- Study No. 31 From Bad to Worse Acts Chapter 27
Study No. 31 From Bad to Worse Acts Chapter 27
Paul has appealed to have his case heard by Caesar. King Agrippa and Festus made the decision and the arrangements to make it happen. 1-3
Paul is put under the care of a centurion by the name of Julius, who proves to be very fair in every respect. Some commentators wonder whether he might have been present in person to hear Paul’s defense and as a result had a great respect for him. Luke is traveling with Paul. Perhaps he had to pay his own way, but being a doctor, possibly Paul requested him as his physician. A man by the name of Aristarchus is mentioned. He is a young man that Paul had met on his second missionary journey, and this man followed or companied with Paul. Some commentators surmise that he might have posed as Paul’s slave and therefore have been able to travel free. There is no evidence for this.
4-8
The travelers are met with immediate difficulty. The prevailing winds for the season seem to be all turned around. They make very slow progress and ending up at Lycia where they change to a different ship. Commentators say this vessel was approximately 120 feet long, and was likely hauling grain from Egypt to Italy. The centurion seems to been in charge or have some kind of specific authority during the voyage which follows. Meeting with contrary winds the ship is forced to tack back and forth … zigzagging … which limits their forward progress seriously.
Consider the following:
The Apostle Paul is in the will of God. Regardless of whether he should have listened to the Holy Spirit and stayed away from Jerusalem, or not … He is once again in God’s will. God said he was to go to Rome.
So the question is, why is this trip fraught with such difficulty?
This question faces us as well. Why is it, when we are doing what we take to be God’s will for our life, we oftentimes still have such great difficulty in accomplishing it?
We will discuss this further in a few minutes … but first we need to recognize there is more difficulty yet to come.
9-12
The fast mentioned here is the observance of ‘the day of atonement’. Le 23:27. This fast is in memory of their having made the golden calf, and they were instructed to ‘afflict their souls’. That is, they were to endure some sort of suffering as a reminder of the punishment they deserved for having committed such gross idolatry. “The fast was over” is simply mentioned to tell us the time of the year, late September and early October. Moving past this date and still attempting a Mediterranean sea voyage was a mistake. To this day the sea is plagued by severe and sudden storms during the fall and winter.
Paul advised them to stay put. This is not necessarily a ‘prophetic word’ on Paul’s part. He has travelled this ocean several times and was no stranger to the policies of the sea-faring industry. It was common sense. And, the thing is, the captain and crew knew it. Their one reason for wanting to leave in spite of the danger was simply, “We don’t like this place. There is nothing to do here all winter.” Obviously they were thinking more of themselves than they were the welfare of the passengers.
13-20
With the wind seeming to be in their favour, they hope to go 50 miles up the coast and put in at Phoenix.
Very shortly into the voyage they are hit by a tremendous storm. They undergird the ship … that is, they pass cables under and over and literally tie it together like a package lest it be ripped in pieces.
The storm lasted for days without letting up. The third day they are forced to ‘lighten’ the ship by throwing heavy objects overboard. Luke uses the words, ‘with our own hands’ indicating everybody had to help.
We tend to criticize the captain and crew for this foolhardy decision, but, truth be told, we are not all that different. If we want to do something badly enough, we will take a small favourable turn in the situation as an omen that this must be God’s will.
The situation is worsening by the minute. Days have gone by without sunlight or sight of the stars. In those days the mariners depended on the sky for their navigation. They have no idea where they are.
Everybody has given up hope. Probably even Paul is thinking … I know I will get to Rome somehow, but I guess it won’t be on this ship.
So, what is God doing here … or not doing? God wants Paul to go to Rome. Could he not calm the storm? This is obviously the work of Satan. He does not want Paul to get to Rome. He knows full well that Paul has been responsible for this ‘evangelism explosion’ and he is trying to ‘take him out’. This reminds us of another storm. One day Jesus was asleep in a boat when a sudden storm came out of nowhere. Jesus spoke to the waves and calmed the sea. Was that storm sent by God just so that Jesus could show the disciples his power even over the elements? I think not. When I think of the big picture of will and eternal purposes of God, I see Satan as the arch-enemy. Jesus came to this earth to die … on a specific day … as out sacrificial lamb. Satan knew this was the plan and he did his best to change it. He had to keep Jesus away from the cross. So, he tried to have him killed when he was just a toddler. That did not work. He tried to have Jesus thrown off a cliff. That did not work. He tried to drown Jesus in a boat .. (remember, he is called the prince and power of the air?) and that did not work. Now we have the apostle Paul going somewhere in the will of God, and we have Satan opposing. Could God have calmed this storm? Of course.
