CHAPTER 11 1 Directions for charity. 7 Death in life, 9 and the day of judgment in the days of youth, are to be thought on.
Cast Your Bread upon the Waters
Ecc 11:1 Ship your grain across the sea; after many days you may receive a return.
The traditional interpretation is of exercising charity or kindness toward others, for which a reward will someday be received. Another possible application would be to wise business ventures of various kinds.
Whatever the figure of “bread” may refer to, the lesson is that of acting in a spirit of liberality and without expecting immediate returns.
Ecc 11:2 Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.
Perhaps advice to diversify one’s business activities rather than confine them to one field, to invest capital in several business ventures. Ethically, it suggests benevolence toward as many as possible. The two numbers “seven” and “eight,” used together, suggest an indefinite number, with a tendency in the direction of more rather than less. For examples of such enumeration see Job 33:14; Ps. 62:11; Prov. 30:15, 18, 21; Isa. 17:6; Micah 5:5.
One cannot tell what calamity may occur, whether flood, earthquake, war, or business recession.
Ecc 11:3 If clouds are full of water, they pour rain on the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there it will lie.
Nature operates according to law. Similarly, there are laws in the moral sphere. If the tree fall. A man cannot determine the direction in which a tree will fall during a violent windstorm. One must learn to prepare for the storm as best he can, and then bend with it rather than attempt to control it.
Whatever adversity may befall, one should not give up, but take things as they are and press courageously onward.
Some events are beyond one’s power to influence. Life has many unforeseen events, but these are not to be made occasions despondency and loss of determination.
Ecc 11:4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
If a man becomes unduly careful of weather conditions, and requires precisely the right conditions ere he goes to work, his farming will suffer. One cannot always wait for a perfect day, or for perfect conditions, before making a venture. Some risks must be taken.
Ecc 11:5 As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.
Translated from the same word that is rendered “wind” in v. 4, but perhaps better understood as “spirit” here. The growth and development of the bony structure of the fetus is a source of wonder (Job 10:8–11; Ps. 139:13–17).
Ecc 11:6 Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.
The Hebrews were an agricultural people, and illustrations from work on the farm are to be understood as representative of business generally. Though we cannot know the future, this does not justify indolence.
Results do not come by accident. Diligent, thorough preparation is necessary, early and late. The uncertainty should be an incentive to added exertion, not to inactivity. Constant experimentation and effort are the prelude to success.
Ecc 11:7 Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.
Only in the light is it possible to appreciate the beauties of the natural world, to work effectively, or to travel safely. By following the advice given in v. 6 one may realize a fuller and more satisfying experience in life.
A pleasant thing. To live is good. To be able to cope with the duties of the day is pleasant to any normal person. The sun is used figuratively of God’s protecting care in Ps. 84:11 and Mal. 4:2.
Ecc 11:8 However many years anyone may live, let them enjoy them all. But let them remember the days of darkness, for there will be many. Everything to come is meaningless.
Life is altogether too brief, and man’s allotted span of time must be used to advantage. If one is blessed with long life, the time should all be profitably and happily spent.
The days of darkness. The adverse experiences of life should be remembered for their disciplinary value. Deliverance from danger and loss should be duly appreciated. Some commentators apply the expression “darkness” to the grave, quoting Ps. 88:12; 143:3; cf. Job 10:21, 22.
Ecc 11:9 You who are young, be happy while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.
A happy disposition and cheerful attitude toward life are commendable. There are joys that make life worthwhile. Solomon’s advice is not an invitation to excess, but to an appreciation of the blessings of life.
Youth. The first occurrence of this word in v. 9, Heb. yalduth, has reference to youthfulness; the second, Heb. bachur, to the prime of life. The first appears again in Ps. 110:3; the second in Eccl. 12:1.
Your heart. All legitimate desires and needs are to be met, but debauchery and overindulgence are to be condemned and avoided.
Judgment. Sobering thought! One cannot avoid meeting his Judge. It will be of no avail to pretend there is no judgment to face, for God will not withhold His hand (see Mal. 3:5; cf. Rev. 20:11–15).
Ecc 11:10 So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless.