One of the prominent features of the afflicted meaning in the Bible is its focus on the righteous individuals who endure affliction for their faith. The Bible portrays them as righteous people who face persecution and hardships due to their commitment to God’s truth and righteousness. These afflictions can take various forms, such as persecution, sickness, poverty, or loss, but they serve as a
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In the furnace of affliction, God still has His hand on us
In the book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar threw three Hebrew believers – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, – into a fiery furnace. Remember their words in response? “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us out of thine hand.” (Dan. 3:18) Even when they faced the fiery furnace, they stood firm in their faith. The result was that God was with them – literally! Three men were thrown into the furnace, and king Nebuchadnezzar and his counselors saw four: “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” (Dan. 3:25)
A furnace of a different kind
It’s not the first time we read about a furnace in Scripture. Earlier in Isaiah, we’re introduced to a furnace of a different kind: “Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.”(Isaiah 48:10) In this passage about God redeeming the Israelites from the Babylonian captivity, we come to understand that even in His refining of us – which more often than not brings us through trials and trying times – God does not deal so rigorously with us that He neglects to show us His mercy. For even in the furnace of affliction, God still has His hand on us. It can be hard to believe when you’re thrown off your feet, but when we cling to our faith, when He is all that we have, we will find that God is with us. In C.S. Lewis’s The Problem of Pain he writes: “Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our consciences, but shouts to us in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
The furnace of affliction has this way of forcing us to look up
The furnace of affliction has this way of forcing us to look up, searching for comfort and seeking relief. Grief, sorrow, sadness, pain – when we are down and out, the best option is to use these times as opportunities to grow. It sounds trite, and when someone says that to you when you’re down, when someone promises that “it will get better,” or “it will get easier,” your first thought may be to say, “You have no idea what I’m going through!” (even when they do). But it does get better, when you go to God’s Word. “For the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.” (Isaiah 49:13) There is a bittersweet embrace in reading these words and experiencing their truth.
Matthew Henry wrote of this passage in Isaiah that God’s “bringing men into trouble was to do them good,” and as troubling as we may find this, he is right. Even in the furnace of affliction, when we choose to listen to God and obey His commandments, He gives us peace like a river, and He makes our righteousness as waves of the sea – “Come ye near unto me,” God invites us in Isaiah 48:6. In the furnace of affliction, He is with us, and His Word is the place we find Him.
What does the Bible say about affliction?
Affliction is that which causes pain and suffering through physical infirmity and/or mental distress. Individuals and nations can be afflicted, and that affliction is often attributed to the Lord and His punishment (Isaiah 45:7; Amos 3:6). There are at least 14 Hebrew and Greek words that are translated “affliction” in our English Bibles, and that is because affliction can have several causes and applications with subtle differences not reflected by our English vocabulary.
Individuals can be afflicted for a number of reasons:
1. Affliction can be a direct consequence of sin (Galatians 6:8; Proverbs 11:18).
2. Affliction can be a judgment from God (Ezekiel 36:18–19; 39:24; Romans 1:18–32; 2:6; 6:23).
3. Affliction can purify us and help us develop endurance (Daniel 12:10; James 1:3; 1 Peter 4:12–13).
4. Affliction can occur for God’s divine purposes (Job 2:7; Isaiah 53:7; Psalm 119:75).
5. Affliction is part of living in a fallen world (Psalm 25:16; 1 Peter 1:6; John 16:33).
6. Affliction can be the result of persecution for Jesus’ sake (2 Timothy 3:11–12; Psalm 69:6–7; 1 John 3:13).
7. Affliction can be the result of a direct attack from Satan (Luke 22:31; Ephesians 6:12; 1 Peter 5:8).
Nations can experience affliction for many of the same reasons. In the Old Testament, God often afflicted whole nations for their disobedience and wickedness. The plagues in Egypt at the time of the exodus caused great affliction (e.g., Exodus 8:24; 9:10–11). One reason God brought affliction upon the nations was to purge the earth of the contamination of their wickedness. Another reason was to teach Israel the grave necessity of following the Lord (Deuteronomy 28:58–60). God also quickly judged Israelites who defied Him or His appointed leaders (Numbers 12: 1–4, 10; 16:28–33). It was critical that Israel learn to thrive as a community set apart from the world, and insurrection would quickly destroy that unity.
Affliction is part of living in this world. We will all suffer heartaches, injuries, disappointments, lack, rejection, and sickness. We must remember Paul’s encouragement in 2 Corinthians 4:16–17: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” Afflictions remind the Christian that this world is not our home. First Corinthians 2:9 reminds us that “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.” When we keep our focus on that truth, we can endure any affliction.
7 Signs of the Spirit of Affliction
1. Feelings of shame or guilt that do not yield to God’s forgiveness
2. Mental torment, accusatory voices in the mind
3. Embracing an ungodly coping mechanism that makes things worse
4. Recurring nightmares and frightening thoughts
5. Personal, family or spiritual problems that don’t respond to prayer or other godly strategies
6. Physical or psychological problems that don’t respond to medicine and normal medical treatment
7. Pain intensifying or moving around
Whenever unsettling realities like this are being encountered, you need to consider whether you are facing a “spirit of affliction.” When the rhythms of life are badly out of sync, there’s often more going on beneath the surface. Press in and prayerfully consider what is really going on.
It comes down to this: Every believer must be positioned to confront the “spirits of affliction,” demanding that they leave in the name of Jesus. Some sicknesses will never adequately subside until we deal with the reality of their perilous origin. {eoa}