Imagine what it would be like to hear from God; that He had granted you the desire of your heart. That you would board a ship and travel across the Mediterranean, experiencing several ports of call, until you arrived at a place you had never been before, the desire of your heart. You would stand before the kings and rulers of the world and speak to them; you would preach the message of your heart to a captive audience. All the while, you have the promise from God that He is with you and that you have nothing to fear in life. Your path and work was laid out before you.
We might quickly think this sounds like a sweet deal! We might picture our self on the deck of the love boat; sunglasses, deck chair, a drink with an umbrella, a cloudless sky, no watch and, no phone to interrupt your serenity. We might imagine pulling into port and having strangers welcome us as we left the ship and direct us to our deluxe accommodation, the local restaurants and entertainment.
Isn't it funny how vastly different God's ways are from ours? Paul had waited 2 years in custody of Rome, waiting for the promise that was given him by God that he would go to Rome. But God didn't say how or when.
Paul had appealed to Caesar before Governor Porcius Festus. The appeal was Paul's right as a Roman citizen and no one could over rule that once Paul appealed. So off to Rome Paul would go, just as soon as Porcius figured out what to write about Paul pertaining to his case.
Acts 27:1-8
Remember Luke is the writer of the book of Acts. He uses the term 'we' here because he is going with Paul on the ship. Luke had stayed in Caesarea and cared for Paul during his two year stay there. Paul was put in the care of a Roman soldier named Julius, a centurion. A centurion was a non-commissioned officer in charge of about a hundred men. This Augustan regiment is a bit of a mystery. There was a regiment by that name stationed in Palestine at that time but there's not much known about it. It was normal business for a soldier to accompany these prisoners on their way to Rome.
Adramyttium was a city on the Northwest coast of Asia near Troas. This is along the west coast of what we know as Turkey. Paul had traveled down along that coast at the end of his 3rd missionary journey. This ship is headed to Adramyttium and there they intend to find a ship going on to Italy. This course was very close to reverse of what Paul had traveled two years back.
Aristarchus was with Luke and Paul. He showed up in chapters 19 and 20. Back in chapter 19 the silversmiths made little shrines of the Temple of Diana. They thought Paul disrupted the worship of Princess Diana and was hurting their trade. They shouted, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" And when the riot broke out, Aristarchus was taken by the mob. He was nearly taken apart by the angry crowd. Aristarchus was with Paul at that time and apparently continued on with him through the missionary journey. Now he boarded the ship with Paul. He'll show up again in Paul's letter to the Colossians and again in his letter to Philemon where Paul listed Aristarchus as a prisoner with him. Like Luke, Aristarchus must have been a dedicated follower of Christ and also a close friend to Paul.
The trip to Sidon wais just a short hop up the coast from Caesarea. From Caesarea to Sidon was about 70 miles. Paul wasn't just another prisoner. He was one who had no charges against him. He had not been found guilty of anything. All the prisoners traveling with him were likely men that were already found guilty and condemned to death. Many were probably going to Rome to die in the Arena.
They made their way along the coast never really getting out to far from shore. They stayed in the shelter of Cyprus - that is to say they put the island of Cyprus between them and the wind. This allowed Cyprus to shelter them from the winds coming in from the sea. It was the dangerous part of the year to be on the sea. Anything from about mid-September to mid-November was considered high risk. It was now approaching October. They were many days past the start of the dangerous season.
As they cleared Cyprus, they stayed close to the mainland. They made port at Myra, right on the southernmost part of what we know as Turkey or at that time Lycia. There they boarded an Alexandrian ship going to Italy. These ships were part of the Imperial fleet. These big ships made regular runs to Italy hauling Egyptian grain. One source said the typical grain freighter was 140 feet long and 36 feet wide. It had one mast with a big square sail.
It was a long slow trip going west into the headwind. After many days they arrived at Cnidus. The wind had basically stopped them from going any further west. They made a left turn and went almost straight south toward the island of Crete. They sailed around Crete on the east side. Even with the island blocking the wind for them it was difficult. They finally arrived at Fair Havens.
Fair Havens was on the south side of Crete. It wasn't really very fair and it definitely wasn't a haven. It was a brutal port during this dangerous season. This place was obviously named by the Chamber of Commerce and not those who had been there. They were wide open to the high seas and the wind. It was not a good place to wait out the storm.
Acts 27:9-12
The fast of the Day of Atonement was over so it was mid October and things were getting more dangerous on the seas. Since Luke wrote about it, I imagine it was the subject of much discussion of those on board the ship.
