Ecclesiastes 11

Ecclesiastes 11:1

E. Spreading the Good Under the Sun (11:112:8)11:1 Bread is used symbolically here for the grain from which it is made. To cast bread upon the waters may refer to the practice of sowing in flooded areas, or it may mean carrying on grain trade by sea. In any case, the thought is that a widespread and wholesale distribution of what is good will result in a generous return in the time of harvest. This verse is true of the gospel. We may not see immediate results as we share the bread of life, but the eventual harvest is sure. 11:2 Giving a serving to seven, even to eight suggests two thingsunrestrained generosity or diversifying of business enterprises. If the first is meant, the idea is that we should show uncalculating kindness while we can, because a time of calamity and misfortune may come when this will not be possible. Most people save for a rainy day; this verse counsels to adopt a spirit of unrestricted liberality because of the uncertainties of life. Or the thought may be: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Invest in several interests so that if one fails, you will still be able to carry on with the others. This is known as diversification. 11:3 Verse 3 carries on the thought of the previous one, especially with regard to the unknown evil which may happen on earth. It suggests that there is a certain inevitability and finality about the calamities of life. Just as surely as rain-laden clouds empty themselves upon the earth, so surely do troubles and trials come to the sons of men. And once a tree is felled, it remains a fallen monarch. Its destiny is sealed. A wider application of the verse is given in the poem: As a tree falls, so must it lie, As a man lives, so must he die, As a man dies, so must he be, All through the years of eternity. John Ray11:4 It is possible to be too cautious. If you wait till conditions are perfect, you will accomplish nothing. There are usually some wind and some clouds. If you wait for zero wind conditions, you will never get the seed into the fields. If you wait until there is no risk of rain, the crops will rot before they are harvested. The man who waits for certainty will wait forever. 11:5 Since we don’t know everything, we have to muddle along with what knowledge we do have. We don’t understand the movements of the wind or how the bones are formed in the womb of an expectant mother. Neither do we understand all that God does or why He does it. 11:6 Since we don’t know this, the best policy is to fill the day with all kinds of productive work. We have no way of knowing which activities will prosper. Maybe they all will. In spreading the Word of God, success is guaranteed. But it is still true that some methods are more fruitful than others. So we should be untiring, versatile, ingenious, and faithful in Christian service. Then too we should sow in the morning of life and not slack off in the evening. We are called to unremitting service. 11:7, 8 The light may refer to the bright and shining days of youth. It’s great to be youngto be healthy, strong, and vivacious. But no matter how many years of vigor and prosperity a man enjoys, he should be aware that days of darkness are almost sure to come. The aches and pains of old age are inevitable. It’s a dreary, empty time of life. 11:9 It is hard to know whether verse 9 is sincere advice or the cynicism of a disillusioned old man. Do what your heart desires and see as much as you can. But just remember that eventually God will bring you into judgment, that is, the judgment of old age, which seemed to Solomon like divine retribution for the sins of early life. 11:10 While you have your youth, maximize enjoyment and minimize sorrow and trouble. (Evil here probably means trouble rather than sin.) Childhood and youth are vanity because they are so short-lived. Nowhere in literature is there a more classic description of old age than in the first half of chapter 12. It is enough to make the editor of the Journal of Gerontology eat his heart out. The meaning does not lie on the surface because it is presented as an allegory. But soon the picture emerges of a doddering old man, a walking geriatric museum, shuffling his way irresistibly to the grave.