If Ecclesiastes 11 wasn’t written by the wisest man who ever lived, it would be very tempting to interpret it as a series of Dad jokes – minimally clever, mildly entertaining, but ultimately nonsensical. Verse 3 even reminds me of my dad’s favorite philosophical quote: “Wherever you are . . . there you are.”
One study group I remember gave up their attempts at interpretation and joked that clearly the meaning of life according to verse 1 was to chill at the park and feed ducks!
One of the reasons why all of Ecclesiastes – and especially these first eight verses of chapter 11 – is so confusing is that 21st century Americans are taught a single way to structure a persuasive argument. State your thesis, present your supporting evidence, then restate your thesis in your conclusion. Bonus points for smooth, clear transitions and addressing counterarguments along the way.
But the ancient world is not beholden to such conventions. And like the rest of Ecclesiastes (perhaps mirroring life itself), this section makes the most sense when viewed from end to beginning, and considered as a cohesive whole instead of in its fragments. When considered this way, Ecclesiastes 11 transforms from an anthology of eclectic ramblings on par with ducks and dadisms, to a stunning commentary on how thrive to the glory of God in the midst of a chaotic universe.
v7-8
7 Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.
8 So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity.
In verses 7-8 the Preacher starts by addressing our attitude toward life. The secret of true joy in a broken world is to hold two things in tension: life is good and God’s blessings are free and abundant (v7); yet life is also full of brokenness with frequent and inescapable sorrow (v8a). Both jubilance and lament are as temporary as mist and neither holds as much ultimate meaning as we think they do in the moment (v8b). The true meaning of life is grander than our greatest joys and deeper than even our blackest sorrows.
The true meaning of life is grander than our greatest joys and deeper than even our blackest sorrows.
The Preacher warns against both optimism and pessimism. What the optimist fails to understand is that enjoying life’s goodness without also accepting its darkness leads to naïveté and a frailty of spirit. He is crushed when the darkness comes for lack of preparation. Ironically, his joy is also more shallow and superficial than God means it to be, for the fallen mind cannot fully understand the riches of God’s goodness, the beauty of His nature, or event the depths of his earthly gifts except in comparison to a godless world’s brokenness.
However, the pessimist fails to see that darkness would not taste so bitter if the light were not so sweet. His sorrows are not a testament to the ugliness of the universe, but to its beauty – even if that beauty is hidden from him right now. He also fails to remember that the light will come again, for even darkness is like the mist that vanishes.
Most importantly, however, what keeps our joys sharp and radiant and our sorrows bearable is understanding that the meaning of life does not lie here. Such weight would be a crushing expectation that would break the tender back of joy and turn sorrow into despair. Our joys are only a sample of something greater, designed to lift our eyes up. Our sorrows are an experience of something passing, and everything we’ve lost will be found again in a greater measure and for all of eternity once the last darkness lifts.
v3-6
3 If the clouds are full of rain,
they empty themselves on the earth,
and if a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where the tree falls, there it will 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 the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.6 In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.
It is only with the balanced attitude of verses 7-8 that we can start to wisely make use of our temporal resources. A person who does not remember that days of darkness are ahead will fail to plan. A person who sees only darkness ahead will find planning pointless. Both types of people are prone to an excessive need for control to avoid loss and pain. This need can manifest in obsessive planning, strategizing, and data-gathering that never leads to any action (v4). Ironically, this fear of loss creates more loss, for the more prudent response to uncertainty is diversification, not procrastination (v6).
Fear of loss creates more loss, for the more prudent response to uncertainty is diversification, not procrastination (v6).
Don’t be like the procrastinating farmer who keeps waiting on the perfect forecast to plant and harvest until both seasons are over. At the risk of having a poor crop, he got none. The Preacher warns us that there is no such thing as perfectly understanding and predicting the universe because you can never fully understand or predict the work of the One who runs it. (v5). Accept your place as a limited creature and not a sovereign creator and diversify your investments wisely instead of trying to be omnipotent (v6). Take comfort in knowing that God makes everything (v5b) and His sovereign hand controls the universe. Don’t be so afraid of sorrow and loss that you never do anything at all.
v1-2
1 Cast your bread upon the waters,
for you will find it after many days.
2 Give a portion to seven, or even to eight,
for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.
Instead of being the Fearful Farmer of verses 3-4, Solomon encourages us to be the Secure Scatterer instead. Verse 1 exhorts you to “cast your bread upon the waters.” While the exact meaning of this idiom may be lost, casting involves throwing something away from you so you no longer possess it. You lose control. Bread was the staple of the day–the foundation of life. “The waters” are often representative of chaos in the Scriptures. At the very least, flowing water would carry bread away in unpredictable ways. So the proverb appears to encourage openly letting go of the basic necessities of life in ways that may seem unpredictable, even chaotic, but which will bring forth a return later on. This may be a reference to investing instead of hoarding.
Giving portions to seven (the number of completion) and eight (even more than completion), because future problems are unpredictable, coupled with the injunction to sow both evening and morning seems to support the interpretation that the wisest course of action in the face of uncertainty is not to freeze, control, obsess, or try to predict the future, but to diversify your investments and not put all your eggs in one basket.
Practicing Serenity In A Chaotic World
The attitude the Preacher encourages us to have toward work and money may initially seem to have little to do with godliness. But it reflects an internal attitude that it impossible to maintain without a deep and abiding faith. This kind of attitude:
- Accepts its place as a limited creature and not the omniscient creator
- Acknowledges God’s sovereignty over its future and releases control
- Understands and accepts that life consists of both fleeting joy and temporary sorrows
- Finds joy, peace, and purpose in something higher and greater than any earthly outcome, and is therefore free to take calculated risks and accept short-term hardship for long-term gain instead of scrambling for guaranteed success or constant gratification to make life worthwhile.