Comments for November 11

v.15 clearly states that the worship was financed by the king, who was not of God's people. I wonder how we would react to this?

v.21 - I am struck by the number of these gentile kings that hold respect for God. We read of Nebuchadnezzar, who, at the end of his life, seems to have humbled himself very well ( Dan.4:37 ) , of Cyrus, who God claims as His anointed ( Isa.45:1 ), and now we have Artaxerxes. God clearly works in quite wondrous ways.

7:1-5 The genealogy presented here shows that Ezra was a direct descendant from Aaron. The implication is that he was the high priest according to the requirements of the law of Moses.

He arrived after the work of building the temple had been completed 7:8 .

7:27 Because the work was being encouraged by the king and the Jews had freedom in the work they thank God for His goodness. How often do we thank the Father when we are able to do His work?

7:9 It took Ezra four months to make the journey from Babylon to Israel. We should not think of his journey as a simple trip. Clearly it was an arduous and dangerous trip - see 8:22

7:10 We should not think that worshipping God and living the truth is an easy matter that we can simply slip into when we are baptised. Ezra "prepared his heart" for the teaching - and by implication - living the law.  By contrast Rehoboam did "evil" because he "prepared not his heart to seek the LORD." ( 2Chron 12:14)

7:6  When we read that Ezra was a ‘ready scribe’ it is clear that he did more than copy out the law. In describing as a ‘scribe in the law’ we appreciate that he not only was able to write out the law but was also able to explain what it meant

7:11-26 The letter Ezra carried was like a ‘letter of commendation’. Ezra did not start his massive work on a whim. He went through the proper channels to ensure that he had authority to proceed. He counted the cost of building – but not simply in monetary terms. He thought about the possibility of opposition and sought to head such opposition off before it came about by taking a letter of authority.

7:27 Even though the work that Artaxerxes set in motion was of God in fulfilment of the prophets thanks and praise are raised to God because He is fulfilling His word. This is rather like, on a later occasion, the angels praising God at the announcement of the birth of Jesus – Luke 2:13

7:1 We should be aware that there is a 70 year gap between these two chapters because we are now going back in time.

7:6 The word ‘ready’ <04106> is actually translated ‘diligent’ here Prov 22:29

7:9 Comparing the date here with the date in Ezra 8:31 we see that the preparation for the journey took 12 days.

7:10   When Ezra called Israel to keep God’s ‘statutes and judgments’ he was not calling them to simply keep the law of Moses. The First time this rare phase is used is in Lev 26:46 where the ‘statutes and judgments’ refer to the covenant whereby Israel would be blessed for obedience and punished for disobedience. It is that in particular which Ezra is directing the attention of his audience to.

7:7    We are not left in any doubt who the “some” were that went up with Ezra. They are listed for us in Ezra 8:3-20

7:23  Artaxerxes wrote the letter. However it seems that he appreciated that the God of Israel was in charge and recognised that if he did not do as God required he would receive judgement from God. Such awareness of the God of Israel is rarely seen in world leaders

7:28 When Ezra understood the fulfilment of God’s plans and the answer to prayers made he was encouraged. Of course this required that he was aware of what God’s plan was. Do we think carefully about God’s intentions before we pray?

7:27    The decree and the preparations made for Judah that they were able to return and build the house of God was, clearly, God’s will and plan. However this did not stop the Jews from thanking God for what He was doing for them. Their thanks were for the fact that the angels had been at work on the heart of Darius. Do we thank God for the freedom that we have to worship in Western countries? – as Paul encouraged timothy 11Tim 2:1-2.

7:12,21,23    Three times the letter from Artaxerxes gave to Ezra speaks of “the God of heaven”. Significantly this is the phrase used by Daniel when speaking to Nebuchadnezzar about his dream – see Dan 2:37,44 The events unfolding at the time of Ezra are the beginnings of the fulfilment of that dream.

7:10   One might imagine that Ezra was well aware of Hezekiah’s call to the nation to prepare themselves – 2Chron 30:9 because Hezekiah is speaking about how Israel should respond if they were in captivity.

