Luke the beloved physician wrote how he, Paul, and others with him were sailing through a storm toward Rome, and “when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country”, and in chapter twenty-seven and verse twenty-eight of the book of Acts Luke shared how the shipmen, “sounded, and found it twenty fathoms” where we read:
And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms:
and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms.
The verse begins, “And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms:” Luke began with the words, “and sounded” which means “and heaved a lead which takes a sounding such as a line and plummet with which mariners sound the depth of the sea”, “and found it twenty fathoms” or “and discovered, noticed and discerned that the sea depth was twenty fathoms or about twenty times the distance across the breast from the tip of one middle finger to the tip of the other when the arms are outstretched, 5 to 6 feet (2 m) deep”. Luke shared how the sailors let out a “line and plummet” to determine the depth of the water their ship was in, and they found it to be about one hundred and twenty (120) feet deep.
The verse continues, “and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms.” Luke added the words, “and when they had gone” which means “and at the time and moment the sailors of the ship sailed” “a little further” or “a short or small distance”, “they sounded again” which means “the sailors used the line and plummet another time”, “and found it fifteen fathoms” or “and discovered, notice and discerned the sea depth was about fifteen fathoms or fifteen times the distance across the breast from the tip of one middle finger to the tip of the other when the arms are outstretched, 5 to 6 feet (2 m) deep”. Luke shared how the sailors on the ship sailed a short distance more and used the “line and plummet” again to determine that the depth of the sea was about ninety (90) feet deep.
When we consider Luke's words in this verse, we learn how the ship was getting closer and closer to land. By using the measuring device which was like a “line and plummet”, the sailors were able to determine they were one hundred and twenty feet deep, and after sailing a little more about ninety feet deep. In other words, they were nearing land. We can imagine the rising hope of the people on board as they discovered that land was nearby, but let us be mindful of the fact that God still knew their future, and He was watching over their voyage. God determined that “Paul” should share His gospel of salvation through His Son Jesus in the city of “Rome”, and though there was “progress” made by this ship and it's sailors, God was progressing in His plan to offer forgiveness of sins and everlasting life to every person who would put their faith and trust in His Son Jesus. Let all who carefully examine this voyage of “Paul” understand God's intentional efforts to watch over His gospel and His servant “Paul” who was to share it.
Next time Luke shares how the shipmen, “fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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