MORE BIBLE EXPRESSIONS

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Red sky in the morning, sailors’ warning.

Red sky at night, sailors’ delight.

An alternative version uses shepherds instead of sailors.

The concept is over two thousand years old and is cited in the New Testament as established wisdom that prevailed among the Jews of the 1st century AD by Jesus in Matthew 16:2-3:

When it is evening, you say, "It will be fair weather; for the sky is red."

And in the morning, "It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening."

It is based on the reddish glow of the morning or evening sky, caused by trapped particles scattering the blue light from the sun in a stable air mass.

The rhyme is generally correct at middle latitudes where, due to the rotation of the Earth, prevailing winds travel west to east.

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You don’t work you don’t eat

The quote "Anyone unwilling to work should not eat" is actually not from Jesus, but is taken from 2 Thessalonians 3:10, and is not even written by the Apostle Paul, but by an unknown writer under Paul's name.

Second Thessalonians 3:10 reads, “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.’” This verse is set in the context of 2 Thessalonians 3:6–15, which warns believers against idleness and laziness. The focus of the command is against those who refuse to work rather than those who are unable to do so.

Paul and his companions did not come to the people of Thessalonica to take food or money from them but to share Christ with them. They were willing to work a side job to provide for their food.

In contrast, if any Christian worker came to a church and refused to work, Paul says not to offer him food. This instruction also had application to people within their congregation. Verses 11–12 note, “We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat.” This is the Christian work ethic. Believers are to be known for working hard, not for a lazy attitude.

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The labourer is worthy of his hire

The Bible teaches the importance and appropriateness of churches providing financial support to Christian ministers who admirably serve their congregations - 1 Timothy 5:18.

Verse 18 comes in the middle of instructions about financially providing for elders who labour in preaching and teaching. Paul states, “For the Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,’ and, ‘The labourer deserves his wages.’”

The first part of this verse comes from Deuteronomy 25:4. The Law of Moses taught that oxen should be allowed to eat some of the grain they were threshing. The second part is a quote from Jesus in Luke 10:7, where He taught that workers deserve their pay.

By combining these two quotations, Paul establishes the principle that ministers should receive financial support from those they spiritually serve. Just as oxen eat of the grain they labour over, and workers earn wages for their job, so preachers deserve pay for their spiritual labour.

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Thou are the man (You da man!)

2 Samuel 12:7: Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.

The prophet Nathan boldly reveals God's judgment against King David, who has committed grievous sins. Nathan declares, "You are the man!" exposing David's own heinous act of adultery with Bathsheba and the orchestrated murder of her husband, Uriah. This confrontation not only illustrates the principle that leaders are subject to divine accountability but also underscores the reality of remorse and repentance in the face of divine judgment.

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