7:13   No compulsion here. This was consistent with the Medes approach – Est 1:8 – so it was up to each Jew as to whether he would take the opportunity to return to the land of Israel. Jeremiah had prophesied that they would so the people had to make a choice.

7:10 Ezra “prepared his heart”. Can we do the same or is this something only available to some people? Clearly it is something that all can do and this is how we can do it. It is a matter of removing from our mind and consequently our lives, things that get in the way of bible reading and meditation. We will be able to answer for ourselves as to what we do that gets in the way of thinking about God and His word.

7:20 when God determines the time has come for His plan to move forward He ensures that all that is necessary is available. Hence the king is generous in providing what was needed. It might look as if the king has decided what to give but we need to be aware that God is the one who is directing events, unknown to the king. The comfort we should take from this is hat our God is in control and His plan will be fulfilled whatever man might think or do.

7:6 Ezra’s “diligence”- for this is the meaning of “ready” - indicates that Ezra saw his job as understanding what he copied out. We need to have the same attitude in our reading of scripture. When we read the Bible we should be asking ourselves what the passage is talking about and, ideally, making notes to remind ourselves at later dates of what we have discovered.

7:1-6 When we come across genealogies in scripture the danger is that we might just skip over them, reading the names, and then move on. However in this case the genealogy is fundamentally important. Its sets out who Ezra was.

He was not a “nobody” who took upon himself the work. Rather as a descendant of Aaron he was fulfilling the God given obligations of the priest.

7:9  The journey from Babylon to Jerusalem took 5 months and was a dangerous, arduous, journey. However Ezra speaks of it as “according to the good hand of God upon him”. Activities that are a consequence of God’s “good hand” are not necessarily easy or particularly pleasant tasks. But they ultimately are to God’s glory. Is this how we view tasks before us?

Ezra 7:21,23 - the Artaxerxes mentioned here is thought to be Artaxerxes I Longimans who was the son of Xerxes I (Xerxes I is thought by many to have married the faithful Jewess Queen Esther). The likely proximity to Queen Esther and Xerxes I might have enhanced Artaxerxes awareness of God and the potential of God's wrath. 

Artaxerxes I, called Longimanus (long-handed), was the son of Xerxes I.  He ruled from 465 BC to 424 BC. Therefore, Ezra would have made his trip to Jerusalem in 458 BC; 140 years after the first exiles were taken to Babylon. 

Even though Cyrus had decreed that the Jews were free to return to Judah and Jerusalem in 539 BC, not all were in a hurry to exercise this offer.  Many Jews had prospered in Babylon and were not anxious to return, especially the subsequent generations born in Babylon who had no firsthand experience of their homeland. 

V.1 Ezra was the son of Seraiah.  Seraiah was the high priest in 586 BC during the deportation of Judah to Babylon (2Kin 25:18).  Ezra's father, however, is more likely to be the Seraiah of (2:2).

Vs.8,9  In the spring of 458 BC Ezra took the arduous four-month journey, covering about 900 miles (1,448 km).  Faith was needed for such a trek through the rough terrain with the danger of accidents or the threat of bandits.

Ezra means helper, which was an apt name for the services he performed. However, Ezra was a man of ardent faith, and he considered Yahweh as his helper. In fact, he was so faithful that he considered Yahweh as the only helper he needed.

As has been stated, the journey to Jerusalem was long, arduous, and dangerous. Artaxerxes wanted to send soldiers along with Ezra and his band for protection (…he took to Jerusalem 1,754 persons, including Israelites, priests, Levites, singers, porters, and Nethinim - Fausset).

But, Ezra was disquieted with this arrangement because he thought it was a breach of faith (8:22,23).

Vs.8,9 After four months, Ezra arrived at Jerusalem in the summer (July/August). This was in the seventh year of Artaxerxes, in 458 BC.

Vs.15,16,19 Ezra carried much treasure with him to Jerusalem. The four-month journey from Babylon to Jerusalem was dangerous because it was not unusual to encounter robbers on the way. And yet, Ezra refused an armed escort from the king, relying on the protection of Yahweh alone. This showed remarkable faith.

