What was Paul's thorn in the flesh?

There was danger of pride of heart after such a vision, and so the Lord permitted a messenger of Satan to buffet the apostle for his own good. Here we have one of the most interesting evidences, that the flesh, the proud, old nature, is still in the believer and not eradicated as some claim. He had perhaps the greatest experience a human being ever had, and yet, though he did not exalt himself, in view of the tendency of the old nature to lift itself up, there was given him this thorn in the flesh. ("Alas! what is man? But God is watchful; in His grace He provided for the danger of His poor servant. To have taken him up to a fourth heaven--so to speak--would only have increased the danger. There is no way of amending the flesh; the presence of God silences it. It will boast of it as soon as it is no longer there. To walk safely, it must be held in check, such as it is. We have to reckon it dead; but it often requires to be bridled, that the heart be not drawn away from God by its means, and that it may neither impede our walk nor spoil our testimony."--Synopsis.)

What was this thorn in the flesh? Numerous answers have been given to this question. It is evident that it was not something sinful as some suggested, but it must have been some affliction in his body, which made him contemptible in the eyes of others and in his preaching. The exact nature of this affliction in the flesh cannot be determined. And he had gone to the Lord with this thorn in his flesh. "For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me." And the answer came to him. The thorn was not taken away but something better he hears from his Lord. "My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness." The assurance of the sufficiency of divine grace was to comfort his heart in the affliction, and that the power of God needed his weakness for its display, was to encourage him as the servant of the Lord. He at once understood the divine message. It enabled him not only to bear with infirmities, reproaches, necessities, persecutions and distresses for Christ's sake, but to take pleasure in them, for he knew all these things were the things which enable God to manifest His power. He therefore gloried most gladly in infirmities.

(V. 7.) However exalted the experiences that the Apostle had enjoyed, the flesh was still in him while yet in this body. And the flesh, though showing itself in different forms, is, as to its nature, no different in an apostle than in any other man. We have to learn that in the flesh there is no good thing; that it never alters, and that in ourselves we have no strength against it. After such an experience the flesh, even in an apostle, might work, leading to self-exaltation by suggesting that no other apostle had been caught up to the third heavens. That he might be kept conscious of his own weakness, a thorn was sent to remind him that while still in the body he was entirely dependent upon the power of the Lord to keep him from the working of the flesh. The Apostle does not directly say what this thorn was. Apparently it was some bodily weakness that would tend to make the Apostle contemptible, or little, in the eyes of men, and thus act as a counterpoise to these miraculous visions and revelations which might have exalted him before men. Let it be noticed, however, that the thorn was allowed, not to correct any wrong in the Apostle, but rather, on the one hand, as a preventive against fleshly boasting, and on the other hand, to give him a deeper sense of his dependence upon the Lord.

This leads him to reveal the fact that when he resumed his active life in this world he came under a special disciplinary dealing on God's part, of a kind that was designed to deliver him from dangers that threatened. The flesh in Paul was unchanged as to its evil tendencies even after such an experience as this. How easy for him to be lifted up with pride and self-exaltation, and thus invite a sorrowful fall. So the thorn in flesh was given to act as a kind of counterpoise. Paradise and its unspeakable words on the one hand, but the thorn and its buffetings on the other.

It is said that "thorn" hardly gives in any adequate way the sense, and that "stake" would be better. We do not think much of thorns and easily extricate them, but a stake in the flesh is a far more serious thing and thoroughly crippling in its effects. What in particular Paul alluded to we do not know, though a good deal of discussion has centred round the point. Probably it is purposely left vague in order that all our thought may be concentrated on the fact that any affliction, even of the most damaging kind, may be turned into an occasion of spiritual preservation and gain.

The thorn in the flesh was given to Paul that he might not be puffed up. It was some infirmity which rendered him despicable in preaching (Gal. 4:13-14); it was a counterpoise to the glory he had tasted. It does not follow that we should necessarily have the same thorn, for God gives to each of us the very thorn which is suitable for us.

