The Acts of the Apostles, the history of the early church, by Luke the physician - Acts 27:12-44 comments: shipwrecked!

 

Acts 27:12 ¶  And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter; which is an haven of Crete, and lieth toward the south west and north west. 13  And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete. 14  But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon. 15  And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. 16  And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat: 17  Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven. 18  And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship; 19  And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship. 20  And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.

 

This confirms what I said in Acts 11 that this Phenice was located on the island of Crete. It is not Phoenicia located in the vicinity of modern-day Lebanon. The name for the wind, Euroclydon, contains the first part of the word Euro as in Europe although they have different root words in Greek and Hebrew. Commentators note that the modern name for this tempestuous wind in autumn and winter is Gregale or Levanter.

 

Clauda is called Gavdo today.

 

Acts 27:21 ¶  But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. 22  And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. 23  For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, 24  Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. 25  Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. 26  Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island. 27  But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country; 28  And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms. 29  Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day. 30  And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship, 31  Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved. 32  Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off. 33  And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing. 34  Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you. 35  And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat. 36  Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat. 37  And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls. 38  And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea. 39  And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship. 40  And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore. 41  And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves. 42  And the soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape. 43  But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land: 44  And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.

 

Paul gets an “I told you so” moment but was told by the Lord, as the angel, or appearance, of  God told him that he would get to Rome. Christ has made Himself known to mankind by His appearance or angel on several occasions.

 

The angel that was with Moses was the preincarnate Christ.

 

Judges 2:1 ¶  And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.

 

Exodus 3:2  And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

 

An angel is the presence of someone or something that is somewhere else but which can act on reality.

 

Isaiah 63:9  In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

 

Examples also include;

 

Matthew 18:10  Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

 

Revelation 1:20  The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

 

The narrative is pretty clear here regarding the peril that Paul and his companions faced. I will save my comment on verse 27 for the next passage’s comments.