PROVIDING FOR GOD'S WORK

A major work was in progress. After seventy years of captivity, the Jews were resettling their land and rebuilding the temple that had been destroyed. The temple had been one of the most magnificent buildings in the world at the time, and no doubt they wanted to rebuild it to the best of their resources and ability. Having been in captivity for seventy years, they didn't have many resources, but God provided what was needed. He did it, not through his chosen people, but through the Gentiles - even those who were opposed to the work of God!

In the king's letter to Ezra, God moved him to say, "Now I, King Artaxerxes, order all the treasurers of Trans-Euphrates to provide with diligence whatever Ezra the priest, a teacher of the law of the God of heaven, may ask of you." (Ezra 7:21) These were not Jewish treasurers, they were the people in the surrounding areas.

It was the same when Israel came out of Egypt. The Tabernacle was built from the riches the Egyptians gave to the Israelites. God's prophet Elijah was provided for by a widow in Zarephath - a Gentile. And again, in the last days, God's temple will be built again with the riches from other nations.

When God requires a work to be done, he will provide the means and the resources to do it. It may well be that he will provide it even from those who are most unwilling to give!

It’s almost 80 years since Zerubbabel set out from Babylon until Ezra set off. He was a “ready scribe in the law of Moses” (Ezra 7:6).  It took him 4 months to make the journey (Ezra 7:9), and he went carrying presents of silver and gold from Artaxerxes, plus a long letter to expedite his work when he arrived. He was, without doubt, blessed by the Lord God.

Ezra 7:6. As we read through this chapter, we can’t help but be impressed with what kind of a man Ezra was, and the example he was to the Israelites, and to us today. We see he was not only a skilled scribe, well versed in the law, but he also had the respect of Artaxerxes to the point that he granted Ezra what ever he asked for. Being in this powerful position he was still prepared to go on a very difficult and dangerous four month journey to Jerusalem to instruct the people the commandments of the Lord. (Ezra 6:9-10.) What an example for each one of us.

v.9 The wild ass only occurs here and Job39:5-8, Jer.2:24 . There seems to be the sense of rather vain fancy attached to this concept.

v.2 - This is a result of chastening - 5:15 . It is by affliction that they have returned to God. Let us be aware that if we slip from the path, it is likely that God will bring us back via affliction.

The worship of the golden calves in Samaria, as an alternative to worshipping God, is what is meant whenever we read "they did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam". See v5-6 and the phrase used in the historical context of Hosea in 2Kin 14:23-24.

8:1 as an eagle Deuteronomy 28:49
8:1 transgressed ... covenant Isaiah 24:5
8:7 if so be it yield ... swallow it up Deuteronomy 28:33
8:13 they shall return to Egypt Deuteronomy 28:68

8:1 'transgressed my covenant' reflects the point we have made from 7:11 - 14. The covenant being spoken of is the one made at Ebal / Gerizim in Deuteronomy 28.

8:12 The king should have written out a copy of the law and studied it daily ( Deuteronomy 17:18 ) the king would then be able to teach the people faithfully. Clearly at this time Jeroboam (probably) is reproved because of the way in which he dismissed those 'great things' the law contained.

8:9 Whilst Israel had sought to buy off the Assyrian and use other nations to help to stave off the inevitable God viewed this as like committing adultery. Israel has now gone into captivity and their behaviour and its consequences are now being presented as an object lesson to Judah.

8:4 So God, through the prophet, is telling us that Israel had a 'form of Godliness' but the substance was not there. They had done things according to their pleasure and it was all a pretence. How often do we justify our actions as if they are done for the Father when, in reality, we are serving ourselves?

8:1 In speaking of Israel transgressing the covenant the prophet echoes the sentiments of the contemporary prophet – Isa 24:5

8:1 ‘as an eagle’ echoes the words of Deut 28:49 which fits in with the way in which the prophet has already drawn attention to the blessings and in particular the curses of that chapter

8:6 The ‘calves of Samaria’ is a references to the two calves which Jeroboam set up at the beginning of the kingdom of Israel – 1Kin 12:28

8:2-3 Israel, oblivious to her Godlessness, lays claim to knowing God! However their actions – setting up their own kings – demonstrates their blindness. So God’s anger will be poured out.

