Page 133 - Acts Student Textbook

land would also encourage them after the hardships they had faced. It is amazing to consider that a
prisoner could have such inspiring influence and be allowed such leadership. For the first time we are
told the number of people on board: a total of 276. This would include the centurion and his 100
soldiers, the sailors, prisoners, and perhaps other passengers. This was a great number of people in
danger, so it is amazing that Paul would confidently affirm they would all survive.

When daylight arrived, they saw a bay with a beach, so they determined to run the ship aground
there, if possible. Note that, at this point they were not even trying to save the ship. They just
wanted to escape with their lives (the very thing Paul had predicted).

God’s servants provided for (27:42-28:16)

How did Paul’s prophecy to the people on board come to pass? (27:42-44)

Seeing that they would have to swim for land, the soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners to prevent any
of them from escaping. However, the centurion had become very favorable to Paul and did not want
him killed, so he used his authority to prevent the soldiers’ purpose. In this way, all escaped safely to
the land. What a fascinating story! Pratte notes that this is “good literature regardless of the religious
lessons.” Pratte then goes on to draw interesting lessons from this story, “there are numerous good
lessons to be learned. 1) God’s promises had been kept and His prophecies had come true. He had
promised Paul he would go to Rome and that the others on the ship would be spared, though the
ship would be lost. This is exactly as it happened. This proves again that God has the power to know
everything, including the future. The fact that Paul could so predict the future proved that God was
with him. This is the purpose of prophecy. 2) We also see God’s providence at work. Except for the
prophetic predictions, there was nothing miraculous or impossible by natural law in this story. All
things could happen by natural law. Yet in this case we know it happened by the intervention of God,
for He had told Paul it would be so. God has so designed His universe that He has the power to
control events here to bring about His purposes, especially for the good of His people. That is a
definition of providence, and this is an excellent example of providence at work. Furthermore, we
see that, though God had promised this outcome, the people involved had to work. His promises do
not remove our responsibility to work. Rather they require us to work, while revealing us the manner
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in which we are to work.”

Chapter 28

The power of God evident through the hands of Paul on the Island of Malta (28:1-10)

What attack did Paul experience at the island of Malta? (28:1-4)

The people all escaped safely to land, the island of Malta or Melita, (see map). Luke describes the
people of Malta as natives (or barbarians — ASV), but this does not mean they were cruel or
uncivilized. They simply were native to that island and were not greatly involved in Greek or Roman
culture. Actually, they were very kind and helpful. These people made a fire and welcomed the
strangers, because it was cold and raining as a consequence of the storm.

As Paul was helping gather wood for the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened
itself on his hand. The people saw it and, perhaps knowing he was a prisoner, concluded that he was
guilty of some severe crime such as murder, so fate was determined to punish him. He had managed
to escape the storm, but justice would still punish him by means of the viper. In reality, of course,
God had spared Paul from the storm by His providence and would also spare him from this attack. He

91 Ibid, (p. 386)
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