Acts 27:9

Acts 27:9 says, Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them,  After they had spent much time at The Fair Havens, it was no longer a good time for sailing.  It was past the fast, the Jewish day of atonement, around September twentieth by our calendar, according to Matthew Henry.  The journey so far had taken longer than expected, but the crew was ready to move on. Sometimes, in our impatience, we only think of moving ahead, without considering if it would be dangerous or not.  At such times, we need to ask God for guidance, which is what Paul did.  Verse ten adds, And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.  Paul warned them that he perceived that "this voyage would be with hurt and much damage, not only for the laden and ship, but also of our lives." Paul was not talking about some strange vibe he got.  He was speaking of what the Holy Spirit was revealing to him. When God has revealed to us a danger, either to ourselves or others, all we can do is make them aware of the warning.  Paul was still a prisoner, so we might ask why he would care, unless he were worried about his own safety.  Since he had already placed his life in the hands of God, and not Caesar, I think it is safe to assume that he was concerned for the crew, passengers, and even the cargo and ship.  We must never become indifferent to the welfare of others.  God expects His people to reach out to everyone, even those who hate us, with love and empathy.  They may not believe us when we warn them, but that doesn't relieve us of the responsibility of doing so. Verse eleven states, Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.  The Centurian did not believe Paul but listened to the master and owner of the ship instead. People today may choose to believe others instead of God's messengers, especially when it supports their decision, but we still have the responsibility to deliver God's word.  Verse twelve adds, And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter; which is an haven of Crete, and lieth toward the south west and north west.  It would seem to them that the logical thing would be to get to Phenice and winter there, since the weather would be better for them, so they were willing to ignore Paul’s warning.  Things may appear physically better to people today when we warn them of the need to repent and accept Jesus Christ in order to weather the storms of life, and they may ignore us. Verse thirteen concludes, And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.  Even the wind seemed to be in their favor, so they ignored Paul’s word from God and sailed for Crete.  Life may seem to be going so well for those that we witness to today that they ignore the gospel when we share it with them.