246. SHIPWRECK

"Lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God."

Paul had stood before Festus and Agrippa and presented in a forthright manner, his defence against the Jewish leaders. With such conviction did this man speak, that the Roman authorities would have released him, but for the fact that Paul had already appealed to Caesar and so he must go to Rome. The trip by sea was to prove the most dangerous journey to be undertaken by Paul, where again his faith was to be tried and proved. Luke writes a most vivid description of the perils of the Great Sea (Mediterranean), during that hazardous voyage.

Acts 27

PAUL LEAVES THE SHORES OF PALESTINE (Acts 27:1-11).

Paul accompanied by other prisoners, under the guard of a Roman Centurion (Julius), and with his friends Luke and Aristarchus, set sail for the Capital of the Roman Empire. As the ship's company of 276 people sailed out of the harbour of Caesarea, Paul took a last look at the land of promise, but a land also that was destined to feel the judgments of God upon a rebellious people.

The following day, the ship called at Sidon. In the short time Paul had been in the charge of the centurion, he had impressed him so favourably, that he permitted him to go ashore and visit other disciples, a privilege not given to other prisoners. When the journey was resumed, troubles were soon encountered.

The winds were not favourable to sail directly to Myra, and so the ship had to sail slowly by the coasts of Cilicia and Pamphylia, until it arrived at Myra, where they changed into another ship which was carrying wheat from Alexandria to Rome.

The winds remained unfavourable and the progress continued to be slow. Contrary winds blew until they managed to round the eastern end of the Island of Crete and eventually lodged at a place known as Fair Havens.

Slowly Autumn was fading into Winter, a time of the year when sailing was dangerous for the ships of those days; in fact, all navigation on the open sea was usually discontinued by that time. A decision had to be made, as to whether to continue or not. Paul, in view of his previous experience warned strongly against the continuing of the journey, prophesying disaster if they did sail! However, the centurion naturally paid more attention to the advice of the Master of the ship, than to a prisoner. So the ship set sail once again.

IN PERIL ON THE SEA (verses 12-20).

The Master of the vessel decided to sail to a more convenient harbour in which to winter, and when a gentle south wind blew, the captain thought he would sail to Phenice, a port on the western tip of Crete. They had just cleared the land, when a tremendous wind of typhoon force, known locally as "Euroclydon", blew the ship off course. As the wind whipped up the waves and drove the ship, the mariners did all they could to prevent the ship from sinking. All their knowledge and skill was required to help keep the ship in one piece. They passed thick cables around the front of the ship and worked them along under the ship and around it to stop the timbers from coming apart. They threw over-board tackling from the ship and some of its cargo to allow the ship to ride high in the water.

Day after day passed, and neither sun, moon nor stars could be seen through the stormy clouds, so they had no means of knowing where they were or in what direction they were really going. They knew that the wind was generally carrying them in the direction of the Coast of North Africa and its treacherous quick sands.

GREAT FAITH DISPLAYED (verses 21-26).

In this crisis, Paul showed the manner of man he was. For many days now the sailors had laboured without proper meals and depression had begun to settle upon all on board, holding their lives in fear. Picture the scene. A ship out of control, tossed helplessly on the waves. Every hope of bringing it safely to port had been given up. The mariners were hungry and tired, worn out with their exertions.

It was in these fearful circumstances that Paul stood forth and proclaimed in a calm and confident manner, "Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. 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. For there stood by me this night, the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve saying, Fear not Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore sirs, be of good cheer for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. Howbeit, we must be cast upon a certain island" (Acts 27:21-26). Ponder for a moment, the magnitude of faith displayed by Paul. He is seen at a moment of great fear, standing forth and giving a prophecy of safety for all the ship, and exhorting the crew to "be of good cheer". How could Paul stand forth and be so bold in his predictions? The reason was, "I believe God". He trusted completely in God to carry out His Word. Paul knew he must be a witness in Rome and nothing would prevent this, for the angel had said unto him, "Fear not Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar".

THE SHIP DRIVEN AGROUND (verses 27-44).

Paul in his speech showed confidence and cheerfulness, which proved to be infectious, and the courage of all on board was increased by his words and example. It was about midnight, on the fourteenth day since leaving Fair havens and the ship was still drifting, when the sound of breaking waves was heard, a sign that they were nearing land. Soundings were immediately taken and they found they were in twenty fathoms of water; a little later, it was fifteen fathoms. They were rapidly approaching land, so they at once cast out four anchors and "wished for the day".

Lying anchored near to land, the sailors attempted to leave the ship and secure their own safety, by using the boat which they had lowered. It was at this moment of time, that Paul clearly demonstrated the influence that he had gained on the ship. Paul declared to the centurion and the soldiers that unless the sailors remained within the ship, they would not be saved. His intervention caused the soldiers to cut the ropes and the boat drifted away. The critical time would come in the morning, and it was necessary for crew and passengers to be prepared for it. Paul therefore besought them to partake of food, and in the presence of all, gave thanks for it.

As the daylight grew, and having been refreshed by the food they had eaten, the sailors attempted to beach the ship in a bay that had been sighted. As the wind drove the ship toward to shore, it struck a sandbank in the middle of the bay. There she stayed, but as the stern was buffeted by the waves, it began to break up.

The soldiers suggested that the prisoners should be killed in case they attempted to escape; for if they had, Roman discipline would have held the soldiers responsible for it. The Centurion was determined to save Paul and prevented the suggestion. Finally, some by swimming, and some availing themselves of floating wreckage, all reached land safely.

LESSONS FOR US:

In the face of a treacherous storm, Paul remained calm and serene within and ready always to give a testimony of his beliefs. Paul demonstrates on this hazardous journey that we must learn through all the "storms" of life, even in the face of death itself, to have the same calm conviction as shown by the Apostle, e.g., "I believe God". We can then "overcome all things through Christ who strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4:13).

We are all on the journey of life and our faith can be demonstrated at its best under trials and temptations. Remember that not only can we be delivered through our faith, but we, by example and strength of character, can influence others in the way of Godly paths and so break down opposition to the truth.

Paul is a man we can all admire for the manner in which he was ready to stand before Gentiles and preach the truth. Notice the manner in which he stood before them and proclaimed himself to be a servant of God. There was no embarrassment to Paul about being a servant of God and indeed that should be our attitude too. Paul demonstrated his beliefs in God with such power and conviction that even the centurion obeyed Paul's commands in a time of trouble.

In fact, such was his respect for Paul, he was determined that no harm should come to Paul, when the other soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners. How are our characters viewed by our friends around us, as we "sail" through times of crime, immorality and ungodliness?

Undoubtedly the crux of this lesson can be summed up in one word — Faith. Do you understand the full meaning of this word? If not, then refer to Instructor Lesson No. 70.

REFERENCE LIBRARY:

"The Story of the Bible" (H. P. Mansfield)—Vol. 14, pp. 96-106

"Paul the Apostle" (W. H. Boulton)—pp. 192-200

PARAGRAPH QUESTIONS:

1. Outline what you understand by the word "Faith" and give an illustration of it in action from Paul's shipwreck experiences.

2. How was Paul so sure that no lives would be lost as a result of the shipwreck?

ESSAY QUESTIONS:

1. How did Paul display his faith during the journey to Rome?

2. In a brief outline, describe Paul's storm tossed journey from Caesarea to Malta, as he travelled to Rome to appear before Caesar.