Thornbushes – The Dressings of Grace
Growing up in Texas I was fascinated by tumbleweeds. Those ball-shaped plants elegantly carried by the wind; I always wanted to toss one like an Olympic shot-putter. Until one day I came across a tumbleweed and decided to pick it up. I was not expecting two excruciating handfuls of thorns telling my brain, “Don’t ever touch one of those again!” The suffering we face can come in different forms; some if it comical like a tumbleweed, but other suffering can carry a longer-lasting sting that leaves scars of confusion. Are these pains meaningless? For one category of suffering, the prophet Hosea gives us insight.
“Therefore, I will block her path with thornbushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them” - Hosea 2:6-7a (NIV84)
There was a time in Israel’s history when they looked at other “gods” like I looked at tumbleweeds, with fascination and desire. But for the God who brought them out of Egypt, the seeking of soul-satisfaction in idols was spiritual adultery. Even worse, they were taking things given to them by their Redeemer and offering it to their false “gods.” The heinousness of this would be akin to a spouse selling their wedding ring and using the money to pay for a prostitute. Yet, where one might expect judgement, God dresses his wayward bride with perplexing grace.
Thornbushes, painful grace
God did not allow His bride’s rebelliousness to lead her into ruin, rather He used thorns to block her path and wall her in. Her “lovers” could not be found. The idols she wanted were kept out of reach. The pain of unmet longings ensued, and the heart was redirected to a greater, higher pleasure. There are times in our lives where we need such things to hedge us in or block our paths which, unbeknownst to us, may prove perilous. Although not all suffering is God’s thornbushes, all suffering is still leveraged by our gracious Father for our good.
Pain is a tragedy. But it is never only a tragedy. For the Christian, it is always a necessary mile on the long journey to joy – Larry Crabb
When our stories are dressed in thornbushes, they are indeed dressed in grace. Beyond the sting is the hand of a Father keeping us unto Himself. The presence of thornbushes in one’s story is evidence of God’s Husbandly grace. Even the apostle Paul was protected by such a thorn to keep him “from being conceited” (2Cor.12:7). He even said that a terrifying “sentence of death” functioned to prevent him from relying on himself, but on God for life (2Cor.1:9). Because our good Father can see our stories in ways we cannot, we can trust that when painful pricks come, they may just be dressings of grace to keep us by His side, serving as doorways to a deeper delight in Him.
Thornbushes, the other “therefore”
Most remarkable, is not necessarily the means of grace God uses for our good, but that grace even exists. God’s response to Israel’s spiritual adultery was “therefore I will block her path.” In other words, “I will woo her back to me.” In another, shockingly different “therefore,” God does not dress a people with grace, but with judgement. Speaking to the church in Rome, Paul says that for those living in godlessness and wickedness,
“Therefore, God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity…God gave them over to shameful lusts…God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done” – Romans 1:24-28 (selected)
That is a radically different “therefore”! If your story feels dressed in thornbushes alongside an affection for Jesus, cry out in thankfulness, because the Father has given you over…not to the desires of your flesh, but to the desires for His Son. From the hand of a protective Father, the pain of thorns is never punitive, it is always redemptive. The thornbushes of life are extensions of God’s grace to us, albeit painful, they are grace no less, meant to draw us to the One true Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. For He, though flawless and wayward-less, donned the ultimate adornment of thorns, “they twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head” (John 19:2). The pain of these thorns piercing into his head was shadowed by the pain of separation from His Father. Separation, on behalf of our sin, so that we would never be separated from the Father. Nothing can separate us from His love, not even our own wayward passions or idol pleasures. He will use whatever means necessary, even thornbushes, to keep His children in His everlasting arms. The thorns may sting for a moment or a season, but their intention is that “your soul will delight in the richest of fare” (Is.55:2), i.e., God Himself. If your “therefore” from God is more like Hosea 2 and less like Romans 1, then praise God alongside Augustine,
“How sweet all at once it was for me to be rid of those fruitless joys which I had once feared to lose...You drove them from me, you who are the true, the sovereign joy. You drove them from me and took their place, you who are sweeter than all pleasure”
– Augustine.
If you struggle with thornbushes or entanglements of life, consider reaching out to Burke Care. We would love to hear your story and walk alongside you, gazing at the Bridegroom together.
Application Questions:
What would you consider the “thornbushes” in your story?
What “lovers” of your heart have you seen God withhold from you in grace?
What competing affections could be in your life challenging a greater affection for Jesus?
