Acts (Written)

Plaque of Logan’s Memorial Day Order, Wyoming Capitol.

Saturday, 1 June 2024

Now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta. Acts 28:1

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

A literal rendering of the Greek would be, “And, having been saved, then they knew that the island is called Malta.” (CG).

The last verse of the previous chapter noted that all had come to shore safely. With that, Chapter 28 begins with, “And, having been saved.”

The same word that was used to end Chapter 27 is again used here, diasózó. In that verse, it was an aorist verb, now it is an aorist participle –

And thus it was all were saved upon the land.
And, having been saved…

The task is complete, all having been brought safely and securely to the shores of the island. With that now complete, it next says, “then they knew that the island is called Malta.”

The Alexandrian text (NIV e.g.) says “we” rather than “they.” At the end of the previous chapter, the NIV says “everyone” instead of “they.” As Luke was present and he obviously survived, one would think that he would include himself in this and say “we.” However, he may be making himself an outside evaluator of the events at this time. Or he may still be referring to Julius and the other soldiers who were in charge of ensuring that all came to the island safely.

Either way, and regardless of this, all made it ashore and came safely to what they found out was the island of Malta. Although it is evident this is the true spot of landing, there is one other claim to the location of the wreck. In order to give all of the details, the lengthy commentary of Charles Ellicott is provided –

“There is no ground for questioning the current belief that this was the modern Malta, It was the only island known as Melita by the Greeks and Romans. The gale, which had been blowing for fourteen days since the ship left Crete, would drive her in that direction. The local features of St. Paul’s Bay agree closely, as has been seen, with the narrative in the Acts. There has from a very early date been a local tradition in favour of the belief. The Bay bears St. Paul’s name. A cave is pointed out as having given him shelter. There has, however, been a rival claimant. In the Gulf of Venice, off the coast of Illyria, there is a small island, Meleta (now Meleda), which has been identified by some writers with the scene of St. Paul’s shipwreck. The view is first mentioned by Constantino Porphyrogenitus, a Greek writer of the tenth century, and was revived in the last century by Padre Georgi, an ecclesiastic of the island. There is, however, not a shadow of evidence in its favour, beyond the similarity (riot [not?] identity) of name, and the mention of Adria in Acts 27:27. It has been shown, however, that that term was used with far too wide a range to be decisive on such a question; and against the view there are the facts (1) that it would almost have required a miracle to get the ship, with a north-east gale blowing strongly, up to the Illyrian coast of the Gulf of Venice; (2) that a ship would not naturally have wintered on that coast on its way from Alexandria to Puteoli (Acts 28:11); (3) that there has been no local tradition in its favour, as at Malta. The island of Malta was originally a Phoenician colony. It came under the power of Carthage in B.C. 402, and was ceded to Rome in B.C. 242. Its temple, dedicated to Juno, was rich enough to be an object of plunder to Verres, the Prætor of Sicily (Cic. In Verr. vv. 46).”

Life application: People naturally want things to apply to themselves if they are notable in some manner. It is certain that Malta is where the ship ran aground and there are few who would question this. And yet, there is a challenge to this because someone wanted to appear to have discovered something others didn’t know, or maybe because there was pride in those in a different location that they were the focus of the biblical narrative.

This happens all the time. People in various cultures claim that they are the true Israelites who were exiled from the land. This is claimed by Mormons. It is claimed by British Israelism. It is claimed by various sects of the Church of God. And so forth. None of these are even close to reality, and yet the claims are made.

Also, it is often argued, even vehemently, that the New Testament was originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic despite there being no sound reason to claim this. And more, internal clues abound that it is not so.

These and ten thousand other such claims are made because people want to identify with one thing or another that they want to be true. This is unsound. It causes real problems with doctrine, and it causes divisions that should not exist.

We should be willing to objectively evaluate such things and come to reasonable conclusions concerning them. If we do, for sure our doctrine will be more properly aligned with God’s intent, and we will not grow into the cult-like mentality that so easily permeates our minds, our lives, and even controls our destinies.

Be wise and discerning and check out the things you hear, lest you get caught up into the strange doctrines that are warned against in the word (see Hebrews 13:9).

Heavenly Father, may we not be led astray by odd, goofy, and irregular teachings that have no bearing on reality. Rather, may we be guided by Your Spirit and willing also to check all things and test them for accuracy. May it be so to Your glory! Amen.

