A Prayer for Vindication and Deliverance

431 Be my judge, O God, supporting my cause against a nation without religion; O keep me from the false and evil man. 2 You are the God of my strength; why have you put me from you? why do I go in sorrow because of the attacks of my haters? 3 O send out your light and your true word; let them be my guide: let them take me to your holy hill, and to your tents. 4 Then I will go up to the altar of God, to the God of my joy; I will be glad and give praise to you on an instrument of music, O God, my God. 5 Why are you crushed down, O my soul? and why are you troubled in me? put your hope in God, for I will again give him praise who is my help and my God.

Former Deliverances and Present Troubles

441 It has come to our ears, O God, our fathers have given us the story, of the works which you did in their days, in the old times, 2 Uprooting the nations with your hand, and planting our fathers in their place; cutting down the nations, but increasing the growth of your people. 3 For they did not make the land theirs by their swords, and it was not their arms which kept them safe; but your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your face, because you had pleasure in them. 4 You are my King and my God; ordering salvation for Jacob. 5 Through you will we overcome our haters; by your name will they be crushed under our feet who are violent against us. 6 I will not put faith in my bow, my sword will not be my salvation. 7 But it is you who have been our saviour from those who were against us, and have put to shame those who had hate for us. 8 Our pride is in God at all times, to his name we give praise for ever. (Selah.)

9 But now you have sent us away from you, and put us to shame; you do not go out with our armies. 10 Because of this we are turned back by the attacker: those who have hate for us take our goods for themselves. 11 You have made us like sheep which are taken for meat; we are put to flight among the nations. 12 You let your people go for nothing; your wealth is not increased by their price. 13 You have made us to be looked down on by our neighbours, we are laughed at and shamed by those who are round about us. 14 Our name is a word of shame among the nations, a sign for the shaking of heads among the peoples. 15 My downfall is ever before me, and I am covered with the shame of my face; 16 Because of the voice of him who says sharp and bitter words; because of the hater and him who is the instrument of punishment.

17 All this has come on us, but still we have kept you in our memory; and we have not been false to your word. 18 Our hearts have not gone back, and our steps have not been turned out of your way; 19 Though you have let us be crushed in the place of jackals, though we are covered with darkest shade. 20 If the name of our God has gone out of our minds, or if our hands have been stretched out to a strange god, 21 Will not God make search for it? for he sees the secrets of the heart. 22 Truly, because of you we are put to death every day; we are numbered like sheep for destruction. 23 Why are you sleeping, O Lord? awake! and come to our help, do not give us up for ever. 24 Why is your face covered, and why do you give no thought to our trouble and our cruel fate? 25 For our souls are crushed down to the dust: our bodies are stretched out on the earth. 26 Up! and come to our help, and give us salvation because of your mercy.

A Song for the King's Marriage

451 My heart is flowing over with good things; my words are of that which I have made for a king; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. 2 You are fairer than the children of men; grace is flowing through your lips; for this cause the blessing of God is with you for ever. 3 Put on your sword, make it ready at your side, O strong chief, with your glory and power. 4 And go nobly on in your power, because you are good and true and without pride; and your right hand will be teaching you things of fear. 5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's haters; because of them the peoples are falling under you.

6 Your seat of power, O God, is for ever and ever; the rod of your kingdom is a rod of honour. 7 You have been a lover of righteousness and a hater of evil: and so God, your God, has put the oil of joy on your head, lifting you high over all other kings. 8 Your robes are full of the smell of all sorts of perfumes and spices; music from the king's ivory houses has made you glad. 9 Kings' daughters are among your noble women: on your right is the queen in gold of Ophir.

10 O daughter, give thought and attention, and let your ear be open; no longer keep in mind your people, and your father's house; 11 So will the king have a great desire for you, seeing how beautiful you are; because he is your lord, give him honour. 12 And the daughters of Tyre will be there with an offering; those who have wealth among the people will be looking for your approval. 13 In the great house the king's daughter is all shining: her clothing is worked with gold. 14 She will come before the king in robes of needlework; the virgins in her train will come before you. 15 With joy and rapture will they come; they will go into the king's house. 16 Your children will take the place of your fathers; so that you may make them rulers over all the earth. 17 I will keep the memory of your name living through all generations; and because of this the people will give you praise for ever.

