Dig Deeper:
15. Answers may vary. Phillip should not have ignored his mother’s orders. Phillip assumes that he fully understands the
situation and the dangers and his mother does not, but he does not see the real danger. The fact that the officer backs up
his mother’s warning confirms this. We cannot assume that we know all the circumstances of a situation and so can make
better decisions than those in authority over us. For example, Phillip’s mother and the officer understood that the torpe-
does could come without warning and could cause a great deal of damage, death, and injuries. Phillip only pictured that
it would come for him and did not understand that simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time could be danger-
ous or deadly. (See also Job 38:1–42:6 for God’s answer to Job about who should be the primary authority and why.)
16. These verses tell us we should honor and obey God above all else, our parents, and earthly authorities, which includes
governmental authorities, teachers, pastors, etc. Note that God counts it as good that we obey authorities above us pri-
marily because it brings honor to him, and he has set those people in that position. It does not guarantee that they are
always right—they are sinful and sometimes wicked—but God has put them in that position. Clearly, however, we honor
God above all if there is a conflict between what someone tells us to do and what God tells us to do. Since God is the one
who put them in authority, he is the supreme authority.
17. Answers may vary, but the two decisions she makes that appear to be most influenced by her fears are the decision to
leave the island and return to the United States and her decision to travel by ship and not by airplane. Answers may vary
about whether her decisions based on fear are good, but the answer should be no, they are not good. Phillip’s father
points out that the Germans probably will not attack the island itself; they are more interested in sinking the ships that
come and go, and the safest way to travel would be by plane. But she decides to leave anyway and take the most vulnera-
ble method of transport.
18. Answers may vary. No, fear is not always a bad thing, sometime it can be a very healthy response to dangerous things
or situations. We should be afraid of a strange dog growling at us, but we do not need to be afraid of all dogs. We should
be afraid of fire when a house is burning, but we do not need to fear fire in a stove. Fear is bad when it affects all of our
decisions or when we let it be the main element of our decisions instead of using all the facts in a situation. For example, it
would be bad if a person refused to ever use a stove because the fire could burn down the house. However, it would be stu-
pid to put gasoline into a lit stove—that would be a healthy fear. Sometimes we use the word fear for a realistic respect of
the danger or po
wer in something, but we do not act afraid of it. So if there is dangerous weather, we take shelter, but we
don’t necessarily cower in fear; we understand the danger and act accordingly. That is a good thing and a healthy response.
19. The verses tell us we should not fear people or anything else because God is for us; nothing can separate us from
God. On the other hand the verses tell us we should fear God.
20. The paradox is that Matthew 10:28 tells us we should be afraid of God because he can destroy both soul and body,
but then verse 31 tells us not to be afraid because God cares even about the death of sparrows, and we are worth more to
him than sparrows. Though the verses appear to be contradictory because they tell us to be afraid, then tell us to not be
afraid, the point of the verses is that, though God deserves our fear and respect, he loves us, and if we honor and give
ourselves to him, he cares for us. As Romans 8:31 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Chapters 3 & 4
Vocabular
y:
Part One:
1. c; 2. b; 3. a; 4. b.; 5. c
Part Two:
6. b; 7. i; 8. a; 9. j; 10. g; 11. e; 12. h; 13. f; 14. d; 15. c
Questions:
1. The ship is struck by a torpedo and sinks.
2. As P
hillip and his mother are being lowered to the water in the lifeboat, the boat shifts and he falls into the water.
Something strikes Phillip on the head, and he awakens much later on the raft with Timothy.
3. To protect them from the sun.
4. Timothy wants to make their food and water last as long as possible in case it takes a long time to be rescued, so he
rations the water and suggests they eat raw fish. He understands that they may need to do things they don’t like just to
keep themselves alive. Phillip does not understand the full danger they are in and so thinks Timothy is being mean or
selfish. He begins to hate Timothy; he is disgusted that Timothy will eat raw fish; he begins to think his mother is right
about how different black people are.
The Cay Study Guide
© 2009 Progeny Press 67