Fossilized Feather. Wyoming State Capitol.

Friday, 31 May 2024

and the rest, some on boards and some on parts of the ship. And so it was that they all escaped safely to land. Acts 27:44

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible”on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

A literal rendering of the Greek would be, “and the rest, indeed, some upon boards, and some upon anything from the ship. And thus it was all were saved upon the land” (CG).

In the previous verse, the centurion commanded that those who could swim should jump in and swim to land. Now, and still coming as a command from Julius, it says, “and the rest, indeed, some upon boards, and some upon anything from the ship.”

Those who couldn’t swim grabbed up whatever planks or boards were loose, or whatever else would float that was freely obtainable, and they then dove in with those who could swim. The scene must have been quite chaotic as the remaining who supervised the effort stayed on the ship.

When it was determined that all had jumped in, the final people who had braved the oversight of the effort would have then jumped in and headed for shore. With that accomplished, it next says, “And thus it was all were saved upon the land.”

The distance to shore at this spot is not too great and with effort, all made it ashore in fulfillment of Paul’s words from verse 22. The Pulpit Commentary cites the following to tie the Greek name of the island (Melita) in with Malta –

“And thus ended the eventful voyage of about four hundred and eighty miles (as laid down in the charts) from Clauda to the Point of Koura on the north coast of Malta. It is one of the striking proofs of the identity of Melita with Malta, that the rate at which it is calculated that a large ship laying to in a gale would drift in twenty-four hours, viz. thirty-six miles, multiplied by thirteen and a half (the number of days occupied by the voyage), gives four hundred and eighty-six miles as the whole distance. (36X13.5 = 486) Smith thinks that the coincidence between ‘the actual bearing of St. Paul’s Bay from Clauda, and the direction in which the ship must have driven, with the wind blowing in the quarter we know it did,’ is, if possible, still more striking (pp. 127, 128).”

To close out this marvelous chapter, Matthew Henry states the following –

“The ship that had weathered the storm in the open sea, where it had room, is dashed to pieces when it sticks fast. Thus, if the heart fixes in the world in affection, and cleaving to it, it is lost. Satan’s temptations beat against it, and it is gone; but as long as it keeps above the world, though tossed with cares and tumults, there is hope for it. They had the shore in view, yet suffered shipwreck in the harbour; thus we are taught never to be secure. Though there is great difficulty in the way of the promised salvation, it shall, without fail, be brought to pass. It will come to pass that whatever the trials and dangers may be, in due time all believers will get safely to heaven. Lord Jesus, thou hast assured us that none of thine shall perish. Thou wilt bring them all safe to the heavenly shore. And what a pleasing landing will that be! Thou wilt present them to thy Father, and give thy Holy Spirit full possession of them for ever.”

Life application: When Paul prophesied that all on the ship would be saved, Luke then recorded the exact number. With the ship wrecked and coming apart, it was abandoned, and all aboard swam to shore. Every soul was saved, exactingly fulfilling the words of Paul.

This is what the Bible does. It states things will come to pass, and then those things occur. This is possible because God, who created time, dwells outside of time. Because of this, He has a knowledge of all things immediately and intuitively. Nothing is hidden from Him.

As we have seen in human history, the Bible foretells and what it speaks of comes to pass. Because of this, why do we constantly doubt what the Bible promises but which lies yet ahead in time? Why do we feel it necessary to make excuses as to why Israel has been replaced by the church, thus nullifying in our doctrine the promises made to them of a future kingdom?

Why do we question God’s salvation of us when it occurred now that time has passed by? Is our salvation any less sure than the moment we first believed? Is God somehow competent to save, but not competent to keep on saving?

Let us trust the word, even if we haven’t completely sorted it out in our minds. As we learn more and see how the word is laid out, we can find more and more confidence in it. And so let us trust now and then continue to read and solidify our doctrine all the days of our lives. All the time, let us continue to fixedly trust our initial salvation. God saved. It is done. Hallelujah to God!

Heavenly Father, may we hold fast to the promise of salvation that we first received, knowing from that moment that we were saved and that we shall always continue to be saved. Jesus did not endure the cross to provide us with eternal insecurity. No! Rather, we have been saved, we are saved, and we shall be saved unto the ages of ages. Hooray for Jesus! Amen.

Picture of presidential inauguration January 20, 2001.

