Paul Answers Many of Job's Questions
A Commentary of 2 Corinthians 12:1-10
by Dave Brown
The book of Job is thought by many scholars to be the oldest book in existence. Certainly the questions that he asked are ageless. Among them is the popular question: "why do bad things happen to good people?" Job never got the answers that he expected, but Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, enlightens us to many of them.
The Context
Reading the previous chapters before 2 Cor. 12, we see that Paul was under great duress by the false teaches at Corinth. Paul should never have had to defend himself, and it was quite grievous for Paul to have to stoop so low in order to try to reach the false teachers and those who were being deceived by them. We would expect that those who loved Paul and honored the truth were embarrassed by the need for this. And yet, because of this persecution of Paul we learn much. Perhaps it is written as much for us today to understand what Paul went through as it was for those at Corinth, who knew of many or Paul's sufferings first hand. Verse 28 in Chapter 11 is notable because this is not a physical thing like all of the other distresses, and it was something that the Corinthians were themselves causing within Paul -- anxiety for the churches, and especially in this case, anxiety for the Corinthian Christians.
This brings us to one of the most informative chapters on suffering in the entire bible in that it answers many of the questions posed by Job for which he did not receive an answer other than "God knows best." The question that has intrigued mankind since day one is why bad things happen to good people. Paul gives a number of the reasons in this chapter. in fact, at this point, he has already given several in the first 11 chapters. For example, in chapter 1 he showed how those who were afflicted can comfort others who are similarly afflicted in the future. But here he goes into much more depth and is much more definitive. We might be tempted to thank the Corinthians that they behaved the way that they did, for if not, we would not have this insight and wisdom in all of its divine sublimity.
With this background, let us explore the first ten verses of 1 Cor. 12 to see the wealth of information regarding suffering that is contained therein. [Comments on the biblical text are given in brackets.]
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
12:1 I must needs glory, though it is not expedient; but I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
[The Corinthians forced Paul to "glory." This word is being used accomodatively. Paul was not bragging or glorying in himself, as we shall see. But it would seem that way, and he had no other better word to describe it. His only glorying was in the Lord (2 Cor. 10:17). The Greek word carries with it joy or rejoicing as opposed to self exaltation.]
2 I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I know not; or whether out of the body, I know not; God knoweth), such a one caught up even to the third heaven.
[There can be no doubt from what follows that Paul was that man. However, he uses the third person as a means to convey his humility and perhaps even his embarrassment. The last thing he wants to do is to brag, and the fact that he has not previously publicized this in the many years since it occurred is ample evidence of his reluctance. But, what happened happened, and there is benefit now in revealing it. What is the significance of whether he was "in the body" or not? We know it must have had some special significance back then because Paul is about to repeat the parenthetical again in the next verse. We surmise that there must have been some debate at Corinth as to just how spiritual gifts of knowledge and prophecy were accomplished. Paul's answer is a definitive "I do not know!" There is a lesson even here: would that we would have the wisdom to know when to just put a subject down and declare -- we just do not know! -- especially when it makes not a bit of difference one way or the other. If the bible does not reveal something to us, we do not need to be concerned about it.]
3 And I know such a man (whether in the body, or apart from the body, I know not; God knows),
4 how that he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
[Clearly we see that Paradise is the third heaven. Scholars tell us that the Hebrews had the concept that the first heaven was space itself ("In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth ..."). The second heaven was the realm of the stars. The the third heaven, here called Paradise, is a completely different realm that is not at all in space -- it is a spiritual realm referenced in the New Testament as Paradise -- the dwelling place of God with Jesus sitting on the right hand of His throne.]
5 On behalf of such a one will I glory: but on mine own behalf I will not glory, save in (my) weaknesses.
[Well, was this not you Paul? Yes, in the sense that it was Paul's body; but, No -- in the sense that Paul brought this all to pass by his own righteousness or any other human power -- he cannot take the credit for it. Paul is figuratively portraying himself as a completely separate person. No doubt after this event occurred, he was wondering if it really had happened to him. And yet, by virtue of the truth that he observed at that time and was henceforth able to proclaim, he (and we) can be assured that it did happen to him. In Paul's humility it appears that he had never written about this, and probably had never even told anyone about it prior to his being forced to do it at this point. How many of us would have been in such control of our egos?]
6 For if I should desire to glory, I shall not be foolish; for I shall speak the truth: but I forbear, lest any man should account of me above that which he sees me (to be), or hears from me.
[Confirming what we commented above, the last thing Paul wants to do is to take credit for this experience or to set himself up as some super prophet because of it. They could see what Paul was by his teaching and his behavior -- he did not need to brag about an experience that he could not take the least bit of credit for.]
