I will tell you I still struggle with feeling of depression and anxiety that come to devour me. I find myself taken off guard when I have not submitted my emotions to the Holy Spirit's protection. I sometimes think "I got it covered" and wham...pride...the fall...IT'S NOT A PRETTY PICTURE.
Let's look at some scriptures that talk about thorns. Maybe you would want to compare the thorn description to the roaring lions in my previous post. It might give you a broader understanding what God's Word says to us about walking in the Spirit and not in our flesh to walk out the Christian life. We can't do it in the flesh and that's just the way God planned it.
Hosea 2:6
“ Therefore, behold, I will hedge up your way with thorns, And wall her in, So that she cannot find her paths."
Her paths were that of a sinful lifestyle. The She mentioned was not one that sinned on occasion but made it her lifestyle. God will make sure that if we wander outside of His will then we will feel the affects of sin in our lives. He loves us too much to let sin just hang around without us feeling it. Imagine being hedged inside a beautiful rose garden. Roses are lovely but trying to squeeze out of the hedge we will feel the thorns scrape at us as a "gentle" reminder to get back where we belong. "There is NO GOOD THING beside or beyond and the thorns will reminds us before we get beyond His hedge. Ps 16:2
Matthew 27:29
When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
Thorns are also seen here as part of the curse. Jesus became the curse so we would not have to suffer from the curse. Hallelujah!
Maybe a picture that what torments us is painful in the physical but also in our mind. Jesus took the thorns so we would not have to... Ponder this for a while. Don't forget to look at my post regarding "Working out your Salvation"
Paul wrote:
2 Corinthians 12:7
[ The Thorn in the Flesh ] And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
Messenger is same word as angel. It is sent by God. I think it is like the roaring lions. (See my post Thoughts on A Horse and His Boy) God allows things in the flesh to torment us IF we do not 100% of the time submit to God in an area of our lives. If we allow Satan a foothold then he has access to penetrate the hedge and come in and torment us. Eph 4:27 Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him].
Many times in the Old Testament thorns are seen as people or people groups that were "thorns" to the Israelites because they were not obedient to God.
- Numbers 33:55
But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell.
- Joshua 23:13
know for certain that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. But they shall be snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the LORD your God has given you.
- Judges 2:3
Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.’”
- Judges 8:7
So Gideon said, “For this cause, when the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers!”
- Judges 8:16
And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.
- 2 Samuel 23:6
But the sons of rebellion shall all be as thorns thrust away,Because they cannot be taken with hands.