This thorn in the flesh given to Paul in order that he should not exalt himself was something that rendered him contemptible in his preaching. (Gal. 4:13-14.) It was a counterpoise to the rapture with which he had been honoured. We may not necessarily have the identical thorn that Paul had; God will always send us the needed one. It is Satan that God employs against the flesh, and Satan acts on the flesh in four different ways:

This thorn in the flesh given to Paul in order that he should not exalt himself was something that rendered him contemptible in his preaching. (Gal. 4:13-14.) It was a counterpoise to the rapture with which he had been honoured. We may not necessarily have the identical thorn that Paul had; God will always send us the needed one. It is Satan that God employs against the flesh, and Satan acts on the flesh in four different ways:

The thorn in the flesh was truly humbling to the great apostle. This is evident from what he says to the Galatians, "And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not." It was something that made him despicable as a preacher. And he thought, no doubt, that it would greatly hinder his usefulness; but he had to learn that the great hindrance to usefulness is the flesh. Thrice he prayed that the thorn might be removed. "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me." ( 2 Cor. 12)

Paul was given a thorn in the flesh — a messenger of Satan to buffet him — something which tended to make him contemptible in bodily presence and speech; yet, with this blessed end in view, that he might be humbled and dependent.

What better asset to an active servant of the Lord than a strong, healthy body! Paul though that without such a body he must be positively hindered and restricted in the service of the Lord. He thought physical efficiency was essential. But he bowed under the humbling hand of the Lord, "I will not glory, but in mine infirmities." As glorying in "a man in Christ," he gloried in that which made everything of Christ. Glorying in his infirmities he gloried in that which made nothing of himself. But, blessing of blessings, along with that which emphasized his nothingness and demonstrated his utter weakness, he heard that same voice which had spoken blessing to him on the Damascus road, now saying, "My grace is sufficient for thee." "My … thee," and in between (not to separate but to sustain), "My grace."

As the "small" Paul looked on the largeness of that grace, which alone could support, empower, and employ him, he cast his weakness, indeed himself with all his deficiencies, at the feet of His all-sufficient Lord, crying, "most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. therefore I take pleasure in infirmities … for Christ's sake; for when I am weak," consciously so, and looking for nothing in himself the vessel, "then am I strong." Strong in the strength which Christ supplies!

The tendency to personal pride, even in this devoted servant of the Lord, required what he calls "a thorn in the flesh" in order that he might be preserved from self­exaltation. Even the marvellous experience of being called up to heaven did not eradicate from him the flesh with its insidious evils. His "thorn" was no doubt some physical affliction. It has been remarked that the flesh in Paul might be tempted to boast that he was the only man who had ever been so caught up to heaven, yet in this case the flesh would be boasting in something it had nothing to do with; for Paul was not even conscious of his body being there. And God allowed Satan to inflict Paul with this thorn, no doubt with malicious spite on Satan on Satan's part, but with pure wisdom and love on Gods part.

Neither Paul nor his associates used the gift of healing in this matter; but three times Paul prayed beseechingly that God would remove the affliction from him. God answered, not as Paul had asked, but exceedingly abundantly above his request: "My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness." To have the difficulty removed would have been easier for Paul, but to have grace from God to bear it would bring more glory to God, and deeper blessing also to Paul. God's effective work is done, not by the robust health and energy of man, but by power that uses even the weakest of vessels.

It is so as to the service of God. The flesh can contribute nothing. Its activities are valueless in the things of God. Whatever is done for God in the world must be done in His power. This Paul seems to have had to learn after he had been caught up into the third heaven. The Lord allowed Satan to send a messenger, which Paul speaks of as a thorn for the flesh, to buffet him. It was really the care of the Lord for His servant that allowed Satan thus to trouble him. The natural pride of the flesh would, on account of the revelations given to him, have puffed him up, and thus rendered him unserviceable to Christ; but this thorn was something which seems to have crippled him in his preaching (2 Cor. 10:10), and made him contemptible in the eyes of those who looked at things from a human standpoint. Three times be goes to the Lord about this thorn, but the answer of the Lord to him leaves no doubt on his mind that, in sending this messenger to buffet him, Satan had overreached himself, and had made Paul a more valuable servant than ever; for all that is done for Christ on earth must be done in His power, and His power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9).