27 But when the fourteenth day came, while we were going here and there in the Adriatic sea, about the middle of the night the sailors had an idea that they were getting near land; 28 And they let down the lead, and saw that the sea was a hundred and twenty feet deep; and after a little time they did it again and it was ninety feet. 29 Then, fearing that by chance we might come on to the rocks, they let down four hooks from the back of the ship, and made prayers for the coming of day. 30 Then the sailors made attempts secretly to get away from the ship, letting down a boat as if they were about to put down hooks from the front of the ship; 31 But Paul said to the captain and his men, If you do not keep these men in the ship, you will not be safe. 32 Then the armed men, cutting the cords of the boat, let her go. 33 And when dawn was near, Paul gave them all orders to take food, saying, This is the fourteenth day you have been waiting and taking no food. 34 So I make request to you to take food; for this is for your salvation: not a hair from the head of any of you will come to destruction. 35 And when he had said this and had taken bread, he gave praise to God before them all, and took a meal of the broken bread. 36 Then they all took heart and did the same. 37 And we were, in the ship, two hundred and seventy-six persons. 38 And when they had had enough food, they made the weight of the ship less, turning the grain out into the sea.

The Shipwreck

39 And when it was day, they had no knowledge of the land, but they saw an inlet of the sea with a floor of sand, and they had the idea of driving the ship up on to it if possible. 40 So cutting away the hooks, and letting them go into the sea, and freeing the cords of the guiding-blades, and lifting up the sail to the wind, they went in the direction of the inlet. 41 And coming to a point between two seas, they got the ship to land; and the front part was fixed in the sand and not able to be moved, but the back part was broken by the force of the waves. 42 Then the armed men were for putting the prisoners to death, so that no one would get away by swimming. 43 But the captain, desiring to keep Paul safe, kept them from their purpose, and gave orders that those who had knowledge of swimming were to go off the ship and get first to land: 44 And the rest, some on boards and some on things from the ship. And so it came about that they all got safe to land.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on Acts 27:27-44

Commentary on Acts 27:21-29

(Read Acts 27:21-29)

They did not hearken to the apostle when he warned them of their danger; yet if they acknowledge their folly, and repent of it, he will speak comfort and relief to them when in danger. Most people bring themselves into trouble, because they do not know when they are well off; they come to harm and loss by aiming to mend their condition, often against advice. Observe the solemn profession Paul made of relation to God. No storms or tempests can hinder God's favour to his people, for he is a Help always at hand. It is a comfort to the faithful servants of God when in difficulties, that as long as the Lord has any work for them to do, their lives shall be prolonged. If Paul had thrust himself needlessly into bad company, he might justly have been cast away with them; but God calling him into it, they are preserved with him. They are given thee; there is no greater satisfaction to a good man than to know he is a public blessing. He comforts them with the same comforts wherewith he himself was comforted. God is ever faithful, therefore let all who have an interest in his promises be ever cheerful. As, with God, saying and doing are not two things, believing and enjoying should not be so with us. Hope is an anchor of the soul, sure and stedfast, entering into that within the veil. Let those who are in spiritual darkness hold fast by that, and think not of putting to sea again, but abide by Christ, and wait till the day break, and the shadows flee away.

Commentary on Acts 27:30-38

(Read Acts 27:30-38)

God, who appointed the end, that they should be saved, appointed the means, that they should be saved by the help of these shipmen. Duty is ours, events are God's; we do not trust God, but tempt him, when we say we put ourselves under his protection, if we do not use proper means, such as are within our power, for our safety. But how selfish are men in general, often even ready to seek their own safety by the destruction of others! Happy those who have such a one as Paul in their company, who not only had intercourse with Heaven, but was of an enlivening spirit to those about him. The sorrow of the world works death, while joy in God is life and peace in the greatest distresses and dangers. The comfort of God's promises can only be ours by believing dependence on him, to fulfil his word to us; and the salvation he reveals must be waited for in use of the means he appoints. If God has chosen us to salvation, he has also appointed that we shall obtain it by repentance, faith, prayer, and persevering obedience; it is fatal presumption to expect it in any other way. It is an encouragement to people to commit themselves to Christ as their Saviour, when those who invite them, clearly show that they do so themselves.

Commentary on Acts 27:39-44

(Read Acts 27:39-44)

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.