Holy Scriptures and Israel

Announcer: Shalom. Holy Scriptures and Israel is a ministry designed to share with the Jewish people the good news of the Lord Jesus, Yeshua the Messiah, and to instruct Christians on the Jewish roots of their faith. And now, teaching God's word from a Hebrew Messianic perspective, here is Gideon Levytam.

Gideon Levytam: The study of Acts chapter 27. Can you imagine Paul getting off the boat, going to meet his friends there and to have some time with them to refresh himself with the brothers and sisters? This have been an encouragement to Paul as he was heading now towards the city of Rome to see Caesar there and there perhaps to be condemned and judged. We know that ultimately he had been killed in that city.

So, verses 1-3, from Caesarea to Sidon, as he arrived to Sidon, he took some time to visit his friends and to refresh his heart with them. Then notice beloved brothers and sisters, there's a journey now from Sidon to Myra. They continue the next day. It said in verse 4 and 5, and when we had launched from thence, this is Sidon, we sailed under Cyprus because the wind was contrary. You notice that expression about the wind, you'll find this a few times in this chapter. There's a wind that is against them as they were sailing towards Myra.

Verse 5, it says, when we had sailed over the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came unto Myra, a city in Lycia or Lycia. In Hebrew, we call it Lukia. Here in English, it says Lycia. So, here is the following day. They launched, they left Sidon, they went under Cyprus because the wind was contrary. You see, they were hugging the shores. They were trying to find a way where they will not be on the open sea because the wind was against them, and then they finally arrived to Myra, a city in Lycia.

Now, for you and I, it's foreign names. We don't hear those names often. We can hardly pronounce them, but the journey to Rome from Caesarea demanded them because of the contrary wind to go in a different way so they will be ultimately arriving to the city of Rome. Now, here's the third name that is mentioned to us here. So, we have Caesarea to Sidon, Sidon to Myra.

Now, from Myra, verses 6, 7, and 8, they had another journey the following day. They continue on and here we're talking about quite a few miles, not only one day, by the way. It had been a long journey. Here they arrive to a place that is not too far from a city called Lasea, to a place that is called Fair Havens. I'm reading those verses now, verses 6, 7, and 8.

And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria. Alexandria is in Egypt, so apparently there was an Egyptian ship which he now found. It must have been a larger ship. So they left the first ship, enter into a second ship, and the centurion now went in it, put everyone inside that second ship and now they were journeying. They sailed slowly many days and scarce were come over against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us. We sailed under Crete and over against Salmone and hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called Fair Havens, nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea.

Again, I would like to suggest, beloved brothers and sisters from these verses, that we see that there is a sailing, there is a progress, but there is constantly the wind is against them. There's a constant challenge to try to get from one place to another in order to arrive finally in Rome. Now, remember brothers and sisters, that the Lord said in chapter 23 to the apostle Paul, "Paul," He said to him, "You remember the verse that we have read? You have testified for me in Jerusalem, you will also testify for me in the city of Rome."

But He didn't tell Paul how he's going to arrive there, how long time will it take, what he will experience on the journey, but He did tell him that ultimately you are going to testify for me at Rome. To make an application for us, the Lord also tell us and use us and desire to use us in various ministries, in various services for Him. He does not tell us how we're going to get there and to the place where He wants us to go, but He tell us you're going to do so.

But as we journey and go ahead of the Lord's ministry, we do not know how things will develop. There will be challenges on the way. There will be a wind that will be contrary as we are serving the Lord. And actually, the whole life of the believer is full of challenges until we finally arrive to the place where the Lord have intended for us. And so they arrived to Fair Havens. The word for fair, it's beautiful or a good place.

And really, the word havens is really a harbor. It was a place where the ship could place itself towards a measure of protection from the wind and they could stay there for a while because of the storm and the wind that is coming against them on their journey. So we see them moving from one place to another, slowly for many days, scarcely they went over Cnidus. The wind did not suffer them to continue and to sail under Crete and over against Salmone and so on.