21-26
I don’t know how Paul could tell the night from the day … nor do I know if any of them tried to sleep at all. They were not even eating.
Paul’s announcement is not an ‘I told you so!’ It is more a plea to get their attention. It is like he is saying, I was right when I said that we should not leave Fair Haven … and you did not listen … so listen to me now.
He had said, … there will be loss of life and of the ship … now he changes that. He has been ‘updated’ by an angel ‘during the night’.
The angel said, ‘God has granted you all those who sail with you …’ This statement tells us that Paul had been praying for the men. By the way, this seems to have reference to sparing their lives, not that they would all be converted. But even if it is the sparing of their lives that took place … they lived to have another opportunity to receive Jesus … because of Paul’s prayer.
James says that ‘we have not because we ask not.’ Here is evidence of a direct answer to the prayer of a man of faith. How much more might we do in the work of the kingdom if we could learn to ask in faith!
He was visited by an angel. The angel said, ‘Do not be afraid. …’ Even this praying man of God had some fear creeping in.
But look at the situation: Paul is literally in the same boat. In the same danger and distress … but along comes a secret resource from God himself. That ‘secret resource’ is something we can all expect when we are in the storm.
EXTRA STUDY
What impressed you with your study of the ministry of angels?
27-32
Things just seem to go from worse to … worse. Now, in the middle of the night they are hearing the breakers roar. They fear they are nearing land. They take soundings. They put out anchors. And they pray.
33-38
The Apostle Paul is a perfect example here of a person who is living out their faith … in a practical way.
- God has assured Paul that he will get to Rome.
- God has assured Paul that nobody will die.
Is the will and plan of God contingent or conditional upon what we do?
Paul says … everyone stays on the boat or the guarantee of protection is off.
Then he says, Eat something. Your survival depends on it.
Apparently Paul sees that we, the children of God, are to be used by God to see that the will of God actually happens.
Paul speaks out when necessary, as he did to the centurion with regard to would be deserters.
He demonstrates his faith … by eating in front of them.
39-44
The bay which they saw and intended to put the ship into is now called St. Paul’s bay, on the island of Malta.
It is understandable that the soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners, since the penalty for letting a prisoner escape was death. The Centurion had the authority to stop the killing before it happened, probably assuming full responsibility for any who might escape. The fact that he did it for Paul’s sake is noteworthy. We can only imagine how much gospel he heard from Paul during this whole voyage.
So now, to answer the question … why is it that Christians may be called upon to face such difficulty when they are in the will of God and doing the will of God?
Several reasons:
1. Difficulties often are the result of Satan’s opposition. In Paul’s letter to the Romans he said that he had tried numerous times to come to Rome but that Satan had hindered him. It certainly looks like he is doing that in this chapter.
2. Difficulties are in the permissive will of God. Why? Imagine the many lessons that this whole shipfull of people learned because of this whole ordeal. Everyone could learn that there is a whole different way of living and approaching life. They would learn about the power of the almighty God. They would learn about the potential of having a personal relationship with Him.
3. Enduring difficulties in the will of God provided lessons for Paul as well. Paul learned that God’s power is most clear in our weakness. So, he said, “I glory in my infirmity” 2 Corinthians 2:9
4. Sometimes the difficulties are completely behind the scenes, as in the case of Job. All he could do was accept his situation. He had to look at realistically. He said, I was born with nothing. I will die with nothing. I really have not lost a thing. Then, at the end of it all, it as though God said, I am responsible for everything that has happened to you. Do you have any questions? Ask me, I will answer. Can you imagine the question/answer period that we will have in heaven?
Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all. (Psalms 34:19 RSV)
The story of the Christian’s life … everything went wrong but it turned out right!
Paul has appealed to have his case heard by Caesar. King Agrippa and Festus made the decision and the arrangements to make it happen. 1-3
Paul is put under the care of a centurion by the name of Julius, who proves to be very fair in every respect. Some commentators wonder whether he might have been present in person to hear Paul’s defense and as a result had a great respect for him. Luke is traveling with Paul. Perhaps he had to pay his own way, but being a doctor, possibly Paul requested him as his physician. A man by the name of Aristarchus is mentioned. He is a young man that Paul had met on his second missionary journey, and this man followed or companied with Paul. Some commentators surmise that he might have posed as Paul’s slave and therefore have been able to travel free. There is no evidence for this.
4-8
The travelers are met with immediate difficulty. The prevailing winds for the season seem to be all turned around. They make very slow progress and ending up at Lycia where they change to a different ship. Commentators say this vessel was approximately 120 feet long, and was likely hauling grain from Egypt to Italy. The centurion seems to been in charge or have some kind of specific authority during the voyage which follows. Meeting with contrary winds the ship is forced to tack back and forth … zigzagging … which limits their forward progress seriously.
Consider the following:
The Apostle Paul is in the will of God. Regardless of whether he should have listened to the Holy Spirit and stayed away from Jerusalem, or not … He is once again in God’s will. God said he was to go to Rome.
So the question is, why is this trip fraught with such difficulty?
This question faces us as well. Why is it, when we are doing what we take to be God’s will for our life, we oftentimes still have such great difficulty in accomplishing it?
We will discuss this further in a few minutes … but first we need to recognize there is more difficulty yet to come.
9-12
The fast mentioned here is the observance of ‘the day of atonement’. Le 23:27. This fast is in memory of their having made the golden calf, and they were instructed to ‘afflict their souls’. That is, they were to endure some sort of suffering as a reminder of the punishment they deserved for having committed such gross idolatry. “The fast was over” is simply mentioned to tell us the time of the year, late September and early October. Moving past this date and still attempting a Mediterranean sea voyage was a mistake. To this day the sea is plagued by severe and sudden storms during the fall and winter.
Paul advised them to stay put. This is not necessarily a ‘prophetic word’ on Paul’s part. He has travelled this ocean several times and was no stranger to the policies of the sea-faring industry. It was common sense. And, the thing is, the captain and crew knew it. Their one reason for wanting to leave in spite of the danger was simply, “We don’t like this place. There is nothing to do here all winter.” Obviously they were thinking more of themselves than they were the welfare of the passengers.
13-20
With the wind seeming to be in their favour, they hope to go 50 miles up the coast and put in at Phoenix.
Very shortly into the voyage they are hit by a tremendous storm. They undergird the ship … that is, they pass cables under and over and literally tie it together like a package lest it be ripped in pieces.
The storm lasted for days without letting up. The third day they are forced to ‘lighten’ the ship by throwing heavy objects overboard. Luke uses the words, ‘with our own hands’ indicating everybody had to help.
We tend to criticize the captain and crew for this foolhardy decision, but, truth be told, we are not all that different. If we want to do something badly enough, we will take a small favourable turn in the situation as an omen that this must be God’s will.
The situation is worsening by the minute. Days have gone by without sunlight or sight of the stars. In those days the mariners depended on the sky for their navigation. They have no idea where they are.
Everybody has given up hope. Probably even Paul is thinking … I know I will get to Rome somehow, but I guess it won’t be on this ship.
So, what is God doing here … or not doing? God wants Paul to go to Rome. Could he not calm the storm? This is obviously the work of Satan. He does not want Paul to get to Rome. He knows full well that Paul has been responsible for this ‘evangelism explosion’ and he is trying to ‘take him out’. This reminds us of another storm. One day Jesus was asleep in a boat when a sudden storm came out of nowhere. Jesus spoke to the waves and calmed the sea. Was that storm sent by God just so that Jesus could show the disciples his power even over the elements? I think not. When I think of the big picture of will and eternal purposes of God, I see Satan as the arch-enemy. Jesus came to this earth to die … on a specific day … as out sacrificial lamb. Satan knew this was the plan and he did his best to change it. He had to keep Jesus away from the cross. So, he tried to have him killed when he was just a toddler. That did not work. He tried to have Jesus thrown off a cliff. That did not work. He tried to drown Jesus in a boat .. (remember, he is called the prince and power of the air?) and that did not work. Now we have the apostle Paul going somewhere in the will of God, and we have Satan opposing. Could God have calmed this storm? Of course.
