Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them, (10) And 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. (11) Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul. (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 southwest and northwest. (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, struck 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.
There is nothing more striking to represent the life of God's people in their passage through the world, than that of the storms and tempests of the deep. The Psalmist hath as accurately, as beautifully described it, when he saith, They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. I beg the Reader to turn to the 107 th Pslam (Psalms 107:23-31), and read the finest piece of writing on this subject the imagination can conceive. The Sacred Writer describes what Paul and his companions here felt, the raising of the stormy wind, the lifting up of the waves to heaven, and going down again to the depths beneath, the reeling of the people, and the melting of the heart through fear. Their crying to the Lord in their trouble, and the Lord's delivering them from their distresses. Such is the voyage of life to the saints of God! Storms and tempests everywhere abound. But Christ is an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest! And sweetly he manifests himself to them, as a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones, is as a storm against the wall, Isaiah 25:4; Isaiah 25:4
I admire the very gracious behavior of Paul on this occasion, in admonishing the ship's company of the dangers they were about to encounter. No doubt, among the gifts of the Spirit, Paul possessed that of prophecy, 1 Corinthians 12:10. And, though in this first exercise of it before the crew, they very lightly regarded what he said; yet it laid the foundation for greater respect to what he said after. It hath been thought by some, that the fast here spoken of, was the great fast observed by the Jews on the Day of Atonement, Leviticus 23:27-28. The winter now approaching, and in those days, navigation being but very imperfectly known, sailing was considered dangerous.