Ecclesiastes11

Ecclesiastes11:1 Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. 2 Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, for you do not know what evil will be on the earth. 3 If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; and if a tree falls to the south or the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie. 4 He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. 5 As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes everything. 6 In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand; for you do not know which will prosper, either this or that, or whether both alike will be good.

“‘Cast you your bread on the surface of the water’ as free and available (Isaiah 55:1). Sow the seed of the Gospel. The water represents the nations (Revelation 17:15).” (G. de Koning) — “‘for you will find it after many days.’ Like seed sown in the field, it lays hid for awhile. Its product is in future, not now.” (Hawker’s Poor Man's Commentary)— “‘Give a serving to seven, and also to eight,’— Seven is the number of completeness. Maybe a certain job or a group of people stands clearly for your attention. You can fully commit yourself to it. But do not be afraid to start a new group or a new job. That is what number eight refers to.[i.e. to infinitiy and beyond.] Eight refers to a new beginning after a complete period has been closed. So a week has seven days. When the week is ended a new week begins, but you might also say that the eighth day follows...” (G. de Koning), rather than the first— “‘for you do not know what evil will be on the earth.’ (2) Give always, for we don't know which efforts may miscarry.

“‘If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; and if a tree falls to the south or the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie. (3a) Clouds and rain are a usual image of the judgments of God, and of the troubles sent by him. Compare in respect of ‘clouds,’ Isaiah 19:1; Psalms 97:2; Psalms 18:10; Nahum 1:3; Jeremiah 4:13; Revelation 1:7: in regard to ‘rain,’ compare Song of Solomon 2:11; Isaiah 4:6; Matthew 7:24-25.” (Hengstenberg) — “‘And if a tree falls to the south or the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie.’ (3b) The connection between the first and second part of the verse is to be explained from the fact that in heavy storms trees are not unfrequently cast down by the lightning and gusts of wind... Trees are a common symbol of the mighty. In Isaiah 10:18, the trees of Assyria are its great men. Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon is represented under the image of a proud tree in Daniel 4:19—‘the tree art thou, O king.’ In Ezekiel 31:3 ff, Assyria is introduced as a cedar of Lebanon, with goodly foliage, and its top reaching unto the clouds.” (Hengstenberg) “Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones, give unto the Lord glory and strength. etc. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars, yes, the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon.” (Psalm 29:1; 5)

“‘He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap’. (4) If a man neither plough nor sow till the weather is entirely to his mind, the season will in all probability pass before he will have done any thing: so, if thou be too concerned in endeavouring to find out who are the impostors among those who profess to be in want, the real object may perish, whom otherwise thou mightest have relieved, and whose life might have been thereby saved.” (Adam Clarke) We must sow to the four winds, in season and out.

“‘As you do not know what is the way of the wind,’ or Spirit - The same Hebrew word (like πνεῦμα pneuma in Greek and ‘Spirit’ in English) signifies both the wind.. and the Spirit.” (Albert Barnes)— “’or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child,’ (5) Even though we do not completely understand everything about the development of the unborn child, this doesn't keep us from having children.” (Dunagan)—"'so you do not know the works of God who makes everything.' Jesus uses this picture in connection with the NEW BIRTH. He says to Nicodemus: "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

“‘In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand.’ We can think, in the spiritual application, of being engaged as an evangelist from early in the morning until late in the evening, the whole day. Whether we are at school or at our work or at home, our whole attitude ought to be: to live out Christ in everything we do... We can also apply ‘in the morning’ and ‘in the evening’ to our years of lifetime. The morning of life refers to the period of our youth and the evening refers to the time when we have become old. This work must go on, regardless our age. There is no retirement for the servant of God… ‘For woe is me if I do not preach the gospel’ (1 Cor 9:16).— ’for you do not know which will prosper, either this or that, or whether both alike will be good.’ (6) We just do not know whether the one work or on the contrary the other work will succeed. Maybe both works are successful. We can work and leave the result to God.” (G. de Koning) "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase." (1 Cor 3:6-7)

A time is coming when God will close the door of the ark. There be no repentance, even in Israel. "'After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth [the Spirit], so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea [nations] or on any tree [mighty one].' (Rev 7:1) "The Angel of the seals bids the angels of the winds to hush every breeze while He stamps the servants of God, Revelation 7:1-3.” (Whedon)

