To be an Israelite was to claim a title of privilege, for Israel were a people chosen by

God for His own peculiar possession to be guardians of His law, and to represent Him

to the outside world. Paul was also a descendant of Abraham and not merely physically

so `in Israel', but spiritually, a distinction the letter to the Romans was to make

abundantly clear (Rom. 9: 7). But coming to service for Christ, he leaves claims of birth

for achievement and here, comparison with other servants of Christ appears to be

self-aggrandizement and the utterance of someone out of his senses. However, he is

forced to do it by his enemies' belittling of his apostolic status and witness.

Comparing with his detractors, Paul could say that he had undertaken more arduous

campaigns in advancing the gospel (labours more abundant). He had suffered excessive

corporal punishment, such as they had never endured. He had been imprisoned more

frequently. Up to the writing of II Corinthians we only have the record of one

imprisonment, i.e. at Philippi (Acts 16:). Clement of Rome, writing in 96A.D. asserts

that Paul was cast into prison seven times. Some modern scholars believe he was in

prison at Ephesus during his stay recorded in Acts 19:

Five times he received the severe beatings by the Jews which were allowed under the

law (Deut. 25: 1-3). To assure that the maximum number of stripes was not exceeded

(`forty' 40) it was ordained that this was limited to 39, a lash containing three thongs

being used. Possibly from these beatings Paul nearly died (`in deaths oft'). Three times

he was thrashed by the Roman authorities, one of these being at Philippi when he and

Silas were beaten by the lictors' rods (Acts 16: 22), although as a Roman citizen this was

illegal. This was another experience of severe pain.

Once he was stoned and left for dead. This was at Lystra (Acts 14: 19). Paul's

experience of shipwreck must have been before the one described in Acts 27: on his

way to Rome. A day and a night he was adrift at sea, possibly clinging to a fragment of a

wreck. His travels were mostly dangerous owing to the brigands who infested the roads.

Dangers from his own people, the Jews, from the Gentiles and in the city are graphically

portrayed in the Acts of the Apostles. Perhaps the most bitter for the Apostle was

`danger from false brethren'. Open enmity outside is bad enough, but treachery within is

worse and this has occurred right through the history of Christendom, starting with Judas

among the original apostles.

On top of all this there was weariness and painfulness (`toil and hardship' R.S.V.)

possibly referring to his manual labour, sleepless nights, through such experiences,

hunger and thirst often, and as a climax, the burden and responsibility of all the churches,

not just the one at Corinth, with their subversive doctrines, internal discord and

unChristlike behaviour. What a weight to carry! "A daily pressure" Paul calls it and, but

for the mighty enabling grace of God, he must have succumbed to it all long before this.

In spite of everything, he was in sympathetic touch with all the churches' problems: