Acts 27:14-44: "The New Commander"

Paul, Luke, Aristarchus, Julius the centurion, some other prisoners, and some ship's crew, against the advice of Paul set sail to Crete to try to have a more bearable winter. They will soon learn they had pressed their luck too far. In fact, they find out very shortly after leaving Fair Havens that they had made a mistake. Because, "before very long there rushed down from the land a violent wind, call Euraquilo; and when the ship was caught in it and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and let ourselves be driven along". Euraquilo is from the greek word 'euros' east wind, and the Latin word 'aquilo' north wind. Apparently, this was a well known and dangerous wind, as it was named. A brief respite was found in the shelter of Clauda, about 23 miles southwest from Crete, however, it was short lived as they were at the mercy of the wind. It was during this respite they were able to preserve the safety boat as they "hoisted it up, they used supporting cables in undergirding the ship". Apparently, Syrtis was a known dangerous spot for ship's as it was a very shallow area of the sea where boats would get stranded. Fear of this place led them to, "let down the sea anchor and in this way let themselves be driven along". Apparently, they felt the anchor would slow them down enough, as they were being blown about, to keep them from reaching Syrtis. Reaching a critical point of life or death they abandon all of the cargo and tackle, even the passengers helping out, as Luke notes "with their own hands". At this point there was no rank, just survival. V.20 points out the helplessness of their situation as the clouds were so think that you could not see the sun nor the stars for many days, meaning they had no idea where they were at this time. As each day passed their hopes for survival slowly dwindled.

At this point in time, when things look bleak, and hope is being abandoned, Paul steps up as the new man in charge. V.21 shows Paul leadership as his confidence in the Lord outshines the fear of the situation. He addresses the men on the ship, "Men, you ought to have followed my advice and not to have set sail from Crete and incurred this damage and loss. Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship". Paul had received a word from "an angel of the God to whom I belong", and was told that there would be no loss of life, but the ship would not make it through. Paul had more reason to have complete confidence and faith in God's words than any, as he had numerous times been sovereignly kept safe by God. He knew that God had told him that he would witness for Him in Rome, therefore, he knew he would get their safely. He again encourages the men to keep their faith and know that they will have to "run aground on a certain island", but that all would be safe.

Two weeks on the sea with no food and finally the sailors saw some approaching land. They made a few checks and feared they might run aground in the shallow water. They decided to drop their anchors down to keep the boat from crashing. While waiting their for some time the sailors became impatient and started escaping from the boat with the safety boat. Paul informs the soldiers and the centurion that, "unless these men remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved". This statement is a helpful understanding of election. In the beginning of my Christianity I had such a hard time grasping the concept that God was sovereign and I would not be a Christian if he did not choose me. I wanted to know that I at least had some input into my decision to follow him. This erroneous thinking was selfish as all the credit should go to God. "It is by grace that we are saved, so that no man may boast". Here you have an example of God's sovereignty as he has told Paul that all will be saved on the boat, and not one will perish. However, Paul has to urge them to stay together. Somehow their survival was predicated on that they were obedient and stayed together. This shows mans responsibility. In God's infinite man he can easily rationalize His sovereignty and man's responsibility in salvation. MacArthur explains, "God's promise that all would be saved assumed they would stay together; the sailors' treachery threatened that unity. Nor did God's promise negate human responsibility. God uses natural means, and He was there using Paul, the centurion and his soldiers, as well as those wicked sailors. The sailors' skills would be sorely needed the next day, when escape from the ship actually took place". What an overlooked passage.

To keep the men from escaping on the life boat they cut away the ropes and got rid of it. They understood that Paul's words were true, and it was more important that they all stay together than have use of the life boat. Again, Paul shows us the human responsibility we have, although they already knew they would be saved he urges them to take food, because they hadn't eaten in 14 days, and needed the sustenance.

Finally day approaches and they say a bay with a beach, but did not recognize it. Seeing their opportunity to go ashore they lifted up their anchors, raised the sail and headed straight to the beach. However, just as God had predicted the ship struck "a reef where two seas met [and] they ran the vessel aground". Waves began crashing down on the boat as they were stranded in the waves. Here we can see God's sovereignty again, and Julius's respect for Paul. He knew that it was Paul's leadership and his God that had spared their lives. Because of this he helps spare the life of Paul as the soldiers had planned to kill the prisoner's since they were trying to escape. However, Luke states, "but the centurion, wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from their intention, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land, and the rest should follow..." The final sentence of this passage explains it all as God had sovereignly protected Paul and the rest of the shipmates..."and so it happened that they all were brought safely to land".

Often times we can read through these stories and be encouraged by God getting Paul through once again. However, sometimes we skip over some things that can help bolster our faith in the veracity of the scriptures, if we do a little more in depth study. The bible once again proves itself historically through this passage. It's a little long, but I am going to take an excerpt from the nineteenth century British yachtsman James Smith detailed study of Paul's voyage from the book, The Voyage and Shipwreck of St. Paul. F.F. Bruce relates his findings:

"Smith relates how he made careful enquiries of experienced Mediterranean navigators in order to ascertain the mean rate of drift of a ship of this kind laid-to in such a gale. The conclusion which he reached was a mean drift of about thirty-six miles in twenty-four hours. The soundings recorded in v.28 indicate that the ship was passing Koura, a point on the east coast of Malta, on her way into St. Paul's Bay. "But the distance from Clauda to the point of Koura is 476.6 miles, which at the rate as deduced from the information . . . , would take exactly thirteen days, one hour, and twenty-one minutes". And not only so: "The coincidence of the actual bearing of St. Paul's Bay from Clauda, and the direction in which a ship must have driven in order to avoid the Syrtis, is if possible still more striking than that of the time actually consumed, and the calculated time." Then, after carefully reckoning the direction of the ship's course from the direction of the wind, form the angle of the ship's head with the wind, and from the lee-way, he goes on: "Hence according to these calculations, a ship starting late in the evening form Clauda would, by midnight on the 14th [day], be less than three miles from the entrance fo St. Paul's Bay. I admit that a coincidence so very close as this, is to a certain extent accidental, but it is an accident which could not have happened had there been any inaccuracy on the part of the author of the narrative with regard to the numerous incidents upon which the calculations are founded, or had the ship been wrecked anywhere but Malta, for there is no other place agreeing, either in name or description, within the limits to which we are tied down by calculations founded upon the narrative."

AMAZING!