Paul offered them his advice. He perceived this wasn't going to end well. He was thinking they should winter in Fair Havens. For obvious reasons the centurion listened to the helmsman and the owner of the boat instead of Paul, one of the prisoners. At that time, this probably made sense to him. The helmsman was an experienced sailor and the owner of the boat wouldn't risk his boat unnecessarily, would he?
Wintering in Fair Haven wasn't a good plan so they wanted to get to Phoenix. The harbor there offered a little more protection from the wind and crashing waves. Phoenix was just a short little jaunt to the west side of the Island of Crete. No big deal.
Acts 27:13-20
They got lured into a sense of security by a south wind that blew softly. They thought all was well and sailed on around Crete and bypassed Phoenix. Not long after they made that decision the wind began to blow again. The tempest began to blow. This Euroclydon was a North east wind that brought fear to the heart of the sailors. This was why sailing was dangerous this time of year. These men found themselves right in the middle of the very thing they feared and tried to avoid. It happens to all of us. They quit fighting the wind and let the ship go where the wind took it. This kept it from being ripped to shreds by the winds and waves.
The ship ran under the shelter of an Island off Crete called Clauda. In that shelter they began rigging the ship for this storm. The skiff was normally towed behind the boat was brought on board during a storm so they didn't lose it. The sailors began to wrap their cables around the ship. These were like big belts wrapped under the belly of the ship and brought around to the deck and pulled up tight. They helped hold it all together as the waves crashed and the wind tossed the ship. This was called frapping.
The sailors knew they would have to ride the storm out. Now they were worried about being driven into the Syrtis Sands. These were sandbars and shoals off the coast of Africa. They had to avoid that at all cost. It was known as the graveyard of ships.
They survived day two of the Euroclydon. Everyone was worn out and seasick and they are still holding on for dear life. As they took on water, they needed to lighten the load to get the boat back up as high on the water as they can. They began to throw anything overboard that wasn't important. They weren't quite ready or willing to throw the grain overboard and all their cargo - just the easy stuff. There were a lot of people on this ship and the room aboard was precious space. They didn't waste it on things that weren't necessary. It's interesting that the more serious their situation becomes, the more willing they are to jettison their cargo.
On the 3rd day in the Euroclydon, they began to throw the tackle overboard: the ropes, blocks and tackle they threw out with their own hands. They didn't see the sun or stars for many days. This meant they were lost. The only way to find where they were was by the sky. That was their navigation tool. With no sun or stars they had no idea where they were. Imagine being in the middle of the vast ocean, no land in site, no sense of direction from the sun or anything. And this Euroclydon was relentless. Luke said it beat on them. And as they were beat on, they came to the point where they gave up hope of surviving.
Acts 27:21-26
Can you imagine this? They haven't eaten, many are seasick, they are beaten up and worn out and have given up. Then Paul stood up and said, "I told you so!" Who would have blamed them if they just threw Paul overboard right then? After his "I told you so!" Paul went on to tell them to be courageous. He said no one would die but they would only lose the ship. This couldn't sound like good news to them. They were in the middle of the sea, losing their ship would assure loss of life. They must have thought Paul was crazy.
Paul said the angel of the Lord told Paul not to be afraid. Paul already knew he would go to Rome and stand before Caesar. The lord came to Paul in the night and gave him a fresh assurance of the promise he made. Paul would live and the Lord promised those with him would survive also.
The advice of the helmsman and owner of the ship was heeded over Paul's advice earlier. Now Paul, a prisoner, stands up and gives this promise and assurance. Paul encouraged them to take heart because they were going to run aground on a particular island. The owner and helmsman's efforts weren't panning out too well. Paul believed God when all hope was lost. There was nothing else to hold onto. It was times like this that faith was crucial because there was nothing else. But one doesn't build this kind of faith in a storm. Faith is built day to day, across the course of life through good times as well as the bad. Then when everything else is gone, you find you have something sure to hold onto. No one in their right mind would claim that it would all be okay in the situation they were in. This was dire. Paul has an appointment at that Island. And the Lord will bring him to that appointment right on time.
Acts 27:27-32
Fourteen days of Euroclydon!! Can you imagine what this ship looked like after 2 weeks of this? I imagine the sails were tattered and torn, the masts were probably damaged, much of the tackle had been thrown overboard, their cargo was gone, the frapping is holding the ship together and everything on board is soaked. I wonder if, at about this point, Paul recalled the 2 years of boredom sitting in protective custody in Caesarea?
Imagine what this crew looked like. Waterlogged, several pounds lighter, pale and sickly; they had given up hope but the sailors hadn't failed at their duty. The will to survive kept them at their posts and doing what they could do. They were still listening and this fourteenth night, they heard the breakers in the distance. They believed they were approaching land. This could be bad if they were just driven into the land. But land offered them a chance. If they did this right, they might live.