Thursday, 30 May 2024

But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land, Acts 27:43

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

More literally, “And the centurion, desiring to save Paul, prevented their intent. And he commanded those being able to swim, having jumped away first, to depart to the land” (CG).

In the previous verse, Luke noted that it was the soldiers’ intent to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away. However, he now notes, “And the centurion.”

The centurion is Julius who was mentioned in Acts 27:1. He had grown to respect Paul and probably even more. At this point, they may even have been on the way to a friendship on some level. Along with that, after the events of the previous night, admiration may be a better word to describe how he viewed him. Therefore, it says that he was “desiring to save Paul.”

The word want, as used by the NKJV, doesn’t really convey the intent of the word boulomai. HELPS Word Studies says, “… (‘resolutely plan’) is a strong term that underlines the predetermined (and determined) intention driving the planning (wishing, resolving).” He earnestly desired to save Paul. In so desiring, he “prevented their intent.”

Here is a new word, closely connected to the word boulomai that Luke just used, bouléma. It signifies a preset and fully resolved plan. Julius is shown to have a sound head. He was first able to stop the soldiers from doing what they desired, assuming full responsibility for what might occur if any prisoners were to have escaped. Even in the confusion, he was able to continue to keep charge of them and to have them adhere to his commands.

Next, he logically divides those on the ship into two categories, as Luke next notes, “And he commanded those being able to swim, having jumped away first, to depart to the land.”

Now Luke uses a word found only here in the New Testament, aporiptó. It comes from apo, away, and rhiptó, to throw, toss, or cast. Thus, it literally means “to cast away.” Obviously, however, one doesn’t pick himself up and toss, so “jump away” gives the proper sense of the word.

The centurion wanted anyone who could get to the shore under his own power to go first. They were to dive in and swim to land, but they could logically also be able to help anyone who couldn’t swim and who had to dive in next. The way would be cleared for those who needed assistance to be methodically helped in order to get everyone safely to the shore.

But more, by preventing the soldiers from killing the prisoners, Julius became an active part in causing Paul’s prophecy to be realized –

“Therefore I urge you to take nourishment, for this is for your survival, since not a hair will fall from the head of any of you.” ³⁵ And when he had said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all; and when he had broken it he began to eat. ³⁶ Then they were all encouraged, and also took food themselves. ³⁷ And in all we were two hundred and seventy-six persons on the ship.” Acts 27:34-37

Good job Julius.

Life application: There are natural leaders and there are followers. There are also those who are appointed to lead and those who are assigned to follow. Each has his own time and set purpose in how things will unfold. And yet, there are those who are appointed to follow who suddenly get thrown into a position where they must make leadership decisions.

This goes on all the time and the metal is tested when stressful or important moments arise. Those who lead may be removed for incompetence. Those who follow may suddenly rise to save the day. Each of us should be aware of those around us and try to figure out what their capabilities are.

In Judges 11, Jephthah was driven out of his home and away from his land. And yet, when a time of national crisis arose, he was called back to lead in the battle against Ammon. Likewise, Jesus was driven out by his people and rejected from what was his rightful due. However, He will be called back to save Israel in their time of great distress.

Let us consider how things are structured in the world of God’s redemption and look to understand why He has done things the way He has. In the end, by understanding what He has done and is doing, we will get an amazingly insightful look into His mind, His heart, and His desire for the people of the world.

And more, we can learn about His faithfulness. He has covenanted with Israel. Despite their rejection of Him, He has remained faithful to His word. As this is so with Israel and based on a covenant cut with the blood of bulls and goats, how much more faithful do you suppose He will be to the covenant that has been cut with the blood of Jesus Christ.

If you struggle with the doctrine of eternal salvation, it may be because you are not seeing the bigger picture of what God has done and is doing. Trust Him! He is faithful and He will bring you to Himself. We serve the great God.

Lord God, how good it is to know the surety of our salvation because of Your faithfulness. Despite our many failings, we have a sure and grounded hope of eternal life because of the full, final, finished, and forever work of Jesus Christ our Lord. Hooray for Jesus! Amen.

Employee, 1 each, Wyoming State Capitol.

Wednesday, 29 May 2024

And the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim away and escape. Acts 27:42

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

A literal reading is much sparser in content, “And the soldiers’ plan was that they should kill the prisoners, lest someone, having swam out, should escape” (CG).

