The
time for them to set sail again was near. The journey they were about to embark
looked hazardous. The “fast” here was referring to the Day of Atonement that
had passed. It appears as if there was a consultation at Fair Havens. Paul
possibly could have participated and gave his view. He cautioned them, warning
of impending dangers. They were well into the dangerous season and traveling
was risky. Earlier they had already encountered opposing wind. Furthermore,
Paul was speaking through experience (2 Corinthians 11:25). His advice could be
a combination of prophetic element as well as a judgment from past experience.
His prediction was that there would be great damage and loss of cargo, the ship
and even lives. Although ultimately no life was lost, Paul’s foreboding was
proven to be true. Evidently that was why later on in Acts 27:3, the centurion
would consider Paul’s view seriously.
At
this point in time, Julius the centurion, did not take Paul’s view
seriously. The decision was up to the
centurion to make and he was more inclined to go with the pilot and captain of
the ship. They felt that the harbor was not suitable to spend winter. So they
reached a decision to pull out to sea. They were hoping to reach Phoenix, a
harbor in Crete which appeared more conducive for the winter. As a gentle southerly
wind began to blow, the sailors felt certain that it was favorable for the
journey to Phoenix. It was all that they needed as a confirmation that it was
safe, so they weighed anchor and set sail along the coast of Crete toward a
typhoon, unsuspectingly.
If
they had listened to Paul, a calamity would have been averted. Julius was
probably in haste to make journey. But in decision making, we must learn to
listen carefully. The best advice do not always seem acceptable on the surface.
We need to listen discerningly to any advice, always keeping our ears open to
the Lord. The decision of a majority is not always right.
No comments:
Post a Comment