And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. 2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. 4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.
9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.
I may have listened to a Youtube video last night while our friends and Diane went over plans for our travel today. It wasn’t a significantly important video. But it is one that I keep up with. And I did play it at 1.5 speed so I wouldn’t be distracted too long. When the conversation (and the video) was over, I re-engaged. No harm no foul. I trust them and am willing to go along with their plans today. I’m writing this very early. We’ll see how the day unfolds!
Luke reports that when the time came to determine whether they would proceed with the trip to Rome, the Centurion and the pilot of the ship paid more attention to the owner than to Paul. In other words, Paul’s warning of impending behavior went unheeded. They decided to put out to sea “on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.”
I wonder about their motives for continuing the voyage. Were they under a deadline pressure to reach Rome? Was a bonus being offered if they reached the next stop by a certain date? Was it less expensive to harbor for the winter in Phoenix? Was it simply the fact that there was a choice of a southwest or northwest-facing harbor there? Or did they just want to get the voyage over sooner? It might also have been that Fair Haven did not live up to its name. It was not a fun place to spend all winter, and the crew of the ship didn’t look forward to months in a small town. One commentator suggests that the local Chamber of Commerce named the place “Fair Havens.”
Whatever the reason, they decided to sail on. Much challenge lies ahead. They will wish they had stayed in Fair Havens. Paul has already been shipwrecked three times by this point (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:25). Paul knew what he was talking about.
Peer pressure, prudence, or personal fears can all play a role in our decision making. Prudence is the father of patience. And as Pierce Brown says, “Patience is the better part of valor. And obedience the better part of humanity. Listen to your elders.” Proverbs reminds us that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. It is far better to listen to and be guided by God’s word, than to pursue our course in hopes of personal gain. And while we all make bad decisions, it is better to do so out of a desire to please God, or on the basis of wise counsel.
Decisions made on the basis of godly wisdom may not seem easy, but easy isn’t always best. And God’s ways – though they may be challenging – are always best. When wise and godly people counsel us we do well to listen to them.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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