In the previous verse, the ship ran aground with the prow stuck fast. With the beating of the waves, the stern loosened from the main hull. Thus, the ship could no longer be a place of safety. All would need to get off quickly. However, it next says, “And the soldiers’ plan was that they should kill the prisoners.”

Here is the second and last use of desmótés, prisoners. It was first seen in Acts 27:1. These would have included all of those bound, regardless of what category of prisoner may have been on the ship. In Acts 27:1, it noted that Paul, even if such a prisoner, was in a different category than the others. Thus, he was given certain liberties.

The obvious reason for wanting to kill the prisoners is that if they were to escape, then the soldiers would be held accountable for having allowed it. Thus, their lives would most likely be forfeited. The reason for wanting to kill the prisoners is next stated, saying, “lest someone, having swam out, should escape.”

The word translated as “someone” is in the singular. The concern was that even one escapee would be problematic. The word translated as “swam out,” ekkolumbaó, is exactingly translated. The idea may either mean “swam out of reach,” “swam out of the water,” or something else. Such prisoners would have thus been out of the reach of the soldiers.

That leads to the word translated as escape, diapheugó. It is also unique to the New Testament. It literally signifies “flee through.” Therefore, it indicates a thorough escape. At this time, these men had arrived on an unidentified piece of land.

It will be seen that it is an island. However, at this time, that was unknown. A prisoner could swim out, flee through, and just keep going if it were a continent rather than an island. Therefore, these soldiers did not want to take such a risk.

Life application: It is obvious from these verses that the soldiers had a right to kill the prisoners in such a situation. As long as the bodies were accounted for, it appears it didn’t matter if they were brought in dead or alive. This was an effective means of keeping prisoners in check.

It was thus a preventative measure. In today’s world, such things are looked down on. Schools used to be places of discipline and learning. The threat of punishment or being expelled weighed upon the minds of students. However, the policies of the left only deal with matters after problems arise. Therefore, schools are no longer safe, they no longer are places of learning, and crime among students has skyrocketed.

This is also true with society in general. Everything has become a reaction, but there is no tolerance in the policies of the left for preventive measures. This is wholly unbiblical. The law was given for such people. As Paul says –

“But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, ⁹ knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, ¹⁰ for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, ¹¹ according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.” 1 Timothy 1:8-11

The inclination of the human heart is bent toward evil. Thus, law is necessary. It, along with punishment prescribed by the law, is a preventive measure against those who would do such things. The left’s idea is grace first and hope for the best. This philosophy deals with a total misunderstanding of humanity because it has rejected the notion that man is inherently wicked. They have chucked the biblical model out of society, and they have thus cast out morality, decency, and restraint.

Be sure to never vote for or support anyone who holds to such views. You will only bring disaster upon yourself in the process.

Lord God, how faithless we are as a people toward You. Humanity, when unrestrained, will naturally take the wrong path, committing more and more evil with each passing day. Help us to be responsible in how we teach, vote, and decide on how things should be done. May we include You and the lessons of Your word in all that we do. Amen.

It’s a great seal. Wyoming State Capitol.

Tuesday, 28 May 2024

But striking a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the violence of the waves. Acts 27:41

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

A more literal rendering is, “And having fallen into a place – two seas – they urged on the vessel, and, indeed, the prow having stuck fast remained immovable, and the stern was loosed under the force of the waves.” (CG).

In the previous verse, the anchors were abandoned to the sea and the rudders were loosed. After that the foresail was hoisted and the sailors headed the ship for the shore. With that, words that are filled with detail come rushing forth, beginning with, “And having fallen into a place.”

The words “having fallen,” as in English, signify “to encounter.” Someone might say, “I fell into trouble on the way home.” The meaning is that he encountered trouble on the way home. This is the intent here. They were heading like a speeding train to the coast, but as they did so, they fell into a particular place that was unnoticed until it was too late, “two seas.”

Despite the great efforts of preparation, there was a problem which dashed their overall hopes. The ship was caught in a location where two seas met. The word so translated is rare, dithalassos, or literally “two seas.” It is found only here and one other known ancient Greek writing.

Luke is describing a ship coming in from the sea and heading into St. Paul’s Bay. There is a point of land, once called Koura Point, off to the left which was actually used as an aerial training aid in WWII.

To the right, there is a small island, previously known as Salmonetta. Nowadays it is called il-Gzejjer ta’ san Pawl. The sailors must have thought that it was a part of Malta itself as it is very close to the main island. However, it is separated by a narrow channel about 100 yards wide.