8:7   That strangers would swallow up the crops is a fulfilment of Deut 28:33

8:13      We have noted in a number of previous chapters how the curses of Deuteronomy 28 are quoted in the prophecy of Hosea. The people had a tendency to seek for help from other nations including Egypt. So now Hosea, quoting Deut 28:68– speaks of returning to Egypt, but this time it is not for help. It will be a punishment.

8:9     Menahem tried to buy off the Assyrians – 2Kin 15:19 – this is what is meant by hiring lovers.

8:10   Menahem had tried to elicit the help of Assyria. The Assyrian is “the king of princes” in this verse.  

8:4      The kings that they had set up of their own volition were  Shallum - 2Kin 15:10  Menahem - 2Kin 15:4 and Pekahiah – 2Kin 15:22.

8:5       Of course the calves of Samaria were no Gods. However, as the Northern kingdom trusted them God speaks of them as if they could help – only to make the point that they were no help when Hoshea and the northern kingdom were taken into captivity by the Assyrians.

8:14      It is difficult to image that the nation Forgot that God existed. However, when we read the book of Deuteronomy we see often that it is a forgetting of what God has done that is the problem – Deut 4:9 etc.

8:1,6  It seems that the prophet, here, is speaking against both the northern and southern kingdom by mentioning “the house of the Lord” and “calf of Samaria”. So there were times when Israel and Judah were as bad as each other.

8:6    the “calf of Samaria” speaks of the calves that Jeroboam had made – 1Kin 12:28.

8:7 the way that Israel’s actions brought a greater reaction from God is what is being said when sowing the wind will bring the whirlwind. We do well to remember that our little actions can have massive consequences.

8:6 The prophet’s statement is so clear – as the idols were man-made it will be destroyed. That it is it cannot save itself. We would do well to remember this when we do things that get in the way of our worship of God be it the football match of the TV programme that take precedence over reading scripture of going to spend time with fellow believers.

8:12 Israel had, in the days of the prophet Hosea, looked to other nations and their gods for help when they were suffering problems. It is important to understand that the reason for seeking other nations was because Israel saw some sort of strength in the gods of those nations. The problem was that the nation had decided that what God had written in the scriptures that they had – from Genesis right through to many of the prophets – was not worth reading.

Are we like them? The answer is dictated in our regard for His word. Is it where we go instinctively when we are faced with life’s challenges?

8:1  Notice that the judgement through the nation that would come “like an eagle” was not a random event triggered because of the strength of the Assyrian army. The word “because” highlights that it is an act of God because of the nation’s rebelliousness.

8:8 In saying “Israel is swallowed up” we see the prophet speaking of the captivity of the kingdom of Hoshea by the Assyrians. This contrasts with the contemporary prophet Isaiah who speaks of death being “swallowed up” Isa 25:8.

What kind of swallowing up do you want to be involved in? Our behaviour now will answer that question for us.

Vs.5,6 The idolatrous object of worship, the calf, is a reference to the two calves that Jeroboam set up for Israel to worship.  When the kingdom was divided, Jeroboam was afraid that the people of Israel would want to go to Jerusalem to worship.  If that happened, there was the chance that they would switch their allegiance to Rehoboam.  To prevent that, Jeroboam created these golden calves for Israel to worship (1Kin 12:27-29).

V.8 Israel had become an ordinary world nation. But, that was not why the nation was created (Deut 14:2).

Israel chose kings who were not approved by Yahweh (v.4). This harks back to the inception of Israel’s kingdom.

The first king, Saul, was chosen by the people without Yahweh's approval. The reason they wanted a king was to be like all the other nations (1Sam 18:19,20). In doing that, they rejected Yahweh as their king (1Sam 8:7).

V.1 Eagle (KJV); vulture (ESV) is symbolic of Assyria.

V.7 To sow the wind and reap the whirlwind has become a common expression. But most users do not know its origin.

Unfortunately, some Biblical expressions are misquoted. For example, people often say : Money is the root of all evil. But, the correct quotation is: For the love of money is the root of all evil (1Tim 6:10).

V.9 A wild ass alone by himself (KJV) is descriptive of Israel. A wild ass will jealously guard his females and will not share them with another. And so, Israel jealously guarded her hired lovers (idolatrous nations) (See Eze 16:33,34).