In response to hearing the breakers, they took soundings. This was a weight on a rope dropped to the bottom of the sea. They were in 120 feet of water. The second time they were in 90 feet of water. They were approaching land. They quickly dropped four anchors to slow the ship and stabilize it. They were trying to keep it pointed toward the land. They didn't want to run the ship over the rocks or a reef and break it up. They prayed for daylight.
Remember earlier they hauled the skiff aboard to keep from losing it to the storm. Now they are putting it back in the water with every intention of escaping this ship. Some of the sailors were just going to put out anchors on the prow – the prow was the very front of the ship that cut the water. More anchors would help stabilize the ship. But these guys had no intention of coming back. Once they were in the boat they were going to cut and run.
Paul reminded the centurion and soldiers that if the men didn't stay in the ship they couldn't be saved. The soldiers cut away the ropes and the skiff fell to the sea below. However, the text says that those men leave the centurions and soldiers can't be saved. This sounds like all or none.
Acts 27:33-38
With the seasickness and no means to prepare food, these guys hadn't eaten for quite some time. Paul encourages them to eat and get their strength up. If they didn't eat, they would survive the storm and die of starvation. Paul gave them assurance they would live. Not a hair will fall from the head of any of you was a common Jewish saying they all would have recognized. This meant there was absolute protection and preservation. Not even a hair would be lost.
In situations like this, a voice of encouragement goes a long way while panic spreads like a wildfire. Panic breeds more panic, but a calm voice and a steady hand gives people assurance and hope. Paul got his assurance from the Lord and tried to share it with others. We don't really know how many believed it? I think it is a safe bet, not all of them felt better. Many were ready start a mutiny.
There were 276 men on this ship. That's a lot of panicked people, scared people. The storm lasted 14 days, but if you remember, the men lost hope in 3 days. They had given up over 11 days ago. For the most part it was every man for himself in a situation like this. Many of the men were experienced sailors. Yet Paul, the prisoner, stood out in the crowd. Paul did something that gave every one of them something to think about. He took the bread and gave thanks to God. Paul looked past all the circumstances to his creator and Lord and thanked Him. Of the 276 how many do you suppose thought they had anything to be thankful for. This simple act was encouraging to the others and it was a testimony to the God Paul thanked.
One prisoner with faith made the other 275 feel better about their situation. They found some nourishment and hope. And when they got enough to eat they lightened the ship by throwing out the rest of the wheat. The lighter load would get the ship higher in the water.
Acts 27:39-44
The place where the ship came aground is now called St. Paul's Bay in Malta. They decided to run the ship onto the beach. This was the one and only chance, the ship wouldn't last much longer. Had this ship missed this little tiny island, it would have went another several hundred miles before there was any land again. The ship would have been in pieces by then.
This was all or nothing for 276 people. They cut the ropes loose and dropped the anchors in the water. They loosened the ropes holding the rudder so they could steer in the ship. Running the ship to ground nose first on the beach was the plan. It was a really good plan……it just didn't work. There were 276 hearts that sunk when they felt that ship hit and slow. They never made it to the beach. They ran aground on a sand bar and stuck it tight. Now the backside of the ship was just getting pounded by the waves of the storm. And it was starting to break up.
If the prisoners escaped then the soldiers had to take the sentence of the prisoner. That was Roman law. Many of these prisoners were condemned to death already. They had nothing to lose in attempting escape. It made sense to the soldiers not to chance it but to kill them all. However, Julius, the centurion wanted to save Paul. I imagine Julius was a brother in Christ by now. I imagine we'll be able to meet Julius in heaven. The centurion kept the soldiers from killing all the prisoners. He had some of the soldiers that could swim jump overboard and swim to shore first so they would be there when the prisoners got there. Others floated to shore on the debris and on parts of the ship. Soon, they had all made it to shore safely. Each and every one of them, just as the Lord promised. `
Henry Van Dyke (1852–1933), an American Presbyterian clergyman and poet published this poem in 1911.
Oh Maker of the mighty deep
Whereon our vessels fare,
Above our life's adventure keep
Thy faithful watch and care.
In Thee we trust, whate'er befall;
Thy sea is great; our boats are small.
We know not where the secret tides
Will help us or delay
Nor where the lurking tempest tides,
Nor where the fogs are gray.
We trust in Thee, whate'er befall,
Thy sea is great; our boats are small.
Beyond the circle of the sea,
When voyaging is past,
We seek our final part in Thee;
Oh bring us home at last.
In Thee we trust, whate'er befall;
Thy sea is great; our boats are small.
©2008, 2014, 2022 Doug Ford, Calvary Chapel Sweetwater
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