21-26
I don’t know how Paul could tell the night from the day … nor do I know if any of them tried to sleep at all. They were not even eating.
Paul’s announcement is not an ‘I told you so!’ It is more a plea to get their attention. It is like he is saying, I was right when I said that we should not leave Fair Haven … and you did not listen … so listen to me now.
He had said, … there will be loss of life and of the ship … now he changes that. He has been ‘updated’ by an angel ‘during the night’.
The angel said, ‘God has granted you all those who sail with you …’ This statement tells us that Paul had been praying for the men. By the way, this seems to have reference to sparing their lives, not that they would all be converted. But even if it is the sparing of their lives that took place … they lived to have another opportunity to receive Jesus … because of Paul’s prayer.
James says that ‘we have not because we ask not.’ Here is evidence of a direct answer to the prayer of a man of faith. How much more might we do in the work of the kingdom if we could learn to ask in faith!
He was visited by an angel. The angel said, ‘Do not be afraid. …’ Even this praying man of God had some fear creeping in.
But look at the situation: Paul is literally in the same boat. In the same danger and distress … but along comes a secret resource from God himself. That ‘secret resource’ is something we can all expect when we are in the storm.
EXTRA STUDY
What impressed you with your study of the ministry of angels?
27-32
Things just seem to go from worse to … worse. Now, in the middle of the night they are hearing the breakers roar. They fear they are nearing land. They take soundings. They put out anchors. And they pray.
33-38
The Apostle Paul is a perfect example here of a person who is living out their faith … in a practical way.
- God has assured Paul that he will get to Rome.
- God has assured Paul that nobody will die.
Is the will and plan of God contingent or conditional upon what we do?
Paul says … everyone stays on the boat or the guarantee of protection is off.
Then he says, Eat something. Your survival depends on it.
Apparently Paul sees that we, the children of God, are to be used by God to see that the will of God actually happens.
Paul speaks out when necessary, as he did to the centurion with regard to would be deserters.
He demonstrates his faith … by eating in front of them.
39-44
The bay which they saw and intended to put the ship into is now called St. Paul’s bay, on the island of Malta.
It is understandable that the soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners, since the penalty for letting a prisoner escape was death. The Centurion had the authority to stop the killing before it happened, probably assuming full responsibility for any who might escape. The fact that he did it for Paul’s sake is noteworthy. We can only imagine how much gospel he heard from Paul during this whole voyage.
So now, to answer the question … why is it that Christians may be called upon to face such difficulty when they are in the will of God and doing the will of God?
Several reasons:
1. Difficulties often are the result of Satan’s opposition. In Paul’s letter to the Romans he said that he had tried numerous times to come to Rome but that Satan had hindered him. It certainly looks like he is doing that in this chapter.
2. Difficulties are in the permissive will of God. Why? Imagine the many lessons that this whole shipfull of people learned because of this whole ordeal. Everyone could learn that there is a whole different way of living and approaching life. They would learn about the power of the almighty God. They would learn about the potential of having a personal relationship with Him.
3. Enduring difficulties in the will of God provided lessons for Paul as well. Paul learned that God’s power is most clear in our weakness. So, he said, “I glory in my infirmity” 2 Corinthians 2:9
4. Sometimes the difficulties are completely behind the scenes, as in the case of Job. All he could do was accept his situation. He had to look at realistically. He said, I was born with nothing. I will die with nothing. I really have not lost a thing. Then, at the end of it all, it as though God said, I am responsible for everything that has happened to you. Do you have any questions? Ask me, I will answer. Can you imagine the question/answer period that we will have in heaven?
Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all. (Psalms 34:19 RSV)
The story of the Christian’s life … everything went wrong but it turned out right!