Advice from experience

Paul advised them based on his past experiences. “Men, I perceive that the voyage will certainly be with damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” (a) This was not a revelation from God, but Paul’s opinion based on his experience. (b) Through multiple missionary journeys, he had gained considerable experience in sailing (he had traveled by ship 11 to 12 times, covering at least 3,000 miles by sea). (c) 2 Corinthians 11:25 states: “Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent adrift at sea.” It was only natural for Paul to want to avoid a fourth shipwreck.

Centurion’s decision

“But the centurion was more persuaded by the pilot and the captain of the ship than by what was being said by Paul. The harbor was not suitable for wintering, so the majority reached a decision to put out to sea from there, if somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete facing southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.” (1) The centurion ignored Paul’s warning. From a human perspective, this was a natural decision. (a) Paul was an amateur when it came to sailing. (b) Therefore, the centurion chose to follow the judgment of professional sailors and the ship’s captain. (c) This type of grain transport ship was under the control of the Roman Empire. Since it was considered to be working for Rome, the ship’s owner and captain followed the orders of Roman authorities. (2) The majority also shared the centurion’s opinion. (a) The current harbor, Fair Havens, was not suitable for spending the winter. (b) They wanted to sail 50 miles (80 km) west to the Cretan port of Phoenix and spend the winter there. This was considered a reasonable decision. (3) However, it later became clear that the experts’ judgment was wrong, and Paul’s warning was correct. We must not assume that the opinions of experts are always 100% correct.

The privilege of a person with a compass

Paul, who had been given the compass of God’s promise, stood out among everyone on the ship. He was unshaken. As would soon become evident, he alone did not fall into despair. His position will gradually shift from a prisoner to a leader. At first, his words were ignored, but in the end, everyone listened to him. The greatest privilege of a person with a compass is to serve others. Let us also use the word of God given to us – not for ourselves, but to serve others. Today, let us go into the world as servants of Christ.