“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.”
My Notes
What Does 2 Corinthians 12:7 Mean?
Paul reveals the purpose behind his suffering: 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.
Lest I should be exalted above measure — the phrase appears twice, framing the verse. The danger is hyper-exaltation (huperairomai — to lift above, to elevate excessively). Paul's abundance of revelations (v.1-6 describe being caught up to the third heaven) created a real spiritual danger: pride. The visions were genuine. The risk they posed to Paul's humility was equally genuine.
Through the abundance of the revelations — Paul had received extraordinary supernatural experiences. The danger was not the revelations themselves but what they could produce: spiritual pride based on spiritual experience. The more you see of God, the greater the temptation to think of yourself as exceptional.
There was given to me — given (edothe — passive: it was given by God). The thorn is a gift — not in the sentimental sense but in the sovereign sense. God gave the thorn. The suffering is divinely appointed, divinely measured, and divinely purposed.
A thorn in the flesh (skolops te sarki) — the thorn's identity has been debated for centuries: chronic illness, eye disease (Galatians 4:13-15), persecution, temptation, a speech impediment. Paul does not specify — which may be intentional. The ambiguity makes the principle universally applicable: every believer has their own thorn.
The messenger of Satan (angelos Satana) — the thorn operates as Satan's agent. Satan buffets (kolaphizo — to strike with the fist, to beat) Paul through the thorn. Yet the thorn was given by God. The dual agency is deliberate: Satan delivers the blows; God assigned the instrument. What Satan intends for destruction, God uses for protection — protecting Paul from the greater danger of spiritual pride.
Verse 9 provides God's response to Paul's three prayers for removal: my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. The thorn is not removed. The grace is sufficient. The weakness the thorn produces is the very thing through which God's power operates most fully.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How does the thorn being 'given' by God reframe suffering from punishment to purpose?
- 2.What does the dual agency (Satan buffets, God assigns) reveal about how God uses even the enemy's attacks for his purposes?
- 3.Why is spiritual pride from spiritual experience more dangerous than the thorn — and how does the thorn prevent it?
- 4.What thorn have you prayed to have removed — and how might God's 'my grace is sufficient' be the answer you need more than removal?
Devotional
There was given to me a thorn in the flesh. Given. By God. Paul did not earn the thorn through sin. He received it through sovereignty. The thorn was a gift — not the kind you ask for but the kind that keeps you alive. Because the alternative — spiritual pride from extraordinary spiritual experience — was more dangerous than the thorn.
Lest I should be exalted above measure. The danger was not failure. It was success — spiritual success. Paul had been to the third heaven. He had received revelations no other human possessed. And the danger of those revelations was that Paul might think himself extraordinary. The thorn was the antidote to the exaltation. The pain prevented the pride.
The messenger of Satan to buffet me. Satan delivers the blows. God assigned the instrument. The same thorn that Satan uses to torment, God uses to protect. The suffering has dual agency: the enemy attacks. God permits. And the purpose is not the enemy's — it is God's. The thorn keeps Paul dependent. The pain keeps Paul humble. The buffeting keeps Paul weak enough for God's strength to operate.
Paul prayed three times for removal (v.8). Three times God said no. Not because God is cruel. Because the thorn was more valuable than its removal. The grace was sufficient. The strength was made perfect in weakness. The thorn Paul wanted removed was the very thing making room for God's power.
What is your thorn? The thing you have prayed to have removed — the chronic struggle, the persistent difficulty, the weakness that will not go away. Consider: it may be given. Not random. Not punishment. Given — by a God who knows that the removal of the thorn would be more dangerous than the thorn itself. The grace is sufficient. The weakness is the venue. And God's power is made perfect in the very thing you want taken away.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And he said unto me,.... Either by what the Jews call "Bath Kol", a voice from heaven, an articulate audible one; or by…
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And lest I should be exalted - There were three evils to be guarded against:
1. The contempt of his gifts and call by…
Here we may observe,
I. The narrative the apostle gives of the favours God had shown him, and the honour he had done…
The Thorn in the Flesh
7. And lest I should be exalted above measure Rather, -lest I should be too much exalted."
a…
Cross References
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