It is at this point, the sailors probably realized there was trouble. Because of the obvious break between the land and this small island, Luke next records that “they urged on the vessel.” Most translations here say that they ran the ship aground, but that is a consequence of going through the two seas.

Rather, when they realized there was this shallow spot, they probably pulled the sail in as close to the wind as possible, raised the rudders a bit, and so forth. In other words, these skilled sailors saw every possibility of running aground. In hopes of avoiding that, they made like a jet fighter with movable wings, pulling them in close and working to eke out every bit of speed and remove every possible inch of contact with the seabed below.

The word used to describe this is epokelló. It is only used here in the Bible. It comes from epi, on or upon, and okello, to urge. The sense is that they forced the ship forward. Luke also uses another unique word here, naus, to describe the ship. It signifies a ship or vessel of considerable size. Luke is hinting at why the ship would have difficulty.

A smaller ship might get through, but this one was quite sizable. Therefore, despite their best efforts to break through the two seas, Luke next records, “and, indeed, the prow having stuck fast.”

This is the consequence of having passed through the two seas. The ship was too deep to pass through and it finally stuck fast. Here Luke uses the word próra, or prow, for the second and last time. It was first used in Acts 27:30. It signifies the forward part, meaning the front, bow, prow, etc. of a ship.

To get a sense of the action, the Pulpit Commentary says that “When, however, she was just coming upon the beach for which she was making, she would come opposite to this open channel, and the sea from the north would break upon her and meet the sea on the south side of the island, where the ship was. Here, then, they ran the vessel aground.”

Also, Luke uses another unique word here, ereidó. It is of obscure affinity and means something like “to prop.” Therefore, used reflexively, it means to stick fast. One can see the ship racing through the two seas and the sailors can feel it touching upon the seabed. And so, they continue pulling the sheets, raising the rudders, and urging the ship on.

However, the prow of the ship suddenly jerks, indicating solid contact. With that, the stern would leap in an upward motion, causing the ship to prop upwards. The words are all very exciting and extremely detailed.

Of this word, ereidó, the Pulpit Commentary notes that it was common in classical Greek and is “not very different from its frequent medical meaning of a disease ‘fixing itself’ and ‘settling’ in some particular part of the body.” It is another clue to the authenticity of Luke’s authorship because of his use of words that have medical connections in order to describe other things.

Once the prow had stuck fast, Luke next records that the ship “remained immovable.” The word is asaleutos. It is only seen here and in Hebrews 12:28 which speaks of the unshakeable kingdom that we shall receive. It signifies to be unshakeable, immovable, etc.

The ship had come to a full stop, but it was not at the shore. Thus, there was a difficulty that would have to be dealt with quickly. This is because Luke next notes, “and the stern was loosed under the force of the waves.”

The word prumna, or stern, is used for the third and last time in the New Testament. It signifies the hinder part of the ship. Also, the word bia, force, is seen for the fourth and last time. All four uses were in Acts. It signifies violence, force, or strength. One can see an etymological connection to the word bio, the life force of things.

As for Luke’s description, it is telling us that the constant battering of the waves upon the stern of the ship was quickly taking its toll. The entire hinder part of the ship, therefore, was loosed from the main body of the ship and would quickly disintegrate by this pummeling.

Life application: What is amazing is how accurately Luke’s writings reflect what we can still see today. If one goes to Google Maps, he can almost insert himself into a ship as it heads for this disastrous spot where the two seas meet. Once at this location, the ship ran aground. The front of the ship got stuck in the seabed, and would not budge another inch.

Take time to go to such a map and look at the location. You can also see images by doing an image search. This will give you a better perspective of exactly what Luke is describing. Be sure that just because the words are from antiquity, it does not mean that they are either fables or somehow in error. We have a sure word that has proven the test of time

Be confident that the word of God is reliable. Take it in daily and rejoice in the marvelous detail we have been given concerning real people and real events that have come together in the stream of history to be a part of the story of what God is doing in the process of the redemption of man.

Lord God, what a marvelous word You have given us. It is as reliable as any book written at any time in history, even more so, because it has been protected by Your hand throughout the ages. We don’t need to fret about whether the story of Jesus is true or not. No! Rather, we can be confident that our hope is sure, fixed, and immovable. Hooray for Jesus! Amen.