V.13 The expression return to Egypt can be descriptive of the few who did actually return to Egypt at various troubled times in Israel. However, the return to Egypt is more descriptive of Israel’s engagement in idolatry.

Yahweh had defied the gods of Egypt and had taken His people out of that idolatrous country to worship Him. But Israel had figuratively returned to Egypt by practicing idolatry.

Hosea took many word pictures to Israel. In Hos 8:7 he relays God’s Words, “They have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.” Just think about that as a metaphor!  Israel have been out to sow their seed, and have planted the wind. But in the time of harvest, everything they own has been scattered and destroyed by the whirlwind – or as we have seen in our days, a hurricane. Their own works have turned on them, and they are severely punished.

Hos 8:4. From my count, they had 18 kings (from 10 families) in the period of 250 years after the death of Jeroboam, who was not a descendant of Solomon.

Hos 8:5. This of course is the calf set up during the reign of Jeroboam. (1Kings 12:28)

v.3 - I'm sure we would have been told if Julius had been a converted believer. It seems here that he had a respect for Paul even though he did not go as far as to follow him in the way. ch.28:16 . He clearly gave him some privileges that he was not really entitled to.

Acts 27:10.

It would appear on first reading of what Paul is saying here that the first part of what he says was a true prophecy but the second part - loss of life - was a false one. Is there a different way of understanding this so as not to cast aspersions on Paul's character or his use of one of God's gifts - i.e. that of prophecy?

I know the idea of conditional prophecies have been brought up from time to time during these q/a's. If the prophecy takes an "if/then" form (e.g. Jer 18:7-10), then they are easy to grasp. If the condition is met, then it definitely will happen; if not, then just as surely, it will not happen. But at times there are prophecies such as this one by Paul where there appears to be an unstated, yet implied condition. Here I would think it would be this - I foresee the voyage being disastrous and there being great loss to the ship including many of us dying unless you listen to what I'm telling you and put your trust in my God. And though that acceptance of Paul's God and of his powers as His representative didn't happen immediately (see Acts 27:11,12), it did eventually happen and the so the 3rd part of the prophecy never occurred (the death of some on the ship - Acts 27:44).

It would probably be an interesting and educational exercise when reading various prophecies in Scripture to mentally categorize them as 1) unconditional ones; or 2) conditional ones where the condition is plainly stated; or 3) conditional ones where the condition is only implied but not stated.

27:2 Aristarchus was a prisoner with Paul at this time. He first appears in Ephesus Acts 19:29 as clearly had been involved in the preaching work there. He later appears as a travelling companion with Paul Acts 20:4 . He is with Paul when he writes to the ecclesia at Colosse and to Philemon who was also at Colosse.

So we see that when he realised that there were problems with being with Paul he did not seek to escape the situation but associated himself with Paul and this lost his freedom.

27:43 The good offices of the centurion in wishing to save Paul alive highlights a characteristic of centurion as recorded in the New Testament. You might reflect on the occasions you can think of when a centurion is portrayed in a good light.

:7 So Paul passed by Crete. Was Titus with Paul up to this point and was left there because of the needs of the ecclesias there ( Titus 1:5 )

27:9 Acts is written against the background of the Law of Moses. The 'fast' mentioned, therefore, must be the day of atonement.

27:9 Here we learn something about general weather conditions in the Mediterranean. Sailing was unsafe after April time due to the possibility of storms.

27:43 Maybe, as it is said that the centurion wanted to save Paul alive and there is no mention of the other prisoners, that he had come to give some credibility to the message of this prisoner.

27:12 The details of the journey and shipwreck might seem superfluous to the gospel narrative. After all Acts is not a travelogue. However there are spiritual lessons for us to learn. The shipwreck was because the sailors put personal preferences above sensible decisions. We likewise can do the same in our walk towards the kingdom.

27:12 It is evident that not all the sailors wanted to continue on their journey as it was ‘the more part’ who did not wish to remain over the winter in ‘The Fair Havens’.