And then hardly, notice these words that are mentioned, the wind is contrary, they hardly have arrived to one place and another and finally they have arrived to a place that is called the Fair Havens in this area not too far from a city called Lasea. So in the first eight verses, we see the earlier part of the journey of the apostle Paul. But it's not the end because it's only the beginning. He is going to go to the city of Rome, he must stand before Caesar, and he is anticipating that and going through these experiences on the ship.

This is the two ships that he already have entered in as he was journeying towards the city of Rome. Now, that is just the beginning because right now in verse 9 to verse 26, where we read today, we find out that there is not only those little experiences, but ultimately there will be a strong storm that will endanger the lives of all those that were at sea inside that ship. So that's how we find out here in verses 9 to 26.

So in verse 9, the apostle Paul, because he has some experiences, he admonishes the captain and the owner of the ship and the sailors. He says, "Listen, let's don't go. Let's not continue on for a while. There is a danger on the way." But look at this, verse 9. He says, "Now when much time was spent and when sailing was now dangerous," apparently he knew from experience that there is danger in certain season at sea.

How do we know that the apostle Paul knew that? Because apparently much of his past three missionary journeys were involved being in ship, being at sea. So he had a measure of experience even though he was not captain of a ship, he was not a sailor per se, but he had experiences in his life and journey and he knew more or less the time and the season where it will be safer to stay put and not to go on a journey.

So he said in verse 9, after much time that they spent there in Fair Havens, when sailing was now dangerous because the fast was now already passed, Paul admonished them. Paul said to everyone at the ship, he said to the captain of the ship, he said to the owner of the ship, you'll notice that the owner of the ship is here as well. He said to the sailor, he said to them, "Listen, I want you to know that it's going to be a danger to go now to leave Fair Havens and to go to the open sea."

We notice the timing here because it says here that because the fast was now already passed. What fast was he talking about? Being Jewish and I presume coming from Caesarea, from the land of Israel where perhaps many of those prisoners were Jewish, they celebrated the fast of Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. And if you remember in Leviticus chapter 23, God gave instruction to our people of all Israel to have that Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. Leviticus 23 verse 27 to 29, to cause themselves to abstain from that which is necessary for themselves and therefore the apostle Paul is in a season, in a time where the fast is over. It's about September, October, winter season. He knew that it will be dangerous now to take sail.

But nevertheless, look at this, they don't listen to him. They don't take his counsel. In verse 10, he said unto them, "Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives." Paul is saying to them, "Listen, it's not only that what we have on the ship is in danger, not only that the ship itself is in danger, but even our lives is in danger if we are going to leave Fair Havens and continue now in this season, we are endangering ourselves."

But of course they have not listened to Paul and they were going to experience now some of the consequences of not listening to the apostle Paul. I'd like you to turn for a moment to Second Corinthians chapter 11 and verse 25. You know, Paul is sharing some of his trials as a believer. Listen to this verse. I'll read a little bit earlier. Paul is speaking about his persecution.

He says, "Are they ministers of the Messiah?" Verse 23. "I speak as a fool, I am more in labors, in abundance, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths often." And then of the Jewish people five times I received 40 stripes save one. And then he said, "Thrice I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, thrice," listen to this, "three times I suffered shipwreck."

Now, why he have this statement that he could say to the people that are on the ship on the way to Rome from Fair Havens, "Don't leave now because we are in danger," because he had already the experience of being shipwrecked three times. Can you imagine? So he's now telling the people, the captain, the owner of the ship, the sailors and the centurion, he's saying to them in verse 9 and 10, "Listen, sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading or the things that we have, but also of the whole ship and ultimately also of our lives."

He gave them a warning. Now, remember he's a prisoner. He's being taken to Rome in order to be sitting before Caesar and there ultimately, if he was guilty, to be condemned. And yet, he had an experience in his life that he shared with these men, but look at the result. It says in verse 11, "Nevertheless, the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship more than those things which were spoken by Paul."

