Delight or Warning?
And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed. (Matthew 16:1-4, English Standard Version)
When I opened today’s image, my mind immediately went to the saying,
Red sky at night, sailors’ delight.
Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.
There is some truth to this, depending on where you are in the world, the time of day, and direction of the prevailing winds. Even so, I would not live my life by it. Sometimes it’s right, sometimes it’s not.
I didn’t expect the saying about predicting the weather by the color of the sky to be in the Bible. Like some of you, I’ve been a Christian a long time. I’ve read through the bible. And, here is more proof to me that when I say, “I read my Bible”, what I mean is I sometimes read and often skim my Bible. Less likely, but possible is that I just forgot I’d read it.
Jesus used the age-old saying to make a point to the Pharisees and Sadducees who were demanding a special sign about His identity. Likely they did not really want a sign. Often, they just wanted to trip Him up because He threatened their way of life.
Jesus wouldn’t fall for their tricks. He told them they focused on believing and interpreting sayings about the weather, but refused to believe and interpret the many signs He had already given the world about who He was.
Do we allow ourselves to be deceived as the Pharisees and Sadducees? They refused to accept Jesus for who He said He was, missed the miracles, and turned their heads from the signs. Time after time they fought Jesus because accepting Jesus as God and the only way to salvation diminished their influence and power.
I have to be careful I’m not deceiving myself. When I don’t spend enough time in God’s Word, prayer, or worshipping and studying with fellow believers, I am tempted to rely on something other than Jesus.
And, what is enough time? It’s likely different for each of us and may vary with our life seasons. I believe the Holy Spirit will let you know when you are not spending enough time with Him.
For me, I can tell when I have too much time open for other influences. Movies, books, television, the internet, idle time, laziness—and the list goes on. The first few verses in Matthew 16 warn us that seeking things other than the truth He’s already provided is dangerous. And from my experience, we don’t even have to seek after them. They’ll find a way to fill open slots.
When I see a red sky early in the morning or late in the evening, I may take a quick look at my weather app, but I’ll also be reminded to spend time with Him.
Do you have things that remind you to spend time with Jesus? I’d love to hear about them.
I thought the same thing driving to work today. Beautiful sky, but does it mean a stormy day. Thanks for the post.
You are welcome. Always a joy to see God’s handiwork in the skies!
You couldn’t have picked a better verse for that photo Tim. You make an important point about spending time with the LORD. For me, it becomes apparent that I’m not spending enough time with Him when my attitude isn’t what it’s supposed to be. That’s the way the Holy Spirit lets me know I need to spend more time in the Word and in prayer. Thanks for some seeds for thought today.
Oh, I agree with you Terri. How we perceive things going on around us may be similar to what you are talking about. If I’m away from Him more than I should be, I lose sight of His control of everything and I perceive things are “off” when in His view, they are “on”. Thanks for the comment.