27:18-19 The severity of the storm caused the sailors to fear for their safety. They even threw overboard their cargo – their income from that trip – and the ‘tackling’ which was a necessary part of a sailing boat. So they even threw out parts of the ship, expensive items to replace.

27:34  The way in which Paul advises those on the ship would not perish – ‘hair fall from the head’ echoes Jesus’ words – Luke 21:18

27:41   Maybe as the ship was being driven towards the coast the shipmen considered the possibility that they would be thrown onto the beach there they would be able to safely leave the ship. However that was not to be. The boat, now stuck in the rocks, was being demolished. Their only safe haven – the ship – was systematically being taken away from them. This is like man who thinks he can take care of his own destiny being shown that he is in an impossible situation and every possible avenue of escape is being removed. Hopefully forcing the person in dire distress to turn to the only one who can save them.

27:22-25        The detail which Paul is able to give the crew and his fellow prisoners indicate clearly that Paul, whilst others have been panicking about the storm, has been praying to God. What Paul is able to say is the consequence of a direct answer to his prayer.

27:42-43       One supposes that the soldiers were fearful that they would have to give account if any of the prisoners escaped. Hence their desire to make sure all the prisoners were killed. 

27:38  The seemingly casual mention of “wheat” provides collaborative evidence that the Acts of the Apostles is accurate and reliable. Wheat was regularly transported from Egypt – Alexandria – to Rome. This ship had sailed from Alexandria – Acts 27:6

27:27  The record does not specify from when the “fourteenth night” is calculated. However it is an indication of the ferocity of the storm. If it is fourteen nights since Paul spoke of their salvation by being cast onto an island then it must have been a great trial of faith of those shipmen.

27:35    Do we always thank God for our food? What about in extreme circumstances? What about when we are not in extreme circumstances – say in a restaurant?

27:7    Whilst the inference is that they did not stop at Crete, merely sailing past – it is evident that they did stop at Crete, if only for a short while – Acts 27:21

27:4-10   The record states on a number of occasions that the weather was not conducive to the journey. However the shipmaster chose to ignore the signs of the weather though doubtless he could see the potential problems. Maybe the thought of making money out of the cargo drove him on and clouded his judgment about the weather.

27:43 It is evident that the centurion had developed a regard for Paul whilst he was in his charge. He had seen Paul’s demeanour and his confidence in the God he worshipped. Consequently he took care of Paul even though it would have been easier to just have all the prisoners killed. Is our life such an example of faithfulness to our Father that others notice and make provision for our conscience? Or is our life so similar to those around us that no one would even know of our faith?

27:9-10  The journey, so far, had not gone as the mariners had hoped or expected. So Paul’s comment, whilst being based on what God had told him, actually made a lot of sense. Doubtless the mariners realised that but, even though they knew they would have to break their journey, had ideas they wanted to implement. They knew the best place to stay so continued despite Paul’s words and their experience.

27:2 Whilst Paul was on his journey as a prisoner it would appear that other brethren spent time with him. On this occasion, in addition to Luke, Aristarchus was with him. We presume not as a prisoner but as moral support for Paul. How often are we willing to associate with a fellow believer for their support when they are in a challenging situation?

27:10 There is no indication here that Paul had received a revelation about the remainder of the trip. We might conclude that Paul’s judgment was based on his own personal experience of sea travel. He had already been shipwrecked three times already – 2Cor 11:25.

27:21 Paul’s “ye should have hearkened unto me” was not an “I told you so” attitude. Rather it was appeal to the truthfulness of his statement which he was now using to emphasise the importance of listening to God’s instructions that Paul was not going to give.