7 And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch.
[#1 (We will number the reasons that bad things happen to good people.) This verse is a profound statement packed with information -- let us attempt to unpack it ...:
8 Concerning this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for (my) power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
[#2. The first lesson we see here is that Paul did not (could not?) use his healing power on himself, at least not in this circumstance. This indicates one reason that there is no longer miraculous healing -- sometimes we just need to be sick. Miraculous healing was always to either reveal the truth or confirm the truth, and so it is no longer needed (1 Cor. 13), and when we view miraculous healing for any other purposes we are being worldly. True, it brought a physical benefit, just as feeding the 5,000 brought a physical benefit, but its goal was never to make all sick people well. If it were, God could accomplish that in the blink of an eye. Sickness and all other maladies have a purpose, and to say that "because a person does not have enough faith he cannot be healed" is to trivialize both faith and the purpose of God for bringing pain into this world to start with.]
[#3. God's grace is sufficient for us without the need for our being healed of our ills. Paul's thorn in the flesh was allowed to continue to impress this fact upon his heart, soul and mind. It is not about the here and now; it is all about eternity. Paul's pain needed to continue for him to understand this, and often, so does ours.]
[#4. God's power is made perfect in weakness. Paul has been admitting (sometimes sarcastically) his weakness from the outset of this letter. All of that was background. It is the message, not the messenger that was important. If the messenger looked like our Herculean movie stars, would we be fascinating with the message or the messenger? If we can see truth being expressed by frail, weak, stammering, and yes, sinful men, and it still has the power to save, then does the glory go to the messenger or to the truth of God's word and the power of the blood of Jesus Christ? It is so important for us to put our worldliness aside and grasp this principle, and sometimes the only way that we can do this is through experiencing the pain ourselves.]
[#5. Suffering can make us glad. It made Paul glad. As we mentioned above, this is the meaning of glorying in this context (as opposed to boasting). He did not look forward to the rest of his life of suffering from this thorn in the flesh to be a miserable existence. No, he gloried in his weakness knowing it would glorify God.]
[#6. "That the power of Christ may rest upon me." The power of Christ is the gospel (Rom. 1:16). But this is talking about everlasting salvation. Pain in this life can make us look forward to our home eternally with God where there will be no more pain and suffering. This is attained not through faith healing -- it is attained through suffering. Cannot we see how worldly is the idea that we can take advantage of our religion to be miraculously healed. There is certainly nothing wrong with asking for relief. Paul did. But he was MORE than satisfied when God said no. In fact, he rejoiced. And so should we.]
10 Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
[#7. These things can bring us pleasure, and we should take pleasure in them in that we can glorify God through them and despite them. God's strength can be better demonstrated in our own physical weaknesses than in our worldly strengths (e.g., money or power). Note further that in this verse Paul extends the concept from a physical pain to all afflictions (both physical and spiritual) that Christians suffer. So, distress and man-made pain, whatever the problems, they all fall under this umbrella. This is an extremely important precept of this verse that should never be ignored. All of our problems can work to the glory of God.]
Summary
Let us recap the benefits of good people suffering through no fault of their own; here are the reasons given in brief:
We hope that this article will bring comfort to you if you are suffering. But more importantly, if you are not suffering, now is the time to prepare. For you can be assured that the day will come when you will have to look into the eyes of death, and if your suffering is not physical it will be the sure knowledge that you have to leave friends and loved ones behind. But for those in Christ who are suffering, this departure will be a relief and there will be an anticipation of seeing our loved ones who are in Christ once again.
Return to "Suffering" landing page
The Context
Reading the previous chapters before 2 Cor. 12, we see that Paul was under great duress by the false teaches at Corinth. Paul should never have had to defend himself, and it was quite grievous for Paul to have to stoop so low in order to try to reach the false teachers and those who were being deceived by them. We would expect that those who loved Paul and honored the truth were embarrassed by the need for this. And yet, because of this persecution of Paul we learn much. Perhaps it is written as much for us today to understand what Paul went through as it was for those at Corinth, who knew of many or Paul's sufferings first hand. Verse 28 in Chapter 11 is notable because this is not a physical thing like all of the other distresses, and it was something that the Corinthians were themselves causing within Paul -- anxiety for the churches, and especially in this case, anxiety for the Corinthian Christians.
