Ecclesiastes 11:1-10
1 Cast thy bread upona the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.
2 Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.
3 If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.
4 He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
5 As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.
6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper,b either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.
7 Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:
8 But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.
9 Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.
10 Therefore remove sorrowc from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.
The Teacher searches for
the purpose of our lives
Book of Ecclesiastes
Hilda Bright and Kitty Pride
Chapter 11
The knowledge of human beings has limits – Ecclesiastes 11:1-6
v1 Throw your bread on the water,
and many days later you will find that bread again.
v2 Share what you have with many people.
You do not know when trouble might come to you all.
v3 Clouds that are full of water pour the rain down on the earth.
A tree may fall to the ground.
It stays where it falls, whether in the north or in the south.
v4 The farmer who worries about the wind will not plant his crops.
If he watches the clouds, he will think about the rain.
Then he will never harvest a crop.
v5 You do not know how a child becomes alive inside its mother.
So you cannot understand God’s work,
but he made everything.
v6 Sow your seeds early in the morning.
And do not stop work until late in the evening.
You do not know which seed will grow well.
Perhaps this seed might grow well or perhaps that one.
Or perhaps both seeds will grow equally well.
Verses 1-2 There are two explanations:
1. This is a reference to business. People must be willing to take risks during their life. ‘Throw your bread on the water.’ This may mean to send ships that contain grain to sea. The ships that carried grain might not return home for months or years. This was a great risk. King Solomon’s ships took grain and other products to sell. They did not come back for 3 years. But they returned with gold, silver and other things that they had gained (1 Kings 10:22). This would be advice to the businessman. He should avoid the situation where he obtains his income from just one place. Then, if there is any trouble, he will not lose all his money.
2. These verses are an order to give food to hungry people. Because difficulties may be coming, people should be generous to other people. They should share with as many people as they can. In the *New Testament, Paul and Barnabas took food to poor Christians in Jerusalem. The Christians there had difficulty. They could not buy food because supplies were not sufficient (Acts 11:27-30). Paul urged Christians to be generous. Then God would *bless them. And other people would know that they really believed Jesus (2 Corinthians 9:6-13).
Verse 3 There are certain things that we can know. We know about dark clouds. They show that soon the rain will come. We know about trees that fall in a storm. They will stay where they fall. But we cannot control the clouds. And we cannot control the storm’s effect on a tree. Difficulties may come when we expect them. (We expect rain from clouds.) Or problems may come when we do not expect them. (We do not know that the storm will blow a tree to the ground.)
Verse 4 Nobody should wait for the ideal situation before they begin to do their work. The farmer will never plant his seeds if he is always waiting for a ‘good wind’. He will never begin to harvest if he is always watching the clouds. And he will have no harvest if he does not plant the seed.
Verse 5 This is a possible translation of this verse. ‘You do not understand the wind or how the child breathes.’ The *Hebrew word ‘ruach’ means ‘wind’, and also, it means ‘*spirit’ and ‘breath’. The baby that is growing inside its mother is a mystery. The baby is alive and it has a *spirit. Jesus spoke about the wind and the *spirit when he answered Nicodemus. Jesus told him that his *soul could live for always (John 3:8). Today we understand more about the wind. We also understand more about how a baby grows inside its mother. But we still do not understand how God gives to each baby its character.
Verse 6 We do not know the future. But it is best to work hard. The farmer sows his seeds. He does not know how much will grow. But he works hard. And he hopes that it will produce a good crop. In the *New Testament, Paul told his young friend, Timothy, to tell the good news about Jesus at every opportunity. Timothy should not wait to see whether or not it seemed to be the right time (2 Timothy 4:2). ‘Let us not become tired when we are doing good things. At the proper time we will harvest a crop, if we do not give up’ (Galatians 6:9).
Young people should enjoy their life – Ecclesiastes 11:7-10
v7 To live in this world is a pleasant experience. People are happy when they see the sun in the morning. v8 If people live for many years, they should enjoy all those years. But they should remember the dark days too. And there will be many dark days. What happens after death is a mystery.
v9 Young man, be happy while you are still young. Live as your mind guides you. And enjoy what you see. But do not forget that God is your judge. He will know everything that you do. v10 Do not let anything worry you. And avoid whatever causes you pain. Your youth and strength will not last for always.
Verses 7-8 The *Hebrew words in verse 7 say ‘light is sweet’. It means that all the days in your life should be good. Each new day is a new opportunity. People should enjoy their life for as long as they live. But they must remember that old age will come with all its difficulties. Then death will come. And they will have no more opportunity to enjoy their life in this world. The Teacher thinks that there are many questions. He is not sure about what happens after death.
Verse 9 A young man should think about what he wants to do. He has the freedom to decide. But he should not choose to live in a way that has little value. He should choose what is the wisest way to live. ‘What you see’ means this: He should notice what is the best way to live. He must remember that God will be his judge. Also, God is the judge, even while people are living. God allows them to suffer the results of their wrong actions. But this verse probably refers to the final day of judgement. The *Hebrew words say that ‘God will bring you into the judgement.’ A person should not forget to act in the right way. We know that God is powerful. And his judgement will be completely fair.
Verse 10 We must concentrate on good thoughts if we want to enjoy our life. We will not be happy if we concentrate on angry thoughts or sad thoughts. We should try to remove anything that causes pain to our bodies. When people are young and strong they should enjoy themselves. This time of youth does not last for many years.
New Testament ~ the part of the Bible that is about Jesus and the first Christians.
bless ~ to be especially good and kind to someone.
Hebrew ~ the language that the Israelites spoke.
Israelite ~ a person that belonged to the nation called Israel.
Israel ~ the nation that God chose to be his special people or their country.
spirit ~ part of a person that we cannot see and that remains alive after death; sometimes it may refer just to a person’s or to an animal’s breath.
soul ~ a part of a person that we cannot see; the real person inside.