The rescue from the shipwreck in chapters 27 & 28 reminds me somewhat of the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ. We have repeated mentions of third day and three 27:19; 28:7,11,12,15,17. Paul is unfairly arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans who wanted to release him but the Jews objected 28:17-19. Trial before Caesar 27:24. This event was prophesied 27:25. Mentions of the 14th night or14 days perhaps suggest a symbolic Passover of the 14th day of Nissan 27:33. Paul makes no attempt to escape via a life boat as none would be saved if they took a separate route than what they were told; it was necessary to stay with the wooden ship in the water to the end if they were to survive 27:30-32. At night Paul gives thanks and gives them bread broken by him which they will need to survive 27:33-35. At daylight they cut the anchors loose (might this be cutting loose the weights of sin and death?) 27:39-40. There were soldiers guarding any escape and plans to kill the prisoners but Paul's life and all following him (two groups of people) were spared as they clung to the wood (cross?) and passed through the water (baptism?) and arrived safely on the land 27:42-44.  A poisonous snake (sin?) is shaken off Paul with no ill effects in this new land where the people change and worship him 28:3-6. Paul cures the people of all sickness 28:8-9. Paul paid the price though he didn't own the vessel he lived in (we aren't our own we were bought with a price) and welcomed all who came to him 28:30.

Paul's complete journey from Caesarea to Rome would have taken 7- 8 months. The longest and most tempestuous stretch, at sea, was from Fair Havens, in Crete, to Malta. The storm and the fear of the sailors, as well as the guiding hand of Yahweh, are echoed in Psa 107:23-30.

V.1 Julius was a centurion of Augustus' band (KJV). Augustus was a common epithet for Roman Emperors. At this time, Nero was emperor. And so, certain squads of Roman soldiers were selected to be bodyguards of the emperor. Julius was in one such squad.

V.7 Crete is now called Candia. It is usually accepted that Crete was the original home of the Philistines.

Paul had missionary work on Crete, which had a large Jewish population. Paul put Titus in charge of activities in Crete (Titus 1:5). Paul quoted the Cretan poet Epimenides (Titus 1:12).

V.14 Euroclydon (KJV) was a severe north-west wind which blew in the Mediterranean. Today that wind is known as Gregalia (Gregale) or Levanter.

NEARLY LONELY

Traveling from one end of the world to the other can be a lonely thing to do if you have no friends with you. This would especially be the case if you were traveling as a prisoner. Paul was doing just that. He and a group of other prisoners were handed over to a centurion and taken on a boat and headed to Rome.

Two hundred and seventy six people were on board the boat, but Paul wasn't the only Christian. The story tells us that "WE would sail for Italy," meaning that Luke was traveling with Paul at this stage. He also goes to pains to point out that "Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us." (Acts 27:2).

So there were at least three Christians on the boat heading to Rome: Paul, Luke and Aristarchus. Paul was also allowed to visit friends on the way, no doubt gaining encouragement and strength from them.

The lesson for us is that we need to be the friend other believers can rely on. We might feel we cannot do much, but just being there with them makes a difference. We don't know what Aristarchus did, but we know that he made a difference. Let's be an Aristarchus or Luke to someone who needs us today.

RIGHT WHERE WE ARE

Imagine if Paul hadn't been in the ship as it was driven through the storm. There would have been no one to stand up as the men on the ship reached the end of their strength, to urge them to eat and have courage. And there would have been no one to encourage the people, to share food to give them strength just before they struck land. If Paul had not been with them, everyone on board would have continued fasting for the whole fourteen days of the storm, and when the ship struck ground, none of them would have had the strength to face the forces of nature. All the crew, soldiers, prisoners and everyone on board would have been killed in the shipwreck.

It's easy to see this in hindsight, but if we were on the ship, we probably wouldn't have recognized the good that Paul did. He may not have realized how significant his actions were.

We can be like Paul. We can be people who bring messages of hope in the darkness of life's storms. We can be people who stand in the strength of the Lord when everyone around us is falling. We can help them up.

Paul helped save all those on board. Who knows what good we might be able to do for those around us?
 

V.19 "we" again an indication that Luke was called upon to help. We feel that Luke mentions these personal things to indicate how serious the situation was during the storm. Normally sailors would not allow non seafaring persons to interfere in any way. On this occasion however, they were quite prepared to receive what help they could and probably asked for it.

V.3 This is the only indication we have that there was an ecclesia at Sidon. The apostle would not have had any friends who were not Brethren And Sisters. We are told that there was an ecclesia at Tyre (Acts 21:4-5). Tyre and Sidon were about 20 miles apart. "Friends" 5384 PHILOS could be translated "loved ones"                   

27:23 The angel was close, and not at a distance. Divine help was at hand, and not far away.(Psa 34:7)