The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1909-11-18


25-Commcn;ary ON the Lesson.
TIME.-A. d. -.
PLACE.-Ephcsus.
EXPOSITION. - I. What Ia;:l
Suffered For Christ, 331-1S. How
small the hardsMiVs wc SGn,r ,,t.-
pared with these. YET Paul earlier
i'll this same episul" speaks Ci JH"l. els
our light a!lli"tiOn" ,cf. i:lI. Rom.
%:lN). The stohia@ is recorded "a
Acts il:ly. The Inron Shirvrc.. *
mentioned wer" prior 10 jno Unn T..
Scribed iii Acts -. a ui-h, Iut =
day was spent III tn" Go"p. swimming.
or clin%iuS 10 a spar. CT in Hu c. au
boat. The jOurnc. iu"S often" were
not with the comforts OF modern tr2.-
ing, but with very great uardsni.S
and peril. Til" pCrils q rivers
were the perils Of swollen stream;
where many lost their lives. and even
TO this present day many los" ,hnn.
lives this way i'll the countries
through which Paul Travelled. P..ul
lahorrd with toll "ld pain ". -.
not only with brain and heart and
lips. but with mis- hands also rAci:
lN:". ~. He spent whole nights IL
vi%ils of prayer aEI Watching AGAIN.
pcrils of on" kind or another. H..
knew often what i meant To 20 witi.-
out food or drink ici. phil. I:12'.
have insufficient clothing and 10 SUI
fer from cold; aud ali This time nn
was man suffering FROM physical IL
trinity ten. l2.I-lo: Gal. :l3. 10.
III. take pleasure III ,n!.rHiitir-,
in rcpToaCh,S. in necessities. ia ,Ir;.,,.-
cutions, in diStirS>CS Ter CEi.i>l'> sake,
1-lH. 1t might not seem cNSCj!.Us
for Paul 10 glory. bat his h"art was
so full he just "mn.t." Trrrn !. q,
difference between 4 vision" and 4
revelation" y 'visiun is sutn.-
thing seen. "rovGla.i,U" is an IA
yelling OF truth Ill Nigh, nr tarJuyh
something seen or something heard.
or in some other way. cr ! sam. =:
10, Il. V. and rAar"inl. In Visions
their meaning might or might not lie
explained at the I,W". In revelations
there was always an uny"iIin" cr dis
closing of the truth. The maH -
whom Paul refers ~ Vcrs" = wao hils-
self. This is evident from v,rs" =.
In verse ) he DISTINGUISHES between
this man and himself. I.r there Vs.
a wide difference between Paul rs H.
was himself in his weakness ana the
rapt and gloriGed Individual ne be-
came i'll this wOndrOUS experience
He was not exalted b. i, rs many ct
us would be. bat humhird ny il. The
experience occurred fourteen yea-s
before. perhaps al the time he WAS
stoned at LyStra aud supposed to ne
dead tActs 14:l9D. At that time his
spirit may actually have. left the body
and been taken up into paradise. it
may have been at the time OF his sec
ond visit to Jerusalem tcf. Acts -:
~. Paul himself did not Know
whether he was in the body or cut OF
the body at the time Tvs. >. 81. Paul
evidently believed in the possibility
OF conscious existence of the spirit
out of the body" and apart from
the body" ". 5, Il. W. At that time
he was caught up even so the third
heaven" into paradise" The day Of
Christ's crucifiXion lie went into pn--
adise (Luke 23:43). which was then
in the heart of the earth" (Matt.
12:4O). but a His ascension Christ
empt!ed the SubtcrrancaD paradise
and took it up into heaven with Him.
self (Eph. 4:S-1O). Paradise. the
abode OF the blessed dead. is now with
Christ in heaven tcf. Phil. 1:23: =
Cor. SIS, X. W. Into this paradise
Paul was caught up either in the Body
(cf. Acts S:39 or apart from the
body" He heard there words which
II was not lawful TO utter TO others.
They were intended for his own edifi-
cation and comfort alone. God shows
us some things that He would have
us tell others; some things that He
would have us keep 10 ourselves. Paul
apparently did not mention this Won-
derful experience To any one else iOr
fourteen years, and even now tries 10
put himself out OF sight as the sub-
ject of this remarkable experience
". 81. And he forbore TO glory lest
some man might account OF him
above that which he saw him to be or
heard from him. What the thorn in
the flesh" was we are not told. The
words translated weakness" and in
hrmity" are the usual words for sick
ness. The thorn in the flesh is also
spoken OF as "a messenger of Satan"
This would be an appropriate descrip-
tion OF physical infirmity Uuke 13:
16; job 2:7; Acts 1898; Heb. 2:
IA; Gal. 4:13, 14. Though this
thorn in the flesh was Satans messen-
ger, it was given" by God. God per-
mits Satan to buffet His servants and
brings to them blessing out of this
buffeting. Even Satan's hate and buf-
1eting brings blessing to the child OF
God. Three times Paul prayed about
1t and the first two times God gave
him no answer. Seemingly the thorn
was not removed. but Christs power
was continually ministered to Paul
and gave him strength in his own nat
ural weakness. This teaches a num-
ber OF important lessons about pray
er: Cd To pray to Christ; CD to ask
again and again for the same thing
untIs we obtain it or the Lord reveals
to us that IT Is not His will to give it;
go to go to Christ with our physical
infirmities, but knowing that there
are times when Christ will not re-
move our physical infirmities, but
will give us strength in Himself; CD
4 q hn lanl. IL l. L.