Acts 27:26 "Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island."
In the last lesson, we saw a
ship out of control throwing overboard cargo, and even tackle, trying to save
the passengers' lives. After three days of total darkness in a terrible storm,
Paul announces that an angel of God told him not to worry, that they would lose
the ship, but no lives would be lost.
Now we pick up the lesson in
verse 26 above. Paul tells them that they will be washed up on an island.
Acts 27:27 "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;"
“Fourteenth night”: Since they
sailed from Air Havens (verse 13).
“Adria”: The central
Mediterranean Sea, not the present Adriatic Sea located between Italy and
Croatia. The modern Adriatic was known in Paul’s day as the Gulf of Adria.
This storm had continued
fourteen days, and they were blown with the waves this way and then that. Not
knowing exactly where they were, the only way to tell if they were near land was
to tell how deep the water was.
Acts 27:28 "And sounded, and found [it] twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a
little further, they sounded again, and found [it] fifteen fathoms."
“Sounded”: With a weight
attached to a length of rope they measured the depth of the sea.
“Twenty fathoms … fifteen
fathoms”: 120 feet … 90 feet. The decreasing depth of the water confirmed the
ship was approaching land.
The shipmen determined how
deep the water was by casting a weight over on a rope and measuring the depth.
They know they are near land, because the water is getting shallower with each
throw.
Acts 27:29 "Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four
anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day."
“Cast four anchors out of the
stern”: An attempt to hold the ship in place and keep the bow pointed toward the
shore.
To make this more frightening
for these sailors, this happened at midnight.
Acts 27:30 "And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had
let down the boat into the sea, under color as though they would have cast
anchors out of the foreship,"
“The boat”: The same dinghy
hauled aboard earlier (verse 16).
“Cast anchors out of the
foreship”: This would have been for additional stability (verse 29).
“Under color as though” (Greek
prophasei) means “under the pretext that.”
Paul knew their safety was
with him. God is going to bring Paul through this to go to Rome. Fear causes
people to do strange things. These shipmen were going to abandon the ship and
their passengers.
They were not under orders to
do this of their captain. They were pretending to put out more anchors. They
were just acting in fear.
Acts 27:31 "Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide
in the ship, ye cannot be saved."
This verse with verse 24
illustrates the relation between divine sovereignty and human responsibility.
Though God has unconditionally promised to Paul that every life would be spared,
Paul warns that the sailors must stay on board to man “the ship.” The sailors
had a responsibility to fulfill (verses 39-40).
When Paul tells them they must
stay with the ship, they remember the angel appearing to Paul.
Acts 27:32 "Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall
off."
This was the life boat. Now,
they do not even have it to try to get to land.
Acts 27:33 "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."
“Continued fasting”: Because
of seasickness and the difficulty of preparing and preserving food, the
passengers and crew had eaten little or nothing in the two weeks since they left
Fair Havens.
It seems when this storm got
so bad that they thought they would die, they started a fast and have continued
fourteen days. This makes your body very weak, and Paul knows if they shipwreck,
they will need strength to swim. He tells them to eat meat to strengthen them.
Acts 27:34 "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."
“Not an hair … fall from the
head”: A common Jewish saying (1 Sam. 14:45; 2 Sam. 14:11; 1 Kings 1:52; Luke
21:18), denoting absolute protection.
This is encouragement that
they all need to hear.
Acts 27:35-36 "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."
"Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took [some] meat."
We see here a great respect
has grown for Paul. They feel that whatever Paul does is okay with God. When
Paul eats, they eat also.
Acts 27:37 "And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen
souls."
“Two hundred threescore and
sixteen souls”: As an ocean-going vessel, this ship was considerably larger than
the smaller vessel Paul sailed in from Caesarea to Lycia.
Now for the first time, we
know that 276 people are on board ship.
Acts 27:38 "And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast
out the wheat into the sea."
“Lightened the ship” (see note
on verse 18).
They had kept back food to eat
when they had cast out the other things before. As a show of confidence that
they were about to be saved, they threw the wheat overboard.
Acts 27:39 "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."
This was not a port, but was a
possibility to get a little closer to land before the ship broke up. They would
try to get the ship to sail into this creek.
Acts 27:40 "And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed [themselves]
unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoisted up the mainsail to the
wind, and made toward shore."
This wind is still very heavy.
They brought the mainsail up, but could do very little in the way of direction,
because of the contrary wind.
Acts 27:41 "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."
“Place where two seas met”: A
sandbar or reef short of the shore.
This ship violently broke
apart, as these heavy winds brought huge waves against the ship.
Acts 27:42 "And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of
them should swim out, and escape."
“Soldiers’ counsel was to kill
the prisoners”: Knowing they could face punishment or death if their prisoners
escaped (12:19; 16:27).
This would have included Paul.
Some of these prisoners were, perhaps, hardened criminals who might have been a
problem to society, but Paul surely does not fall into this category. God had
compassion on these soldiers, but they were not showing compassion for the
prisoners.
Acts 27:43 "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:"
This centurion knew that Paul
was a man of God. He would not allow anyone to be killed, because he was saving
Paul's life. The faster the swimmers could get to land, the faster help would
come.
Acts 27:44 "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."
Just as Paul had been told by
the angel of God, who stood beside him. They all were spared their lives. It
appears anyone who could not swim used anything at all that would float to take
them to land.
Acts Chapter 27 Continued Questions
1. Where would Paul and the
others be cast?
2. What had the angel of God
told Paul?
3. After how many days of
terrible storm, did they realize they were near some land?
4. What time was it?
5. How deep was it the first
sounding?
6. How deep was it the second
sounding?
7. Why did they cast anchors
and stop here?
8. After dropping anchor, what
did they wish for?
9. Who was about to flee the
ship?
10. Why did they not flee?
11. What happened to the
lifeboat?
12. What did Paul tell them to
do just before daylight?
13. What had they been doing
fourteen days?
14. What were they to do this
for?
15. What harm did Paul say
would come to them?
16. Why did Paul eat first?
17. Verse 36 says, "Then they
were all of good _______________."
18. How many people were on
this ship?
19. After they had eaten
enough, what did they do?
20. When daylight came, what
did they see?
21. What happened when they
fell into a place where two seas met?
22. What did the soldiers want
to do to the prisoners?
23. Why would the centurion
not do this?
24. Who jumped ship first?
25. How did the others make
shore?
26. Was anyone lost?
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