Monday Devo
Scripture:
Acts 27
7 We had several days of slow sailing, and after great difficulty we finally neared Cnidus. But the wind was against us, so we sailed across to Crete and along the sheltered coast of the island, past the cape of Salmone. 8 We struggled along the coast with great difficulty and finally arrived at Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. 9 We had lost a lot of time. The weather was becoming dangerous for sea travel because it was so late in the fall, and Paul spoke to the ship’s officers about it.
10 “Men,” he said, “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on—shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.” 11 But the officer in charge of the prisoners listened more to the ship’s captain and the owner than to Paul. 12 And since Fair Havens was an exposed harbor—a poor place to spend the winter—most of the crew wanted to go on to Phoenix, farther up the coast of Crete, and spend the winter there. Phoenix was a good harbor with only a southwest and northwest exposure.
The Storm at Sea
13 When a light wind began blowing from the south, the sailors thought they could make it. So they pulled up anchor and sailed close to the shore of Crete. 14 But the weather changed abruptly, and a wind of typhoon strength (called a “northeaster”) burst across the island and blew us out to sea. 15 The sailors couldn’t turn the ship into the wind, so they gave up and let it run before the gale.
7 We had several days of slow sailing, and after great difficulty we finally neared Cnidus. But the wind was against us, so we sailed across to Crete and along the sheltered coast of the island, past the cape of Salmone. 8 We struggled along the coast with great difficulty and finally arrived at Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. 9 We had lost a lot of time. The weather was becoming dangerous for sea travel because it was so late in the fall, and Paul spoke to the ship’s officers about it.
10 “Men,” he said, “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on—shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.” 11 But the officer in charge of the prisoners listened more to the ship’s captain and the owner than to Paul. 12 And since Fair Havens was an exposed harbor—a poor place to spend the winter—most of the crew wanted to go on to Phoenix, farther up the coast of Crete, and spend the winter there. Phoenix was a good harbor with only a southwest and northwest exposure.
The Storm at Sea
13 When a light wind began blowing from the south, the sailors thought they could make it. So they pulled up anchor and sailed close to the shore of Crete. 14 But the weather changed abruptly, and a wind of typhoon strength (called a “northeaster”) burst across the island and blew us out to sea. 15 The sailors couldn’t turn the ship into the wind, so they gave up and let it run before the gale.
Commentary:
27:7 The normal route from Myra to Rome would have taken them south of Rhodes and north of Crete to Sicily. They were already well off course when they reached Cnidus (southwestern tip of Asia/Turkey) and even more so when they had to seek shelter on the south side of Crete.
27:8 The location of Fair Havens is uncertain, though there is a town on the southern coast of Crete with that name today, probably close to the ancient site.
27:9 The Fast refers to the Day of Atonement in the fall, when Mediterranean voyages became too dangerous for sailing vessels. Despite the poor harbor, Paul’s advice was that they stay put (v. 10).
27:11 The pilot was the ship’s captain.
27:12 The majority probably means the majority of the crew. Phoenix (Gk. phoinix, “palm tree, date-palm”) may be the modern Phineka Bay, which is on the southwestern coast of Crete.
27:14 The wind is described as tempestuous (Gk. typhōnikos), and the storm is called in Greek the eurakylōn (Gk., based on euros, “east wind,” and akylō, “north wind”—hence, northeaster). Such northeasters are extremely dangerous in this region, appearing suddenly with violent, whirling winds caused by a meeting of opposite air currents.
27:16 Cauda is today known as Gozzo. The ship’s boat (a smaller vessel used to transport people from the ship to land) had probably filled with water and was hard to lift on deck.
27:8 The location of Fair Havens is uncertain, though there is a town on the southern coast of Crete with that name today, probably close to the ancient site.
27:9 The Fast refers to the Day of Atonement in the fall, when Mediterranean voyages became too dangerous for sailing vessels. Despite the poor harbor, Paul’s advice was that they stay put (v. 10).
27:11 The pilot was the ship’s captain.
27:12 The majority probably means the majority of the crew. Phoenix (Gk. phoinix, “palm tree, date-palm”) may be the modern Phineka Bay, which is on the southwestern coast of Crete.
27:14 The wind is described as tempestuous (Gk. typhōnikos), and the storm is called in Greek the eurakylōn (Gk., based on euros, “east wind,” and akylō, “north wind”—hence, northeaster). Such northeasters are extremely dangerous in this region, appearing suddenly with violent, whirling winds caused by a meeting of opposite air currents.
27:16 Cauda is today known as Gozzo. The ship’s boat (a smaller vessel used to transport people from the ship to land) had probably filled with water and was hard to lift on deck.
Questions:
- In Acts 27, Paul sets sail for Rome after appealing his case to Caesar. He, along with a couple of friends, other prisoners, Roman soldiers and sailers end up on board a cargo ship. They eventually find themselves being battered by a massive storm. We all go through our own storms in life, but they can serve a purpose if we let them. The first thing storms do is they CRUSH your COMFORT. Paul is right in the middle of a storm, and at the same time is right in the middle of God's will. Have you ever experienced attacks from the enemy or life storms when you were faithfully following Jesus? What did He teach you through it?
- Let's be honest... comfort is what we want most in life! But very rarely do comfort and obedience go together. Stepping out in faith ALWAYS involved a certain level of discomfort and uneasiness. In fact, if you're never uncomfortable, you probably aren't very obedient. When was the last time you were uncomfortably obedient?
Pray:
- That we would be faithful through life's storms.
- That we would learn the beauty of being uncomfortably obedient.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
6. Is the Bible God’s Word? Jesus proved He is God by rising from the dead and said the Old Testament was God’s Word and gave authority to the Apostles to write the words of the New Testament, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so that all the words of the Bible are God’s Word.
(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
No Comments