Sin Is “Barbs In Your Eyes, Thorns In Your Sides”

“But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell.” – Numbers 33:55

The Oxford dictionary defines a barb as “a sharp projection near the end of an arrow, fishhook, or similar item.” While a thorn—well, you know what a thorn is.

Imagine a barb in your eye. A thorn in your side. Talk about painful. Debilitating. Something that hurts.

That’s the picture God uses to warn the pre-land Israelites what it’ll be like if they don’t drive out the nations. The nations will be “barbs in your eyes and thorns in your side.” Translation: They’ll really hurt you. As he says, “They shall trouble you.”

Yet the bigger question is, Why? Why will these nations hurt the Israelites?

Why They Will Be Barbs and Thorns

To answer, first, let’s think about what we would assume to be the reason. With the language of “barbs” and “thorns,” our initial answers would probably assume that the nations would physically harm the Israelites. For example, that the nations would attack the Israelites back—that’d make the most sense of barb- and thorn-like language, wouldn’t it?

Or, if we were to take a non-physical answer, perhaps we’d assume that the nations will make the Israelites less prosperous. That sure would be “troubling.”

Or finally, perhaps we’d put a more modern emphasis on it and make it something like the nations would make the Israelite’s feel less secure and important and loved.

All those would be harmful. But the Lord gives us the true reason. And it isn’t any of the above. Instead, it’s simple: The nations will be barbs and thorns because they’ll lead the Israelites to turn away from God and to sin. It’s that simple.

A Much Bigger Barb

Now, let’s be honest. We may hear that and think it sounds just religious. “Really? The intensely painful barb is just idolatry and sin?”

Yet the reason God calls uses such an extreme descriptions as “barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides” is precisely because God wanted them (and wants us) to know how incredibly hurtful idolatry and sin actually are.

They may think that leaving the nations and engaging in their worship wouldn’t be that big of a deal—for “We’re still God’s people!” as they often thought, or “God is gracious after all!” as we often think. But the reality is, the picture of idolatry and sin’s effects is eyes being pierced with barbs and sides being struck with thorns.

3 Quick Insights This Shows Us About Sin

All of which illuminates three brief insights about sin.

First, sin isn’t just wrong, but hurtful. This is basic, but understanding this is profound step in our walk with God. For if we think God wants us to love him and love others and avoid sin (all of which are what “holiness” is all about) just because it’s what we “should” do, our understanding is woefully incomplete and our motivation won’t be there. Rather, whatever is according to God’s ways is also always for our good. Conversely, what isn’t according to God’s ways will lead to our harm.

Second, sin produces a suffering that is more severe, but sometimes less immediately seen or felt. Put yourself in the shoes of an Israelites. Sure, their God said that it’d be barbs and thorns to leave the nations, but would they have felt that the day they left the nations there? In fact, we see in later stories in the book of Joshua that they did leave some nations, and no one immediately was screaming in barb-like pain. So had God lied? Not at all. Instead, it’s because sin isn’t the same immediate pain that an actual barb produces. Rather, it’s a more deep-rooted, long-term severe harm—not less than a physical barb, but more.

Third, and more scary, sin’s suffering may even seem to be pleasure for a time, but sin is still sin and will always lead to barb-like pain. This is similar to the second insight, but a step further. Because what’s perhaps scariest about this story isn’t just that sin produces more long-term and severe harm (insight #2 above). More sobering is the fact that sin itself can seem like the opposite of a barb. Barbs in your eyes would be incredibly painful. But sin can feel good. Not having to dispossess the nations can feel easier. Cheating and lying can feel okay. Sexual immorality can feel great. Disregarding God and living my life my way can feel free. And yet, the barb-like pain of sin will always be there, usually manifesting itself in this life, always showing itself in the next.

The Barb-Taker and Thorn-Wearer

That’s sin, and in a way, it’s frightening. Because let us not forget, this isn’t just the Israelites. It us. We’re the sinners. Meaning, we’re piercing ourselves with barbs all the time, willingly, unaware of the consequences (cf. 1 Timothy 6:10). And the biblical truth is, any painful consequence is what we deserve. For no one is making us sin. We willfully, happily do it. We take the barb, ignoring God’s warning. “Wretched man that I am!” (Romans 4:24).

But that’s why Jesus Christ’s gospel is such good news. Now to be clear, the gospel does not teach that temporarily we are delivered from all of sin’s short-term consequences. Sin still does have consequences. And that’s a big reason why we should still should heed God’s warnings against it.

What the gospel does teach is that ultimately, the hellish barb that sin should bring on us has gone on Another. He was pierced to a tree with barb-like nails. He wore a crown of thorns. All because he was taking our sin—along with our sin’s barb-like eternal harm—upon himself. So now we don’t have to.

Therefore, while sin still is “barbs in your eyes and thorns in your side,” and so may we seek to avoid it, above all, let’s be thankful to the Barb-Taker, the Thorn-Wearer. Because he’s the one who, in love, not only illustrated, but who embodied, the indescribable harm of our sin. As Paul says, “For he who knew no sin became sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Or as Peter says, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24).