Morning Light – Acts 27: Paul Faces Shipwreck

Today: [Acts 27:]
Today: [Acts 27:] Paul Faces Shipwreck: Have you ever faced shipwreck of your life? Sometimes you find yourself in a worsening situation and don’t know what to do. Paul listens to the voice of God, and as a result, he is spared along with 200 others. In this chapter, we learn the importance of exercising discernment and keeping your heart open to the visitation of God even at the peril of your own life.
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[Act 27:1-26 KJV] 1 And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto [one] named Julius, a centurion of Augustus’ band. 2 And entering into a ship of Adramyttium, we launched, meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia; [one] Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us. 3 And the next [day] we touched at Sidon. And Julius courteously entreated Paul, and gave [him] liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself. 4 And when we had launched from thence, we sailed under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. 5 And when we had sailed over the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, [a city] of Lycia. 6 And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy; and he put us therein. 7 And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come over against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over against Salmone; 8 And, hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called The fair havens; nigh whereunto was the city [of] Lasea. 9 Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished [them], 10 And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives. 11 Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul. 12 And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, [and there] to winter; [which is] an haven of Crete, and lieth toward the south west and north west. 13 And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained [their] purpose, loosing [thence], they sailed close by Crete. 14 But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon. 15 And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let [her] drive. 16 And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat: 17 Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven. 18 And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next [day] they lightened the ship; 19 And the third [day] we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship. 20 And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on [us], all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. 21 But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. 22 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of [any man’s] life among you, but of the ship. 23 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, 24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. 25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. 26 Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island.
After standing trial before Agrippa and Festus, Paul could have been set at liberty but since he had appealed to Caesar he was sent under guard to Rome. Traveling with other prisoners in a ship sailing to Italy Paul was kept in custody by a centurion by the name of Julius. History doesn’t say much about Julius but it is clear that he is a just and a fair man. This is very fortunate for Paul and the other prisoners because a lesser man being in charge would have disposed of the prisoners in the midst of the storm so they would not escape. As a centurion Julius was in charge of 100 soldiers so this gives us a sense of just how many solders and crew were in the ship going through this daunting experience.
When the ship stops over in Sidon Julius is courteous to Paul because he knows and was certainly informed that Paul was no ordinary prisoner. Agrippa and Festus both agreed that Paul should have been a free man, so Julius treats him like a free man, giving him liberty to visit his friends and rest from the journey before traveling on past Cyprus. In arriving in the city of Myra, the trip has already been plagued by foul weather and winds that were contrary to sailing condition. In the town of Myra, the centurion transfers his men and their cargo of prisoners to another ship and commence sailing on toward Italy very slowly to the point they realized they needed to take shelter and come to a place called the Fair Havens.
Nautical experts tell us that the details of this voice are entirely accurate to modern day navigational charts. Because of the time lost in the voyage due to poor winds and sailing conditions, Paul speaks to Julius the centurion and possibly the pilot and own that plans needed to be changed to avoid loss of lives and loss of the ship. The verse says that Paul “perceived” these things not because he knew anything about sailing. The word perceive there means to discern and thereby gain intense personal knowledge. This is what we call a word of knowledge or perhaps a word of wisdom from the nine gifts of the Spirit listed in 1 Cor. 12.
The centurion and the pilot of the ship don’t listen to Paul and attempt to go further on their way. They come up against a known storm pattern called Euroclydon. Euroclydon means “east wind” or “violent agitation.” This navigational danger is known to sailors in the area to this day and is mentioned more than one in modern literature including the 2nd chapter of Moby Dick. The ship is caught up in this storm, and the sailors can only let the wind take the vessel in its course and hope for the best.
On the second day of this treacherous storm the sailors lighten the ship, and on the third day they even throw out some of the tackling and equipment necessary for the boat hoping to get past this situation safely. This goes on for many days, and the storm is unrelenting with no hope of being saved. The danger for the prisoners is increasing day by day as the training of the soldiers would be to kill the prisoners before any possibility of escape could be taken advantage of. At this point, Paul speaks up again pointing out that this is precisely what God showed him would take place. He further relays to them that the angel of the Lord had stood before him that very night promising that no one man’s life would be lost although the ship and its cargo would be a casualty of their unbelief in the voice of God through Paul earlier.
[Acts 27:27-44 KJV]
27 But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country; 28 And sounded, and found [it] twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found [it] fifteen fathoms. 29 Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day. 30 And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship, 31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved. 32 Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off. 33 And while the day was coming on, Paul besought [them] all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing. 34 Wherefore I pray you to take [some] meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you. 35 And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken [it], he began to eat. 36 Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took [some] meat. 37 And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls. 38 And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea. 39 And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship. 40 And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed [themselves] unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore. 41 And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves. 42 And the soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape. 43 But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from [their] purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast [themselves] first [into the sea], and get to land: 44 And the rest, some on boards, and some on [broken pieces] of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.
Can you imagine being in a storm on the Mediterranian for two weeks straight constantly under immediate threat of the loss of your life? After 14 days now the measurement of the depths of the water under the ship indicate that they are drawing near land although the storm is so severe they cannot see past the bow of the ship. They fear running aground and drop anchor, and in the night the crew attempts to escape by lifeboat. Paul warns the centurion and the soldiers set the boat adrift before the crew can board. The question at this point is whether the captain and pilot are in charge of the ship or is Paul in charge of the boat? The soldiers and sailors were without doubt not knowing what to think of why the centurion is listening to a prisoner and doing what he says, not to mention that the end of the successful voyage would only bring Paul into the most significant danger he has faced thus far.
After many days of fasting, Paul encourages the men to eat. They are all now Paul’s captive congregation, and he takes bread and breaks it giving thanks to God encouraging the ships company of 200 men to eat and get ready for what was to come. After eating the desperately throw overboard everything that was remaining and attempt to land safely until they come upon some rocks and the ship becomes stuck in a place where they realize it will be broken to pieces. At this point, the soldiers ready themselves to kill all the prisoners, but the centurion refuses because he doesn’t want to allow Paul to lose his life. The ship begins to break up, and Paul along with all the soldiers, crew and prisoners find themselves cast upon a foreign shore in the darkness not knowing what waits for them further.
What can we learn for ourselves in this chapter? First and foremost listen to the Holy Ghost. Be ready to speak up even when you are not the person in charge. Realize that you are not just along for the ride in the situations of life, but because you are a child of God, you will be used to save lives and make a difference even under challenging circumstances. Lastly always keep your heart open to the voice of God even under maximum pressure. If Paul had given in to the situation around him, he might never have experienced the discernment of what was to come or the angelic visitation. You may not ever be shipwrecked on a Meditteranean shore, but you will face many such tense experiences and situations where you will be a part of the solution and not part of the problem if you keep thinking and keep listening to the voice of God no matter what.