This brings us to one of the most informative chapters on suffering in the entire bible in that it answers many of the questions posed by Job for which he did not receive an answer other than "God knows best." The question that has intrigued mankind since day one is why bad things happen to good people. Paul gives a number of the reasons in this chapter. in fact, at this point, he has already given several in the first 11 chapters. For example, in chapter 1 he showed how those who were afflicted can comfort others who are similarly afflicted in the future. But here he goes into much more depth and is much more definitive. We might be tempted to thank the Corinthians that they behaved the way that they did, for if not, we would not have this insight and wisdom in all of its divine sublimity.
With this background, let us explore the first ten verses of 1 Cor. 12 to see the wealth of information regarding suffering that is contained therein. [Comments on the biblical text are given in brackets.]
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
12:1 I must needs glory, though it is not expedient; but I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
[The Corinthians forced Paul to "glory." This word is being used accomodatively. Paul was not bragging or glorying in himself, as we shall see. But it would seem that way, and he had no other better word to describe it. His only glorying was in the Lord (2 Cor. 10:17). The Greek word carries with it joy or rejoicing as opposed to self exaltation.]
2 I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I know not; or whether out of the body, I know not; God knoweth), such a one caught up even to the third heaven.
[There can be no doubt from what follows that Paul was that man. However, he uses the third person as a means to convey his humility and perhaps even his embarrassment. The last thing he wants to do is to brag, and the fact that he has not previously publicized this in the many years since it occurred is ample evidence of his reluctance. But, what happened happened, and there is benefit now in revealing it. What is the significance of whether he was "in the body" or not? We know it must have had some special significance back then because Paul is about to repeat the parenthetical again in the next verse. We surmise that there must have been some debate at Corinth as to just how spiritual gifts of knowledge and prophecy were accomplished. Paul's answer is a definitive "I do not know!" There is a lesson even here: would that we would have the wisdom to know when to just put a subject down and declare -- we just do not know! -- especially when it makes not a bit of difference one way or the other. If the bible does not reveal something to us, we do not need to be concerned about it.]
3 And I know such a man (whether in the body, or apart from the body, I know not; God knows),
4 how that he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
[Clearly we see that Paradise is the third heaven. Scholars tell us that the Hebrews had the concept that the first heaven was space itself ("In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth ..."). The second heaven was the realm of the stars. The the third heaven, here called Paradise, is a completely different realm that is not at all in space -- it is a spiritual realm referenced in the New Testament as Paradise -- the dwelling place of God with Jesus sitting on the right hand of His throne.]
5 On behalf of such a one will I glory: but on mine own behalf I will not glory, save in (my) weaknesses.
[Well, was this not you Paul? Yes, in the sense that it was Paul's body; but, No -- in the sense that Paul brought this all to pass by his own righteousness or any other human power -- he cannot take the credit for it. Paul is figuratively portraying himself as a completely separate person. No doubt after this event occurred, he was wondering if it really had happened to him. And yet, by virtue of the truth that he observed at that time and was henceforth able to proclaim, he (and we) can be assured that it did happen to him. In Paul's humility it appears that he had never written about this, and probably had never even told anyone about it prior to his being forced to do it at this point. How many of us would have been in such control of our egos?]
6 For if I should desire to glory, I shall not be foolish; for I shall speak the truth: but I forbear, lest any man should account of me above that which he sees me (to be), or hears from me.
[Confirming what we commented above, the last thing Paul wants to do is to take credit for this experience or to set himself up as some super prophet because of it. They could see what Paul was by his teaching and his behavior -- he did not need to brag about an experience that he could not take the least bit of credit for.]
7 And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch.
[#1 (We will number the reasons that bad things happen to good people.) This verse is a profound statement packed with information -- let us attempt to unpack it ...:
- The reason Paul was given this particular thorn in the flesh was to keep him from being "exalted overmuch." Stated twice for emphasis. Some exaltation is is in order -- after all, who could go through an experience like this without feeling good about it? But God knows that there is the tendency for a man to be proud of such an experience and to use it for his own self aggrandizement. So here we have the first reason given in this chapter for any of us having thorns in the flesh -- to help keep us humble. We could stop right here ... would this not be a sufficient reason? But there is more ...
- The thorn in the flesh caused significant pain and discomfort. It was not just arthritis or other maladies that might impact a man of Paul's age. It bothered Paul, as we can see -- to the point that he felt he would be a better servant of Jesus Christ without it.
