Assignment 11.1 - 11.6, Acts 27:13-44

[Irving]

Assignment 11.1 to
11.6.09
Acts, Chapter 27: 13
- 44

verse 13. With a temporary south wind they could move west on a broad
reach, so they started out.

verses 14,15. Unpredictability. Now the wind became a Northeaster of
hurricane force! It drove them south from the coast of Crete and from
Phoenix. The safest thing to do in a storm is to maintain a heading
into the wind, but they could not do it, so they let the wind carry
them where it would.

verse 16. As they passed to the lee of Cauda, a small island , they
had a temporary buffer against the wind and were able to secure the
lifeboat, which, normally, was towed behind the ship. In these
circumstances that was not a safe place for it. It might be torn away
or smashed into the stern of the ship, so they hoisted it aboard.

verses 17- 20. They passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it
together in the event of running aground, possibly on the sand bars of
Tunis and Tripoli on the north African coast. How do you think they
did it? The sea anchor was a drag on the ship to lessen its speed,
under the force of the great wind, and reduce the damaging forces on
the ship in the event of running aground. Then they threw some of the
cargo overboard, along with the tackle, including the yard arm and
perhaps even the mainsail, to lessen the load of the ship for the
same reason. These latter items were probably still attached to the
ship to function as additional sea anchors. By this time, most on
board had given up hope of ever being saved – except for Paul.

verses 21 – 22. Paul had a visitation from and angel of God, and
prophesied:
1. You should have taken my advice ( Is this, “I told you so?”).
2. Keep up your courage because not one of you will be lost.
3. The ship, however, will be destroyed.

verses 23 –24. Paul explains the origins of his prophecy, the message
of the angel. God intends for Paul to stand trial before Caesar. In
the process of bringing Paul to Rome for this purpose, God has given
Paul the lives of all who sail with him.

verse 25. Paul urges all on board to keep up their courage because he
has faith in God and He will make the prophecy come true.

verse 26. Paul tells them the bad news, now that he has told them the
good news: This ship will run aground on some island.

verse 27. On the 14th day after leaving Fair Havens, being driven
across the Adriatic Sea (At that time the extent of what was called
the Adriatic was greater than what is now called the Adriatic) at
about midnight, the sailors sensed that they were approaching land.
Probably the combined senses of smell, hearing and sight (of the wave
patterns) all contributed to the sensing of approaching land.

verse 28. They took soundings, that is, repeatedly measured the water
depth with a weighted line and discovered that it was steadily getting
more shallow.

Verse 29. Now, the sailors really began to fear going aground on
rocks. They dropped additional anchors to reduce speed, and they
prayed for daylight to come before the crash.

versed 30,31. The sailors now became intent upon escaping from the
ship. Pretending that they were lowering anchors from the bow, they
lowered the life boat down into the sea, but tied to the ship. Paul
understood what they were doing and alerted the centurion and the
soldiers, saying, “We need these men when we go aground, otherwise the
rest of us will perish.

Verse 32. The soldiers foiled the escape of the sailors ( and saved
their lives) by pulling out their short swords and cutting the life
boat free to drift away.

verses 33,34. Paul urged everyone to eat. They hadn’t been able to do
so in the chaotic state of the storm tossed ship, but they needed
their strength to survive what awaited them. Paul assured them: “Not
one of you will lose a single hair on your head.”

verse 35. Paul set the example by taking some bread, breaking it,
giving thanks to God for it, and eating.

verses 36,37. All followed his example and ate. There were 276 people
on board.

verse 38. When all had eaten as much as they wanted (perhaps some of
them just ate of the grains of wheat of the cargo, just as Roman
soldiers ate wheat from a small bag tied at their wastes while on the
march) they lightened the ship further by throwing all of the
remaining grain into the sea.

verses 39,40. When daylight came they saw that they were being driven
to a sandy beach, but they did not recognize where they were. It
looked like a smooth beach, ideal for running aground with no rocks.
So they cut loose the anchors, untied the rudders and ran up the
foresail.

verse 41. But there was a sandbar under the water upon which they
suddenly ran aground, while still some distance from the beach. The
bow of the ship got stuck on the sandbar, and quickly, the stern of
the ship was pounded by the surf. Very soon the ship began to break
up.

verse 42. The soldiers, acting as instructed in training, were about
to kill the prisoners to preclude their escaping, for if they did, a
soldier’s life would be taken for every escapee.

verse 43. But the centurions wanted to spare Paul’s life and ordered
his men to desist. He ordered all passengers who could swim to jump
overboard and swim for the beach.

verse 44. The others, who could not swim, were instructed to grasp
the wooden pieces of the breaking ship that were all around them and
using these as flotation devices to kick their way to the beach. In
this way, all 276 reached land in safety.

The next lesson will cover the last chapter of Acts, 28., The
shipwreck, they discover, is on the island of Malta, where they spend
the winter. The last leg of the voyage carries them, after a series of
intermediate stops, to Puteoli, the chief port of Rome. Finally, an
overland trip brings them to Rome, where Paul has an opportunity to
make his case with local Jews.
We will learn that Paul spent two years in his own rented house while
he awaited his trial, welcoming all who came to see him, and he boldly
preached the Kingdom of God.

Study Questions for Chapter 27: 13
-44

1. Normally, we humans are advised, for many reasons, to avoid
adopting the "I told you so." stance, even when we were correct in our
predictions. It is seen as an attempt at self-glorification, and
further as a put-down to whom it is addressed. Why did Paul, obviously
wise in understanding human nature, and also keen to be an example of
Christian behavior, say, " I told you so" in verse 21?

2. What subsequent events validated Paul's urgent directive to the
centurion and his soldiers that the sailors should be prevented from
leaving the ship in their escape attempt?

3. What nautical practice, used as extreme discipline applied to
miscreant sailors on the sailing vessels of the 17th, 18th, and even
the 19th centuries required the passage of ropes under and around the
ship? In verse 17, the sailors on the storm driven ship of this
chapter passed ropes under the ship to strengthen it. In either
example, how do you think they did it?

4. Consider how Paul, in every circumstance, used the events that
befell him to promulgate the Christian faith. List the ways he did
this in this lesson.

5. Take note that as this ill-fated voyage proceeded, Paul gained
increasing authority, so that his advice and directives were given
greater heed. How could you apply this to the modern Christian
interested in evangelism?