Well, the centurion who actually hired the ship did not believe what Paul said, but he believed what the captain, the master of the ship, and also the owner of the ship, and more than to believe to what the apostle Paul have said unto them. Well, so they decided to go. And so in verses 12 and 13, they departed from Fair Havens. And again, I want you to see how there is constant wind that is against them as they journey towards the city of Rome.

"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 towards the southwest and northwest." So you notice that, how many times we find the word haven. That word for haven really is simply mean harbor. It's a place where the ship could stay for a while, stay there until the time will pass by.

So they were hoping to leave Fair Havens because it was not so safe to stay too long there because of the winter and they were hoping to get to the haven there by Crete and therefore they left and they departed. Notice the word they depart from hence also. And finally listen to this in verse 13. "When the south wind blew softly, they supposed, they thought, oh it's just a little bit of wind. They supposed that they had obtained their purpose. They loosed from thence and they sailed close by Crete."

So they didn't listen to what Paul suggested to them. They continue on because they were assuming the wind is being softly blowing so they can continue on and get all the way to a place that is another haven, another harbor where they can ultimately stay there over the winter. Now, you and I read this text and we see here going from place to place, the ship moving from here and moving from that island to another harbor, from that harbor to another harbor and it seem to be for us redundant.

What's the lessons here from these verses and why is it that Luke is so meticulous and he's telling us the name of the places and how they stayed close to this island and close to that island? It seem to be for us redundant and not important. But there is a lesson, brothers and sisters, here, and the lesson is that the people of God's life journey is full of experiences, is full of challenges, is full of a time that the wind is against them, is contrary to them and they are experiencing all kind of challenges in their lives.

And it is always good to take a counsel from the men of God, the man who has some advice to give to the people of God. When I say men of God, I mean people of God, men and women who are godly people who have a good counsel to give us in our lives. And Paul gave them the counsel, Paul gave them what he suggested to them, but they did not listen to what Paul have to say and they supposing that things are fine.

The wind seem to blow softly in a certain place and yet they sailed close by Crete. Hopefully they wanted to get to the place where they will stay there for a longer time. But here it is, brothers and sisters, in verses 14 to verse 20, the storm at sea. And I make an application here. When storms coming into our lives, what do we do about those storms? How do we handle a situation such as this in our life?

You remember when we read Psalm 77, the writer of the Psalm, Asaph, he said, "I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice and he gave ear unto me. In a day of my trouble, I sought the Lord. My sore ran in the night and cease not. My soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God and was troubled. I complained and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah." And then he was wondering when he was crying to God, why does God allow things to happen to him in his life?

And then he asked the question, "Will the Lord cast off forever? And will he be favorable no more? Is his mercy clean gone forever? Does his promise fail forevermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious?" He asked all these questions, the Psalmist in his own life. You and I may ask the very same question in our own life. Did the Lord forget me? Why does He not answer my prayer? Is He no longer going to be gracious to me like He was in the past?

That's the lesson that we learn from such verses as this because those verses seems to be redundant. He went from this town to that place, from this island to that island, and the wind was contrary. All these teach us those spiritual lessons concerning the life experience of the people of God. And here is the storm now. In verses 14 to verse 20, we have the wind, the tempest, the stormy wind at the sea as the apostle and Luke and others are joining them on the way to the city of Rome.

Let's just look at those verses, just a few verses at a time. First of all, verse 14, the stormy wind began. "Not long after, there arose against it a tempestuous wind." The word for tempestuous is simply mean a stormy wind and they even a name for that wind. It's called Euroclydon. And that is such a strong wind, apparently, that it's simply called here tempestuous or a stormy wind, a strong wind came against them.

Well, earlier the wind blew softly in verse 13. Now, as they left assuming that everything going to be fine, not listening to the advice of Shaul, Paul, now they experience that stormy wind that come against them in verse 14. In verse 15, the ship could no longer bear that storm, that wind. "And when the ship was caught and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive." They couldn't handle now anymore the ship.

