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.
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.
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.
9 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.
10 Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
You do not know what the future holds and so it is better to be prudent than to “put all your eggs in one basket.” Solomon is using metaphors to show that it is better to invest in many ventures because you do not know which one will succeed or which will suffer calamity. “Cast your bread upon the waters” is about sending grain across the sea to sell it. “Give a portion to seven, or… eight” is about dividing your merchandise across seven or eight ventures because you don’t know which will fail.
When it comes to planting and reaping, it’s not helpful to sit around watching the weather and trying to wait for the perfect time. It’s better to work consistently and diligently because you cannot know when the perfect conditions will arrive and waiting just results in inactivity and lost opportunity.
We cannot know if we’ve found the perfect study or job opportunity, house, spouse, or any of life’s other major choices. We need to apply Biblical wisdom and common sense to the options and then move forward trusting that God will work with us in our new situation, not because we’ve made the perfect choice, but because we are walking in obedience with him (John 15:5)
Having chosen a path and committed to working diligently, Solomon again encourages us to enjoy our lives in the decisions we have made. But he reminds us that in everything we do, we are answerable to God.