The Book of Ecclesiastes 11:1–10

 ¹Cast your bread upon the waters,

For you will find it after many days.

²Give a serving to seven, and also to eight,

For you do not know what evil will be on the earth.

³If 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. 

⁴He who observes the wind will not sow,

And he who regards the clouds will not reap.

⁵As 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.

⁶In 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.

⁷Truly the light is sweet,

And it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun;

⁸But 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.

⁹Rejoice, 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.

¹⁰Therefore remove sorrow from your heart,

And put away evil from your flesh,

For childhood and youth are vanity.

Commentary

Vs. 1-2 ¹Cast your bread upon the waters,

For you will find it after many days.

²Give a serving to seven, and also to eight,

For you do not know what evil will be on the earth.

In the first verse there is a call to share whatever you have that is good. For inevitable it will come back to you. And clearly with the reference to “casting one’s bread upon the waters” i.e. one’s sustenance, one cannot help but think about sharing the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, our Bread of life (John 6:35-40). For just as the waters move and distribute whatever is cast upon them as they are moved by God, so too sharing the Gospel will inevitably be moved by Him in people’s hearts, minds and lives to accomplish His Purposes, and in the end, you too will be rewarded for your all sacrifices and faithful service.  

The second verse then commends us all to be charitable and generous in our dealings with all because one day we too will be in need of God’s charity and grace. Giving now then assures that one will also have in their time of need (consider Psalm 41:1-3; Matt. 7:2).

Vs. 3-4 ³If 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.

⁴He who observes the wind will not sow,

And he who regards the clouds will not reap.

As an example of diligence, even the clouds empty themselves on the earth when they are full, and where a tree falls there, it shall lie, (i.e., things don’t’ happen then unless you do something). Those then who observe the wind and regard the clouds will neither sow nor reap, because they are paralyzed by their own fears. Therefore, don’t be like them like an observer who is always waiting on the perfect conditions to act or move, step out in faith and be a doer of the Word of God!

Vs. 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.”

Again, there are things well beyond our control, and well beyond any of our finite abilities to understand. These things then belong to God alone to know and understand and even “worry” about (Deut. 29:29).

Vs. 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.”

Therefore, get up in the morning and get going! And in the evening likewise avail yourself to whatever opportunities are presented to you, because you do not know which will prosper, either this or that, or whether both alike will be good.

Vs. 7-8 ⁷Truly the light is sweet,

And it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun;

⁸But 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.

Truly life is to be enjoyed, especially in one’s youth, however living one’s life just for one’s own enjoyment is living in denial of a very dark future that one is also creating for oneself.

Vs. 9-10 ⁹Rejoice, 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.

¹⁰Therefore remove sorrow from your heart,

And put away evil from your flesh,

For childhood and youth are vanity.

King Solomon, now in a sort of mocking rebuke of the youth who only lives according to their own heart’s desires, who lives by their sight of eyes (i.e. fleshly lusts) now warns them that for all of these God will bring them into judgment. Therefore, he counsels them to put away sorrow from their hearts (leave all of the relationship dramas behind you) and put away all the evil (i.e. sins) from your flesh. For childhood and youth are vanity. For they are only a passing season of life, therefore don’t let them ruin the rest of yours.

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.