And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.
Paul's faith does not waver even as the sailors despair; he leans steadfastly to God's promise made to him. He does not merely urge them to eat as a drowning man might, he continues steadfast in his prophecy, commanding them to courage. Faith shows its power when it arms us for patience and beats back Satan's assaults upon us.
AI summary
Paul stands forth among them not as a prisoner but as their counselor and comforter, rescuing them first from despair, for a man will starve himself in despair sooner than any storm can drown him. He assures them in God's name that all their lives shall be saved, and this word pulls them back from the grave when human hope is utterly gone.
AI summary
Commenting on Acts 27:21-44
Eat meat now and compose yourselves freely, for this will restore your strength to bear the shipwreck and help one another. Not a hair will fall from any of your heads, that proverbial phrase means your lives are utterly secure, so eat your food and rest with full assurance.
AI summary