- The malady was both a gift from God and a "messenger of Satan." All evil comes from Satan, and all sickness and pain originated from sin. But allowing Satan to afflict Paul seems in this case to be a preemptive strike by God on Paul's potential sin. Just as was the case of Job, Paul could have viewed this messenger of Satan to be a curse from God and blamed God for it. But neither Paul nor Job blamed God despite the fact that in neither case were they (Paul or Job) the cause of their pain. Paul did not choose to have a vision of Paradise .. he did not ask for it. God turns all evil to an ultimate positive good as indicated in Romans 8:28. Paul does not call it a messenger of God, although he does indicate that this was a gift from God.
- What was Paul's thorn in the flesh? We would probably be at a great disadvantage if we knew, dwelling on that example as opposed to the principle, as all humans are prone to do. When the bible is silent on something then we should realize that if it were not silent it would be to our detriment. Let us learn this lesson and respect the silence of the scriptures, and not try to fill in what we perceive are the gaps.]
8 Concerning this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for (my) power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
[#2. The first lesson we see here is that Paul did not (could not?) use his healing power on himself, at least not in this circumstance. This indicates one reason that there is no longer miraculous healing -- sometimes we just need to be sick. Miraculous healing was always to either reveal the truth or confirm the truth, and so it is no longer needed (1 Cor. 13), and when we view miraculous healing for any other purposes we are being worldly. True, it brought a physical benefit, just as feeding the 5,000 brought a physical benefit, but its goal was never to make all sick people well. If it were, God could accomplish that in the blink of an eye. Sickness and all other maladies have a purpose, and to say that "because a person does not have enough faith he cannot be healed" is to trivialize both faith and the purpose of God for bringing pain into this world to start with.]
[#3. God's grace is sufficient for us without the need for our being healed of our ills. Paul's thorn in the flesh was allowed to continue to impress this fact upon his heart, soul and mind. It is not about the here and now; it is all about eternity. Paul's pain needed to continue for him to understand this, and often, so does ours.]
[#4. God's power is made perfect in weakness. Paul has been admitting (sometimes sarcastically) his weakness from the outset of this letter. All of that was background. It is the message, not the messenger that was important. If the messenger looked like our Herculean movie stars, would we be fascinating with the message or the messenger? If we can see truth being expressed by frail, weak, stammering, and yes, sinful men, and it still has the power to save, then does the glory go to the messenger or to the truth of God's word and the power of the blood of Jesus Christ? It is so important for us to put our worldliness aside and grasp this principle, and sometimes the only way that we can do this is through experiencing the pain ourselves.]
[#5. Suffering can make us glad. It made Paul glad. As we mentioned above, this is the meaning of glorying in this context (as opposed to boasting). He did not look forward to the rest of his life of suffering from this thorn in the flesh to be a miserable existence. No, he gloried in his weakness knowing it would glorify God.]
[#6. "That the power of Christ may rest upon me." The power of Christ is the gospel (Rom. 1:16). But this is talking about everlasting salvation. Pain in this life can make us look forward to our home eternally with God where there will be no more pain and suffering. This is attained not through faith healing -- it is attained through suffering. Cannot we see how worldly is the idea that we can take advantage of our religion to be miraculously healed. There is certainly nothing wrong with asking for relief. Paul did. But he was MORE than satisfied when God said no. In fact, he rejoiced. And so should we.]
10 Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
[#7. These things can bring us pleasure, and we should take pleasure in them in that we can glorify God through them and despite them. God's strength can be better demonstrated in our own physical weaknesses than in our worldly strengths (e.g., money or power). Note further that in this verse Paul extends the concept from a physical pain to all afflictions (both physical and spiritual) that Christians suffer. So, distress and man-made pain, whatever the problems, they all fall under this umbrella. This is an extremely important precept of this verse that should never be ignored. All of our problems can work to the glory of God.]
Summary
Let us recap the benefits of good people suffering through no fault of their own; here are the reasons given in brief:
- To keep us from being proud;
- To accept God's answer of NO, and to realize that there are many reasons that we do not get everything that we want in this world;
- To recognize that what God has already done for us (God's grace) is sufficient -- we do not need anything else;
- God's power is made perfect in weakness;
- Suffering can bring us great satisfaction;
- We will be more apt to look forward to our salvation and thus be less worldly; and
- In addition to satisfaction, our afflictions if viewed in the right light can bring about spiritual satisfaction and pleasure as we recognize its value in glorifying God.]
We hope that this article will bring comfort to you if you are suffering. But more importantly, if you are not suffering, now is the time to prepare. For you can be assured that the day will come when you will have to look into the eyes of death, and if your suffering is not physical it will be the sure knowledge that you have to leave friends and loved ones behind. But for those in Christ who are suffering, this departure will be a relief and there will be an anticipation of seeing our loved ones who are in Christ once again.
Return to "Suffering" landing page