©Shannon Gist
Chapter 11 (ESV) - Cast your bread upon the waters,
for you will find it after many days.
Give a portion to seven, or even to eight,
for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.
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.
He who observes the wind will not sow,
and he who regards the clouds will not reap.
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.
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.
Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.
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.
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 the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.
Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.
Question to consider: What does Solomon mean that we should cast bread upon the waters?
In today’s passage, Solomon continues to give practical wisdom for people to maximize opportunity for success. Though money can’t buy happiness, and the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil in the world, there is a satisfaction that comes from a job well done that enjoys success. Financial troubles can be the root of stress and strife in relationships, and success in one area can help fund other opportunities.
With this in mind, Solomon advises that people diversify their efforts. Casting our bread on many waters or giving a portion to seven or eight is a way of saying that we should invest our time and money in a broad spectrum of ways because we can’t accurately predict the future. If someone has money set aside for savings, the easiest thing to do is put it into an interest-bearing account where they can deposit the money and let it grow without any additional effort. However, if someone wants to multiply their investment, it would be good to find a variety of short and long-term investment opportunities to help it to grow. Personally, I’ve never had even a hint of success in discerning investment opportunities, but that doesn’t take away from Solomon’s advice.
It is easy for someone to sit back and watch for the best opportunities, but Solomon says that life is going to happen whether we participate or sit back and watch. If someone holds off their work while waiting for perfect weather, tasks will never get completed.
Solomon points out that we can’t anticipate or understand everything that God does so we should focus on the task at hand. You only get so many years in which you are young enough to labor so attempt as many things as you can to find success and be able to support your family when you get older, and the days of darkness are upon you.
Solomon advises young people to enjoy their youth while at the same time fight off the temptation for laziness. We live in a culture that perpetually offers entertainment. It is wise to limit the amount of time we spend being entertained, for it doesn’t produce anything. The best thing someone can do is develop a talent or learn a new skill. Someone can spend just as much time learning to be good at Guitar Hero as they can learning to play the guitar. After many years, I can guarantee that the one who learns to play guitar will benefit way more than the person who put their efforts into being good at Guitar Hero.
Mastering an instrument can be a great way to de-stress and unwind, and at the end of the activity, you may have produced a new song or be able to serenade a loved one. Using our “entertainment” time to do something creative is one of the ways we cast our bread on many waters.
Dear heavenly Father, help us to use whatever gift we have received to serve others, faithfully administering Your grace in its various forms. Please guide our minds and hands to honor You with our time and give us satisfaction in the success that results. Amen.