"'Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God…' (Rev 7:2a) “This other angel is Christ, called the Angel of God. {Exo 14:19; 14:24} And the Angel of the Covenant. {Mal 3:1} He is said to ascend from the east, because He is the Day-Spring from on high, who will give light to them that sit in darkness. {Lu 1:78-79} And He is also called the Sun of Righteousness, {Mal 4:2} who will rise unto and shine on the latter-day saints. {Isa 60:1-3}” (Hanserd Knollys)— “And He cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, (Rev 7:2b)— that is, "whom God had made the ministers or executioners of his wrath and justice in the world.” (Matthew Poole)

But, “Do not harm the earth, the sea (people), or the trees (mighty ones) till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.’ (Rev 7:3) "God‘s love is such, that He cannot do anything in the way of judgment, till His people are secured from hurt (Gen. 19:22)." (Jamieson Faucett, Brown) These are such as those who had blood on the lintels during the Passover (Exod. 12:13) for they heeded the LORD's warning, as well the one who had a scarlet cord handing from the window for she received the spies of Israel in peace (Josh 2:17-19; 6:17-23).

Ecclesiastes: 11:7 Truly the light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun; 8 but if a man lives many years and rejoices in them all, yet let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. All that is coming is vanity. 9 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these God will bring you into judgment. 10 Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh, for childhood and youth are vanity.

“‘Truly the light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun,’ ‘Light’ and ‘to see the sun’ are characterizing life here (Ecclesiastes 11:7; cf. Job 3:16; Job 3:20; Psalms 49:19).’ (G. de Koning) “‘But if a man lives many years and rejoices in them all, yet let him remember the days of darkness,’ i.e. times of affliction, weakness, and perhaps old age, ‘for they will be many.’” (Adam Clarke) “All that is coming” above the sun “is vanity,” that is, temporal.

This too shall pass! On the fall narrative of Genesis 3, man was subjected to futility. How can we deal with these waves of darkness that we are subjected to? It is knowledge of the coming Judgment of God. Jesus will set things right. So stay the course and rejoice in your days of darkness. “Rejoice, O young man [babe in Christ], in your youth, and let your heart cheer you' etc. (9a) The writer directs his discourse to the youth because he has still to choose his path in life, and good advice is consequently most appropriate in his case. 'Let your heart cheer you': the heart is mentioned because it is the fountain from which cheerfulness is, as it were, diffused over the whole man: compare Proverbs 14:30, 'a sound heart is the life of the body:' and Proverbs 15:13, 'a merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance.'...Cheerfulness, here, is not merely permitted: it is commanded, and represented as an essential element of piety." (Hengstenberg) On this key: “Christ himself said, ‘Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven’ (Matt 5:11)….From a dungeon in Rome, Paul wrote Philippians with its quadruple exclamation: ‘Rejoice ...rejoice ... rejoice ... and again I say, Rejoice.’ As Our Lord said, ‘Your joy no man taketh from you.’ (Joh 16:22). The happiness, joy, and rejoicing which are admonished here are envisioned as taking place, even in the contemplation of death itself, and in the full consciousness of the Eternal Judgment to come (Ecc 11:9). In fact, joy is impossible apart from the rational and enlightened knowledge and considerations of those future realities. The rejoicing admonished here is made possible only by a true regard for the future, the certainty that, ‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death ... thou art with me ... and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.’ (Ps 23).” (Coffman)

"'Walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes.' (9b) during your "'young manhood" (9c)-- your age of acoutability when you become as son of the commandments. "They are good impulses if in his heart 'the highways' are found (Ps 84:5), meaning that he finds his strength in God. The heart is the center of life, the source of thoughts, feelings, decisions and character. The eyes are the instrument of the heart (Job 31:7). Orientation happens by what we see. What we are looking at and the way we look at something, is determined by our faith (Gen 3:6; 2 Sam 11:2; Josh 7:21)." (G. de Koning)

"'But know that for all these God will bring you into judgment. ” (9c); not temporal, but eternal; not in this present life, but in the world to come; the judgment that will be after death, the last and awful judgment; and which is certain, may be known; of which a man may be assured from the light of nature, and from divine revelation." (John Gill) “‘Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh,’ (10) “Our flower must fade, and our leaf must fall; and then it will be a consolation to say as Job did: I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame. I was a husband to the widow, and a father to the orphan; the cause which I knew not, I searched out.” (Sutcliffe)— “‘for childhood and youth are vanity;’ soon you will graduate from milk to meat.