Thorns of Mercy

Judges 2:3–5 (ESV) 3 So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.” 4 As soon as the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5 And they called the name of that place Bochim. And they sacrificed there to the Lord.

After Israel's slow fade into half-hearted faith in the land of promise and after they began little by little to not only decelerate their occupation of the land but also to embrace cohabitations with the people in it, the Lord has a word of judgment for them. 

He will not drive out the nations before them. Though He was the one who began to drive them out, He would do so no longer. Instead, those nations they failed to drive out will become "thorns" and "snares." 

I know this looks bad, but consider:

1. God does not drive Israel out of the land. His patience is on display with disobedient people called by His Name. He's faithful to His promise made to Abraham. He will give the land to Him even if it comes to pass in a less than enviable reality. 

2. God does not kill them. He could have justly brought swift judgment on the people and started over. But again, His Word is sure and His promises will be kept. 

So the answer is the dreaded thorns and snares from among the nations they failed to trust God to drive out. I wonder if this doesn't describe many Christian's lives today. They aren't out of the faith. God does not disavow you, but there is a sweet mercy of God going on in your life that you may not consider. The thorns of mercy. 

What are thorns of mercy? They are those pains you experience from disobedience. The thing God doesn't take away because it's a reminder of what disobedience does to your peace. If you could live at peace with sin, you might want to check your salvation. 

What of the snares? Is there a relevant counterpart for us in modern times? Of course. The Dictionary I consulted read of this Hebrew word, "something that allures one from his real purpose and then destroys him." Snares are our failed idols. Those things we trust in to bring us what only God can give us: Fulfillment, joy, purpose, community, and exhilaration - these are meant to come from God to us. They derail us from our purpose.

Now how could thorns and snares be merciful?

Because they do two things:
1. They point us to our need of God. We cannot escape without Him. Israel will learn throughout the book of Judges that when they get hemmed in by their enemies God is a prayer away for deliverance.

They are merciful because without them we would not see the emptiness of these vain imaginations. I wonder if this is the passage Paul had in mind when he talked about his "thorn in the flesh." While Paul described it as a messenger of satan, there could very well been a habit in Paul's life (especially if you consider Romans 7) that he could not break and needed God's mercy.

2. They point us to the ultimate solution in God. Jesus Christ bore the thorns of our sin on his head. He took our silly notions of what God or gods may be like and showed us the true God in the flesh, the One who comes to save us.

So while thorns are not God's ideal nor are they pleasurable to us, they have a function. It is another reminder that God is working indeed in all things for the good of those called according to His purpose.