Acts Chapter 27: Storm, Shipwreck, and a Promise That Did Not Sink

When it was decided that Paul would sail to Italy he was handed over to a centurion named Julius of the Augustan Regiment along with some other prisoners. Luke is with him — the we returns. They boarded a ship from Adramyttium heading along the Asia Minor coast. At Myra they transferred to a large Alexandrian grain ship bound for Italy. These ships were the cargo haulers of the empire, carrying Egyptian wheat to feed Rome’s population. They could carry several hundred people and hundreds of tons of grain.

Sailing was slow and difficult. The winds were against them. They made their way with difficulty along the southern coast of Crete and came to a harbor called Fair Havens near the town of Lasea. Much time had been lost. The dangerous season for sailing had already passed. Paul warned them: men, I can see that this voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of cargo and the ship but also of our lives. But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. The majority agreed to press on to Phoenix, a better harbor further along the coast, to spend the winter there.

The Storm

A moderate south wind began to blow. They thought they had what they needed and weighed anchor, sailing close along the coast of Crete. Not long after, a violent wind called the northeaster came down from the mountains of Crete. The ship was caught and could not face the wind. They gave way to it and were driven. They passed under the shelter of a small island, secured the lifeboat, undergirded the ship with ropes to keep it from breaking apart, lowered the sea anchor, and drove before the wind.

The next day they began throwing cargo overboard to lighten the ship. The day after that they threw the ship’s equipment overboard with their own hands. For many days neither sun nor stars appeared and no small storm continued to assail them. All hope of being saved was gradually abandoned. They had not eaten for a long time.

Paul stood up among them. Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, only of the ship. For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship stood before me and said: do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. And behold, Yehovah has granted you all those who sail with you. So take heart, men, for I have faith in Yehovah that it will be exactly as I have been told. But we must run aground on some island.

An angel in the middle of a storm, with the cargo gone and the equipment gone and no one having eaten for days and the ship groaning around them. The promise to Rome was still operative. Yehovah had granted him the lives of everyone on board. The ship was going to be lost but none of the two hundred and seventy-six people on it would die. Paul knew this because the angel had said it. And Paul believed the angel because the angel was speaking on behalf of the same Yehovah who had stood beside him in the barracks in Jerusalem and said take courage.

The Wreck

Two weeks into the storm, at midnight, the sailors sensed they were approaching land. They took soundings: twenty fathoms. Then a little further: fifteen fathoms. Fearing they would be dashed against the rocks they let out four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come.

As day began to break Paul urged everyone to take food: today is the fourteenth day that you have waited and continued without food and taken nothing. I urge you to take some food, for it will give you strength. For not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you. He took bread, gave thanks to Yehovah in front of all of them, broke it and began to eat. All two hundred and seventy-six of them took heart and ate. Then they lightened the ship further by throwing the grain into the sea.

When day came they could see a bay with a beach. They cut the anchor lines, loosed the rudder ropes, hoisted the foresail to the wind, and made for the beach. But striking a reef they ran the ship aground. The bow stuck and was immovable while the stern began to break up in the surf. The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent anyone from escaping. The centurion Julius, wanting to bring Paul safely to Rome, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard and get to land. The rest were to follow on planks and pieces of the ship. Everyone made it safely to land.

The island was Malta. The inhabitants showed unusual kindness, kindling a fire and welcoming all of them because of the rain and the cold. The promise had been kept exactly. No hair perished from the head of anyone. The ship was gone. The grain was gone. But two hundred and seventy-six people stood on a beach in Malta alive because Yehovah had said Paul would stand before Caesar and had granted him the lives of everyone sailing with him.

Yehovah does not make small promises.

Next: Acts Chapter 28 — Rome