²⁷But when the fourteenth night came, as we were being driven about in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors began to surmise that they were approaching some land. ²⁸They took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and a little farther on they took another sounding and found it to be fifteen fathoms. ²⁹Fearing that we might run aground somewhere on the rocks, they cast four anchors from the stern and wished for daybreak. ³⁰But as the sailors were trying to escape from the ship and had let down the ship’s boat into the sea, on the pretense of intending to lay out anchors from the bow, ³¹Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, “Unless these men remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved.” ³²Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it fall away.

Few things in life are more frightful than being caught in a storm on the water. Two weeks out, their uncontrolled course took them south toward Africa and then back north to the body of water that lay between Greece and Italy, the Adriatic Sea. At that time, the Adriatic was considered to have extended down into the Mediterranean Sea proper. The details are etched in Luke’s mind with remarkable detail, as they would for anyone who had faced a certain death calamity. Of course, the Holy Spirit brings these details into sharp focus to give us insight into Paul’s handling of the matter when all around were losing their heads.

The sailors themselves were working frantically to continually assess the situation. Possibly hearing the crashing of waves on the rocky shores, they dropped a weighted line in a mariner practice called “sounding.” With a fathom being about six feet, the two soundings indicated 180 feet to about ninety feet. They were fast approaching land. Given the darkness and the treacherous weather conditions, they were bound for imminent shipwreck. Throwing out the anchors, they hoped against hope.

Whether the adage that the captain goes down with the ship applied in the ancient world, we don’t know. But the crew was certainly looking after themselves first by hatching a plan to escape by the lifeboat (“the ship’s boat”). They had little concern for the passengers, especially considering some were simply prisoners being transported for trial in Rome. Why risk their lives for lawbreakers or the soldiers on board?

If the sailors abandoned the ship, then all hope would be completely lost. But Paul was acting in the confidence of a prophet, warning the centurion and soldiers of the situation. So they cut the lifeboat loose before the crew could enter. They were all in the situation together.

Lord, help me when I face difficult situations not to think only of myself.