We continue on this week with Acts 27:13-26

v13 Winds from the South are light and not very strong, so they felt that they would be able to get to the “safer” side of Crete.  

v14 This is one of the worst kind of winds for sailing  (these winds are like temptation. They may start off looking sweet and gentle but in an instant can be changed into a raging, out of control,  tempest) 

v15 Against their will they were driven away from the direction they wanted to go in. (their desire and their reality were two different things) 

v16 The lifeboat was  a smaller boat and would have been easier to handle than the big boat. The little boat got loose though, and they had great difficulty trying to hold on to it.  

v17 the little boat could do great damage knocking against the big boat in the wind so they hoisted it onto the deck of the large boat in order to secure it. 

• Syrtis was in North Africa. 
• Some of the translations don’t say “anchor/struck sail” but say they threw some of their gear (things belonging to the ship that were not critical for sailing eg extra ropes/tackle etc) overboard. This would possibly make more sense as they wanted the ship to be lighter so that they were able to move more quickly (they wanted the ship to be driven along – an anchor would slow them down) 

v18 The cargo belonged to the merchants who used the ships for import/export purposes. This was a big financial loss for the shipping company who were responsible for the safety of the cargo. Paul had warned of loss if they moved from where they were (our thoughts/perspectives are not G-d’s thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 We are safer in a dangerous place if G-d is with us, and we are in peril if we think we are in a safe place, but it’s not the place where G-d wants us to be) 

v19 Now they have to resort to throwing out those things that are necessary for the boat to run smoothly.  

v20 This is not a normal storm and we can be sure that these sailors had never experienced this before. However Paul is onboard and G-d has a purpose for him – because of this these people are going to experience G-d’s favour in this situation.  (when we attach ourselves to someone who is walking with G-d that is a wise thing for us to do.  We can learn from them and then learn how to apply truth to our own lives)

v21 The sea might have been too rough for them to eat or they might have been worried that they would be out at sea for too long and wanted to keep the nutritional supplies available for as long as possible without tucking in to them prematurely.  

v22 In Acts 27:10 Paul had felt (he had had a partial revelation) that there was going to be great loss and possibly even of their own lives. Now Paul had a fuller revelation of what was to happen – no lives were going to be lost, only the ship (the cargo and the ship were the most damaging for the captain and the owner of the ship.  The prisoner’s lives would have been second priority.  We see here that the lives of the men are G-d’s first priority) 

v23 The angel of the L-rd is usually associated with deliverance. Paul wants them to know and testifies, in the midst of all this adversity, that he belongs to G-d.  

v24 G-d’s grace at work!

v25 Believing in what G-d has said, and taking courage from His Words,  is the basis for bringing inward transformation in our lives