4. Therefore sow thy charity in faith, without hesitancy or speculation as to results, because they may not seem promising (Ecclesiastes 9:10). So in Ecclesiastes 11:1, man is told to "cast his bread corn" on the seemingly unpromising "waters" (Psalms 126:5; Psalms 126:6). The farmer would get on badly, who, instead of sowing and reaping, spent his time in watching the wind and clouds. read more
4. Wise behavior in view of the uncertain future 11:1-6"At last the Teacher is approaching the climax of his book. We cannot see God’s whole plan, and there is nothing in this world that we can build on so as to find satisfaction or the key to the meaning of things. Yet we are to fulfill God’s purpose by accepting our daily lot in life as from him and by thus pleasing him make each day a good day. But how can we please him when there is so much we cannot understand? The Teacher has already... read more
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. read more
Life After All is Worth Living1-3. Fulfil the duty of beneficence, knowing that results are in the hands of God.1. Cast thy bread, etc.] show kindness, even where a return is least to be expected. A blessing in some sort, although it may be long delayed, will result. There is perhaps a reference to the sowing of seed on irrigated land.2. Give a portion, etc.] be not niggardly or calculating in the bestowal of favours. You know not when you may need them yourself.3. The fixed laws by which the... read more
(4) But it is idle to try to guard against all possibilities of failure. To demand a certainty of success before acting would mean not to act at all. read more
Sowing and Reaping Ecclesiastes 11:1 By general consent the primary reference of the text is to the Egyptian custom of scattering seed upon the oozy soil formed by the overflowing of the Nile. To the thoughtful mind there is a remarkable resemblance between the laws of the physical and the moral harvest: I. The Natural Harvest. The golden grain once more gathered in reveals: a. The power of God. Think of the vast machinery that He employs to produce our daily bread. b. The wisdom of God. The... read more
But in a wise Use and a wise Enjoyment of the Present Life, Ecclesiastes 11:1-8What that Good is, and where it may be found, the Preacher now proceeds to show. But, as his manner is, he does not say in so many words, "This is the Chief Good of man," or "You will find it yonder;" but he places before us the man who is walking in the right path and drawing closer and closer to it. Even of him the Preacher does not give us any formal description; but, following what we have seen to be his... read more
Combined with a steadfast Faith in the Life to come. Ecclesiastes 10:9 - Ecclesiastes 12:7But, soft; is not our man of men becoming a mere man of pleasure? No; for he recognises the claims of duty and of charity. These keep his pleasures sweet and wholesome, prevent them from usurping the whole man, and landing him in the satiety and weariness of dissipation. But lest even these safeguards should prove insufficient, he has also this: he knows that "God will bring him into judgment"; that all... read more
CHAPTER 11 1. Proverbs concerning man’s work(Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 ) 2. The vanity of life (Ecclesiastes 11:7-10 ) Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 . These continued proverbs concern the work of man and begin with exhortations to charity and are followed by the wise acknowledgement that no one knows the works of God, who is the maker of all. All this knowledge is within the compass of the natural man. Ecclesiastes 11:7-10 . After these philosophic proverbs he comes back to his former finding--vanity. So... read more
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Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Ecclesiastes 11:4
Ecclesiastes 11:4. He that observeth the wind, &c.— The first precept, or advice, contained in Ecc 11:1-3 has a retrospect to the first proposition; and might be thus expressed, if we were not to make use of figurative language: since the goods of this world are mere vanity, do your best to fix, or to give them what stability they are capable of, with respect to another dispensation, by sharing them with the poor; or, to speak with one who was both greater and wiser than Solomon himself,... read more