The ship had borne the harsh
storm for 14 days, being tossed and driven across the Adriatic Sea, the stretch
of Mediterranean between Crete and Sicily. At this point, which was about
midnight, the sailors had a feeling that they were nearing land. Though they
could not see the land, they were able to hear the waves in the distance.
Immediately they measured the depth of the water, doing it twice over a short
period of time. The first time the depth of the water was found to be 120 feet
deep and the second time was 90 feet deep.
With that information, they realized that they were approaching land
rapidly and became fearful that the ship could strike the rocky shore and go
aground. They began to drop four anchors from the stern instead of the prow of
the ship. They did this with the hope that the wind would swing the stern
around. They knew that if they were to run into the land it would be better for
the prow to hit it first. After doing
that they prayed for daylight.
Meanwhile some sailors, for
fear of their own safety, attempted to escape from the ship using the life
boat. They let the boat down, under the pretext that they wanted to lay out the
anchor from the bow of the ship. When Paul saw what was happening he alerted
the centurion. His exclamation to Julius implied that the skillful hands of the
sailors were needed at a time like this if they hope to reach land. The
soldiers then quickly took action and cut the rope that held the life boat and let
it drop into the water. The reason the life boat was never brought back was
probably to prevent any of the sailors from falling into the temptation of
abandoning the ship again.
When it was about daybreak,
Paul again offered a word of advice. For the past two weeks they had been
watching the situation and hardly ate, so Paul urged them to eat something for their
own preservation. This time around, the people were more ready to listen to
him. By his courage and his comforting word, he had won the admiration and
respect of both the soldiers and sailors. Paul then set the example by taking
some bread, gave thanks to God, then broke and ate it. They followed suit and
ate food. Verse 37 tells us that all together there were 276 people on board.
Perhaps there was a head count to ensure that they had enough food for
everyone. After that we are told that they threw away all the wheat into the
sea. This was done to lighten the ship.
When we are sure of God’s
purpose and direction for our life, we are less likely to abandon a sinking
ship. This lesson is taken from the way Paul held himself through his
tumultuous journey. Amidst the threat of the stormy sea and a sinking ship, he
stayed true to his course. What about us? Are we the type who will get going
even when the time is tough! Remember this: Tough times don’t last, but tough
people do!
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