Thinking Out Loud: Acts:27

[Welcome Back]

This isn't going to be very eloquent. Shoot, it might not even make sense, but like the title says, I'm just thinking out loud.


First, Paul says that all will be lost, including thier lives. Later, in verse 24 we see that an angel tells him otherwise.

There are so many debates on some of the things that Paul says are his opinion. What do these verses tell us about those things? I am not saying "Paul is wrong!" I am just wondering.

Is anyone brave enough to touch that with a ten-foot pole?



Now, what lessons are to be learned from the hard journey and the crash at the end?

My original thoughts were that in the first verse it said that going to Italy was a "decision", thus not something ordered by God. I might have missed something before that though. Along those lines however, we see how Paul says they should not leave Crete but they do.

I was thinking that perhaps these decisions they were making were not what God had in mind so they had a hard time meeting their goals.

But then.....

:sigh

Does someone want to clear this up for me? I don't want to ramble on anymore because then you might all find out just how nuts I really am.

[M. Hawbaker]

Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, saying, "Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives." Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul.
(Acts 27:9-11)


The New Living Translation paraphrases verse 10 as follows:

"Sirs," he said, "I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on – shipwreck, loss of cargo, injuries, and danger to our lives."


I don't believe that Paul was predicting that their lives definitely would be lost (that is, he was not speaking prophecy).

Rather, he, being an experienced traveler, was expressing his opinion (quite correctly) that if they tried to sail under the current conditions, both their ship and their lives might be in danger.


As it turns out, Paul's opinion was correct: The ship was lost and the men would have been killed if the Lord Himself (for Paul's sake) hadn't directly intervened to save them:


But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, "Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.' Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.
(Acts 27:21-25)



As for what lessons we can learn from this account:

1. Despite his best efforts to avoid it, Paul was put into a really bad situation through no fault of his own; but God saw him through it.

Likewise, even when we are faithful to God and serve Him to the best of our ability, we sometimes find ourselves in bad situations that are beyond our control, but no matter how bad it gets, we can depend on Him to get us through the hard times.

2. God is merciful. He not only rescued Paul, but also the sailers.

Even though most of the men on the ship were unbelievers, God rescued them all, so that they would have another chance to hear Paul's message and be saved.