They were perhaps trying to hold on, the sails and so on that they carry on to maintain straight the ship. They couldn't any longer. So, you know what they did? They let it go. As it says here in verse 15, "We let her drive." They could no longer control the ship and they let the ship drive on its own in the middle of that storm. In verse 16, it says here that they had to even bring in that lifeboat that was in a back because that lifeboat probably would have been gone away and sunk.

Because it says here in verse 16, "Running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat." In other word, we had a hard time to even bring in the lifeboat. You know when you take a ride on a big ship, you have a lifeboat somewhere. Sometimes they drag it along that in case something happen, people can go into the small lifeboat and get out of the area. But they had to bring it into the ship, this lifeboat, and they had a hard time to bring it into the ship.

In verse 17, 18, and 19, look at the labor of the people who sought to save themselves and to save the ship. Look what they've been doing. In verse 17, 18, and 19. "When they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship and fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, struck sail and so were driven." That quicksand, shallow water, they were worried about an area that the wind and the wave will take them into a lower area there were quicksand there will be a shallow water.

They were trying to maintain the ship and everything that is there. They were struggling on that ship, on that storm. And then look at this in verse 18. "And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship as well." Now, what did they do? They started to throw things outside to lighten the ship. It's remind me in the time of Jonah Hanavi, you remember Jonah the prophet of Israel in chapter 1, when he was called to go to Nineveh and instead of going to Nineveh, he disobeyed the Lord.

And he went down to Jaffa, went into a ship and went towards Tarshish. And on the way, God sent that storm. If you remember, beloved brothers and sisters, and the sailors didn't know what to do. They started to throw everything outside so the ship will be lightened and be easier to sail. They were afraid for their lives. And here we see the very same thing. The people there, Paul, Luke, and their friend, the servant, Aristarchus with them, and the soldiers and the centurion and the prisoners and many other sailors and so on, all are working hard in order to save themselves out of this storm.

You will notice how many times we have the word "we" which include Luke. Even Luke was working along trying to help in order to maintain the ship in a right way so they will not ultimately lose their lives. I'm reading again in verse 19. "The third day we," notice, Luke including, "we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship. We casted out with our very own hand." Everybody participated in trying to save himself from the damage that could happen to the ship and to their own life as they are journeying here on the way to the city of Rome.

Not listening to the counsel of Paul or Shaul, not listening to his advice and simply continue on the journey because obviously the captain knew better and the owner of the ship knew better and the sailors knew better and they did not listen to the advice of Shaul, Paul. And notice what happen in verse 20. At the end, it was so awful, so terrible, they lost even hope that they will remain alive.

Verse 20 says, "When neither sun nor stars in many days appeared and no small tempest," this is wind, "lay on us," now look at this last expression, "all hope that we should be saved was taken away." So here we have a ship full of people, prisoners, centurion and soldiers and sailors and so on, the captain, the owner of the ship, all lost hope that they will be saved because the storm was so strong against them.

I do not know if you have experienced a little bit being on a sea when the storm came and the wave came that you really were afraid that you may not retain your life. The life is over because of the way things have been. I remember just one time and I did tell you this, I mentioned that before on a way from the island of Patmos, when we returned from Patmos to Turkey on our tour to Israel, I remember this very well. We had a small boat, not a big ship like perhaps they have had here.

Announcer: You have been listening to the Holy Scriptures and Israel with Gideon Levytam. Gideon teaches God's word from a Hebrew Messianic perspective. For more information about this ministry, write to Holy Scriptures and Israel, Box 1411, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, L0S 1J0. Or visit our website at holyscripturesandisrael.com. You are also invited to Gideon's weekly Bible teaching on Fridays at 11 AM and 7 PM and Saturdays at 1 PM at Willowdale Christian Assembly Hall, 28 Martin Ross Avenue in Toronto. Holy Scriptures and Israel is made possible by your prayers and financial support. If you would like to support the program, visit holyscripturesandisrael.com. God bless you. Shalom, shalom.