Ecclesiastes 11:3

Ecclesiastes 11:3

I. In the first proverb in chap. xi. "Cast thy bread upon the waters," etc. do we not see, no less than in the parable of the sower, the common work of man as a tiller of the ground turned into the symbol and token of his life as an heir of God's kingdom? The words of the Preacher say to each man in the common daily tasks in which his life is spent, to each in his vocation and ministry, Do that which is right and true always; let acts of kindness be scattered freely. The seed never fails of fruit somewhere or at some time. The harvest may be a long way off, yet after many days thoushalt find.

II. The next verse gives in part the interpretation of the parable, in part presents a new one. "Give a portion to seven;" yes, and if an eighth appear at thy gate, send him not away empty: let him be a welcome guest to thee. Do good not according to the measure which thou appointest to thyself, but to the opportunities that God gives thee.

III. The text is in perfect harmony with this teaching. Before, there was the earnest call to well-doing; here the man who would use his life rightly and be what God meant him to be is warned against the perils of the overanxious, over-reflective temper. All the great thinkers of the world tell us, as with one voice, that the future which God appoints will come, for good or evil, joy or sorrow; that it is unwise in any man to anticipate the worst. Let him do the right thing at the present hour, and then he has done all that in him lies to make his path clear, and he may leave the rest to God. No temper is more fatal to energy, manliness, usefulness, than this of anxiety and fear.

E. H. Plumptre, Kings College Sermons,p. 40.

References: Ecclesiastes 11:3. J. Baldwin Brown, Pulpit Analyst,vol. iii., p. 189. Ecclesiastes 11:4. Preacher's Monthly,vol. vi., p. 292; H. P. Liddon, Old Testament Outlines,p. 163.Ecclesiastes 11:5. Ibid.,vol. x., p. 55.