seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Ecclesiastes 11:1 Ship your grain across the sea;
after many days you may receive a return.
2 Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight;
you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.
3 If clouds are full of water,
they pour rain on the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where it falls, there it will lie.
4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
5 As you do not know the path of the wind,
or how the body is formed[a] in a mother’s womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
the Maker of all things.
6 Sow your seed in the morning,
and at evening let your hands not be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
whether this or that,
or whether both will do equally well.
7 Light is sweet,
and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.
8 However many years anyone may live,
let them enjoy them all.
But let them remember the days of darkness,
for there will be many.
Everything to come is meaningless.
9 You who are young, be happy while you are young,
and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart
and whatever your eyes see,
but know that for all these things
God will bring you into judgment.
10 So then, banish anxiety from your heart
and cast off the troubles of your body,
for youth and vigor are meaningless.
a. Ecclesiastes 11:5 Or know how life (or the spirit) / enters the body being formed
Oh brother.... is that first stanza advice or warning. If I send all my grain overseas I may receive a return???? If it was a certain thing.... wouldn't "shall" be a better word? Then again.... if my stuff is all in a different place and something horrible happens here... then my stuff is safe ..... I don't have use of it to help others.... but it's safe. Now I really want to see what the commentaries are going to say.
This is from the biblestudys.org site.
The first six verses contain a series of sayings about the uncertainty of human industry, and are held together by the fourfold occurrence of the expression “thou knowest not”. Although man cannot comprehend God’s work, nor predict success, he needs to be involved in life’s activities and trust God for the results.
Back in the days of Solomon.... people thought the earth was flat..... and if a ship went to far out to sea.... people thought it would fall off the earth. It was a big deal to send a shipload of goods to "market". They didn't have smart phones and banking apps to transfer the funds. There was no app for a deposit on receipt. If the goods got to the correct destination in good shape.... the recipient could easily murder the crew and keep the goods..... or they could load the boat with silver and gold.... only to have that ship fall off the earth and never return. Back in the days of Solomon..... there were no engines in the boats.... a trip could take months or years..... it all depended on the weather.
This is from the easy English site.
This is a reference to business. People must be willing to take risks during their life. ‘Throw your bread on the water.’ This may mean to send ships that contain grain to sea. The ships that carried grain might not return home for months or years. This was a great risk. King Solomon’s ships took grain and other products to sell. They did not come back for 3 years. But they returned with gold, silver and other things that they had gained (1 Kings 10:22). This would be advice to the businessman. He should avoid the situation where he obtains his income from just one place. Then, if there is any trouble, he will not lose all his money.
Now I'm pretty sure a lot of preachers have stopped right there when preaching this chapter..... but there's more!What would have happened to Israel if Solomon sent everything to invest. What if Solomon loaded all the grain and sent it off to turn a profit in the long term..... but he didn't leave anything to cover problems in Jerusalam while the ship of goods and the return were underway.
At what point does wise investment become dangerous? Verse 5 says [paraphrased] "you never know what God has planned".
Invest.... If I were young again.... I would stash a couple bucks out of every paycheck. Even at today's interest rates.... saving a buck "shall" help in the future..... if there is a future.....
Most people don't have Solomon's resources. I've heard about people who give so much to the church... they don't have enough for themselves..... I've hears about people who stashed a fortune only to loose it all during a fire or quake. I've heard about people who invested every cent they had.... and then died leaving no family to benefit.
I should play an active part in the enjoyment of this life God gave me. Hopefully.... this is the only time I will be here on earth.
