#948 Ecclesiastes 11 Shutting Down

Cast your bread upon the waters,

for you will find it after many days.

2 Give a portion to seven, or even to eight,

for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.

3 If the clouds are full of rain,

they empty themselves on the earth,

and if a tree falls to the south or to the north,

in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.

4 He who observes the wind will not sow,

and he who regards the clouds will not reap.

5 As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.

6 In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.

7 Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.

8 So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity.

9 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

10 Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity. Ecclesiastes 11 ESV

Ecclesiastes 11

1-4 Cast your bread upon the waters - When I first read this it was confusing, but in the context of the other 3 verses it seems to be about business and agriculture in a language or picture more familiar to the Middle East and a culture long past. Commentators have suggested that this is a picture of exporting, taking your product and sending it by ship to other markets. This is a speculative venture, so one most view it in such a sense, not looking at immediate returns, and calculating the risk involved. Storms could come, ships may sink, living requires that we are prepared for death, though uncertain of when he comes. Others have seen in this the act of helping the needy. This also must be done without expectation of immediate return, yet also with discernment, for we are told to help the poor but also that he who does not work shall not eat. The Bible has directed us to help the fatherless and widows, and it has also put laws in place for their protection against those that would take advantage of their situation. We know their are sex traffickers that prey on the poor, and the pharisees were guilty of cheating widows out of their land, when they were supposed to be their champions for justice instead.

…26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1: 26-27

He goes on with cause and effect about clouds and rain, fallen trees, but as much as we are to consider these things, they should not leave us paralyzed. If you do not sow because of the wind, you will never have a harvest. If you will not reap because of the distant clouds then you will waste time and your crop could also be lost. I am always looking for the perfect day to go fishing, but sometimes those don't fall on my day off. There is a science that one should pay attention to, but sometimes the "perfect" day changes because of weather or other demands, and so I need to adapt. If I fished for a living, then there would be few things that kept me off the water, but uncertainty of what may happen or could happen should not be the decider. Plan for contingencies, but don't hibernate for fear of them. I drive to work every day, and last year 38,000 people in my country died in car accidents, over a million were injured in car accidents, many of whom were hospitalized or suffered permanent damage, and so I take precautions: I have good tread on my tires, a reliable car, I don't text and drive, but I can't control all the other cars and trucks around me. I can't control the weather, and I have no crystal ball, but I have to work and feed my family, nature demands calories. 

“If we keep on observing circumstances, instead of trusting God, we shall be guilty of disobedience. God bids me sow: I do not sow, because the wind would blow some of my seed away. God bids me reap: I do not reap, because there is a black cloud there, and before I can house the harvest, some of it may be spoiled. I may say what I like; but I am guilty of disobedience.” (Spurgeon)

iii. Spurgeon went on in that sermon (Sowing in the Wind, Reaping Under Clouds) to describe other ways that this attitude sins against God and man. To observe circumstances instead of trusting God shows unbelief, rebellion, foolish fear, and idleness.

5 Their are many things under the sun that we do not know of or things we observe yet do not fully understand. This should be humbling enough and any attempt to look beyond that should destroy all pride, diminish the ego, and cause a holy reverence for the God, Who created all things.

…7 Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” 9“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.… John 3: 7-9

6 Work suited for morning and also the diligence of night. If the crop fails then like the woman of Proverbs 31, she was diverse. She would have her vineyards but also the ability to sell and trade what she made with her hands.

7-10 Don't live only in the light of youth, know that age comes, darkness comes, judgment comes, and it is vain to trust in what does not last.