroyed — being struck down keeps Paul from trusting his own strength. He cannot be destroyed, because his soul is in his Saviour's keeping. The enemy cannot end his life before his work is done.
- Righted — a power inside works against everything outside, like a lifeboat that rights itself once the waves have passed.