From a letter written by the apostle Paul,
with Timothy,
to believers in Corinth and the surrounding regions:
For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf. For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward. For we write none other things unto you, than what ye read or acknowledge; and I trust ye shall acknowledge even to the end; As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus.-2 Corinthians 1:8-14***Boaz was an Israelite from the tribe of Judah, descended from Abraham (Abram the Hebrew) and Sarah (Sarai), Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob (Israel) and his 1st wife Leah, and Jacob and Leah's 4th born son Judah. Ruth was a Moabite, a descendant of Abraham and Sarah's nephew Lot and Lot's oldest daughter, and their son Moab. After Boaz saw Ruth working in his field in Bethlehem, in the Promised Land, and heard of Ruth's kindness towards Naomi, his relative, Boaz spoke of Ruth's trust in the Lord God. Boaz married Ruth and their son Obed was born. Jesse was born to Obed, and David was the 8th son born to Jesse. Samuel was an Israelite from the tribe of Jacob and Leah's 3rd born son Levi. Over a decade after David was born, the Lord God sent Samuel to anoint David to reign as king. When David was 30 years old, he began to reign only over the tribe of Judah. When David was 37 years old, he became the 2nd king to reign over all of the Israelites in the Promised Land. David was a man after God's own heart. Sometime before 70-year-old David died, he spoke in a song of his trust in the Lord God and described that the Lord God is a shield to everyone who trusts in the Lord God. Hezekiah, the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson of David and Bathsheba, was the 12th king to rule Judah, the southern nation in the Promised Land. The divinely inspired Scriptures of the Holy Bible reveal that Hezekiah's trust in the Lord God was unparalleled among Judah's kings. Over 650 years after Hezekiah was dying and prayed to the Lord God, and the Lord God sent Isaiah the prophet to tell Hezekiah that the Lord God was granting Hezekiah 15 additional years of life, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, was born. Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, a virgin, and Jesus was born in Bethlehem into the tribe of Judah to Mary and her husband Joseph when Mary was a virgin. Approximately 30 years after Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by Mary's relative John the Baptist. Jesus having prayed, the heavens tearing open, the Holy Spirit descended as a dove and lit upon Jesus. The Lord God in heaven audibly acknowledged his Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert wilderness. Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights and was tempted. Afterwards, Jesus was tended to by angels, and Jesus went to the area near John the Baptist, and John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus to be the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world. In Galilee, Jesus told specific Israelite men to follow him, and Jesus began to preach, teach and perform miracles among the Israelites, the treasured and chosen people of the Lord God. Less than 3 1/2 years after Jesus was baptized, Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, the disciple and apostle, and Jesus was arrested, crucified, buried in a tomb, resurrected, and returned to heaven. Paul (Saul) was an Israelite from the tribe of Benjamin, descended from Jacob and his 2nd wife Rachel, and their 2nd and last son Benjamin. Paul did not believe Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the living God. Throughout Jerusalem, Paul persecuted and imprisoned any Israelite who believed Jesus to be the Christ of God. When Paul was journeying to the synagogues in Damascus, Syria, to find, bind and take to Jerusalem any Israelite believers he found, Paul and those with him saw a light from heaven flash around them. Paul heard the voice of Jesus speaking to him, and Paul spoke to Jesus and obeyed Jesus. In Damascus Paul was baptized. From thenceforward, Paul the apostle journeyed and wrote divinely inspired letters, teaching Israelites and Gentiles, people not born into the Israelite tribes, the good news of Jesus the Christ and everlasting life. In Antioch, Pisidia, Israelites ejected Paul and Barnabas away from of their region. In Lystra, Paul was pelted with stones and dragged out of the city by the pelters, who thought Paul was dead. In Philippi, Paul and Silas were whipped and imprisoned. In Jerusalem, several attempts and plans were made to kill Paul. When Paul was being beaten during his final visit to Jerusalem, Claudius Lysias, a Roman commander, went with his soldiers and centurions, and chains were put on Paul, and Lysias allowed Paul to speak to the Israelites. After the crowd became uproarious again, Paul was taken away to be flogged, and Paul proclaimed himself to be a Roman. Amid a storm during Paul's voyage to Rome, an angel of God spoke a message from the Lord God to Paul, and Paul believed God. Paul spoke to the others aboard, and everyone survived the shipwreck. In a letter to Timothy (Timotheus), Paul wrote of their trust in the living God.
Reference Information:
acknowledge = epiginoskete/epiginosko = understand, recognize
Asia = The Roman province of western Asia Minor (modern Turkey), including Ephesus, Lydia, Pergamos, Sardis, Smyrna, Thyatira
conversation = anestraphemen/anastrepho = conducted ourselves, overturned, turn back
gift = charisma/charizomai = grace, gift of grace
rejoicing = kauchema/kauchaomai = boasting
sentence = apokrima/apokrinomai = answer, judicial decision
Reference Scriptures:
Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands:-Acts 19:26
Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them. And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him,-Acts 21:26-27
Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.-2 Corinthians 11:22-27
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.-2 Peter 3:10
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