Ecclesiastes 11

Bible Passage: Ecclesiastes 11

Writing about Ecclesiastes 11 reminds me of literature lessons I had in secondary school. Part of our curriculum requires us to “analyse” poetry, infer from each line and pen down our thoughts.

Here are some of my thoughts for today’s chapter. Perhaps you could also leave a comment and share your views.

“Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days, Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, For you do not know what evil will be on the earth.”

To be honest, these first two verses were quite difficult for me to grasp. My first impression of casting bread into the waters was that the bread would turn soggy. I also remember throwing bread at swans and turtles at Botanical Gardens.

After reading the first two verses several times, over and over again, the idea here sounds like giving freely to those in need.
Perhaps “For you do not know what evil will be on the earth” means that evil could be averted by our generosity.

When was the last time I gave freely to charity or people in need? How about yourself?

Our lives are filled with showers of blessings and abundant grace from God, we ought to shower others with this blessing as well.

Do we have a spirit of generosity?

Besides giving freely physically, do we also give freely, spiritually?

Do we know of brethren in need of encouragement or help?

Perhaps we know of members who are facing disappointments or rough patches in their lives now.. As brothers and sisters in Christ we ought to reach out to them and encourage or comfort them.

If we can’t seem to find the right words to say, we could pray for God to fill their void with peace and strength. A sister once mentioned that she received greater blessings from God when she prayed for others.

May God guide us to give boldly and in faith.

“He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards the clouds will not reap.
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.”

After doing some research on the internet, this verse here could be interpreted as Solomon criticising those who are overly cautious, sitting around waiting for perfect conditions to happen.

I must admit this happens to me at times. When it comes to preaching to my family or colleagues, I am still waiting for the right moment or right feeling. When it comes to doing church work, I am still waiting for a less busy time.

Time flies,时光如箭.. Before we know it, it is already the end of 2010. Let’s not procrastinate and wait until we have more time, or the perfect moment, or the “right feeling”.

 If we do not grasp hold of oppportunities we will never witness, serve or see results.
With the year end evangelistic service around the corner, let’s make use of this opportunity to bring our loved ones to Christ.

There is no time like the present.

This chapter ends with a word of caution to the younger generation. This reminds me of a warning from an older sister a few days ago..as youngsters there are certain things that we want to happen, but as we get older, our thinking will change.

We might regret our decisions in the days to come. We will suffer the consequences in the latter part of our lives, because we failed to obey the Word of God in the days of our youth.

If we, like how verse 9 puts it, walk in the ways of our hearts and in the light of our eyes, how could we face God in the last days? Are we prepared to risk facing His wrath, just to enjoy a moment of weakness in our pasts?

“And put away evil from your flesh…”
May God have mercy on our weaknesses.