Ecclesiastes 11

Ecclesiastes 11:1

Casting one’s bread on the water probably refers to commercial transactions involving the transportation of commodities by ship, not to charitable acts. [Note: Ibid., p. 1189. “. . . Eastern bread has for the most part the form of cakes, and is thin (especially as is prepared hastily for guests, .. . Gen. xviii. 6, xix. 3); so that when thrown into the water, it remains on the surface (like a chip of wood, Hos. X. 7), and is carried away by the stream.” [Note: Delitzsch, pp. 391-92. If you follow the advice in this verse literally, you will experience disappointment. It probably refers to buying and selling.

Ecclesiastes 11:2

This proverb advocates diversifying your investments, rather than putting all of your resources in one place. “‘Seven or eight’ is a Hebrew numerical formula called X, X + 1. It occurs frequently in Proverbs (chaps. 6, 30) and in the first two chapters of Amos. Here it is not to be taken literally but means ‘plenty and more than plenty,’ ’the widest possible diversification within the guidelines of prudence.. . .’ Seven means ‘plenty,’ and eight means, ‘Go a bit beyond that.’” [Note: Hubbard, p. 227.

Ecclesiastes 11:3-4

Do not wait until conditions are perfect before you go to work, but labor diligently even though conditions may appear foreboding. [Note: Cf. Delitzsch, p. 396. After all, God controls these conditions, and we cannot tell whether good or bad conditions will materialize.

Ecclesiastes 11:5

“Few parents understand precisely how a baby is formed, but most follow the rules of common sense for the welfare of the mother and the unborn child. This is exactly the application that the Teacher makes here to the plan of God. Indeed, it illustrates the whole theme of the book. We cannot understand all the ways God works to fulfill his plan, but we can follow God’s rules for daily living and thus help bring God’s purpose to birth.” [Note: J. S. Wright, “Ecclesiastes,” p. 1189.

Ecclesiastes 11:6

Since the future is in God’s hands, the wise person proceeds with his work diligently, hoping his efforts will yield fruit, as they usually do. “Put in a nutshell the theme of the passage is this: we should use wisdom boldly and carefully, cannily yet humbly, taking joy from life while remembering that our days of joy are limited by the certainty of death.” [Note: Hubbard, p. 225.

Ecclesiastes 11:7-12

A. Joyous and Responsible Living 11:7-12:7 Solomon had already advocated the enjoyment of life and responsible living in several of the preceding sections (Ecclesiastes 2:24-26; Ecclesiastes 3:12-13; Ecclesiastes 3:22; Ecclesiastes 5:18-19; Ecclesiastes 8:15; Ecclesiastes 9:7-10). Now he stressed these points.

Ecclesiastes 11:9-10

The second reason to enjoy life is that youth is fleeting. [Note: See Kaiser, Ecclesiastes . . ., p. 116. Solomon balanced his counsel to the youth to follow his or her impulses and wholesome desires, with a reminder that God will judge us all eventually. Solomon probably thought of God’s judgments before death (cf. Ecclesiastes 2:24-26; Ecclesiastes 7:17).

“To older people it may seem to be too risky to advise a young person to walk in the ways of his heart and the sight of his eyes. Yet the advice is coupled with a reminder of responsibility before God. This is not to take away with one hand what is given with the other because a sense of responsibility belongs to youth just as vitality does.” [Note: J. S. Wright, “Ecclesiastes,” p. 1191. In all his writings, Solomon never advocated sinful self-indulgence, only the enjoyment of life’s legitimate pleasures and good gifts.