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Ecclesiastes 11:1-6
“Please, help me! Please, don’t send me back!” shouted the seven-year-old Preena as she jumped into the arms of a young Amy Carmichael. Preena was given to the temple priests so that her mother would find favor with the Hindu gods. Preena escaped the temple and found Carmichael, begging her for protection. Carmichael had a choice: would she send Preena back to the temple where she would face severe punishment and a most likely life as a prostitute, or would she risk being thrown into prison herself, being charged with kidnapping? She did not know what was going to happen, but her decision was not hard. She would give love and protection to this young girl, withstanding threats from the priests and her own family. That one courageous act led Carmichael to begin the Dohnavur Fellowship as a sanctuary for young children. Carmichael would give over fifty years in service to young girls and women in India. When she died, she did not want a stone marking her grave. Because of this, the girls in the home put a bird bath there instead with a simple inscription “Amma”, which means mother.
Amy Carmichael became a mother to countless young girls because she was willing to risk her life for the glory of God. She did not know what would happen when she left Ireland for the mission field, but she knew that God would use her life as he saw fit. She wrote, “It is a safe thing to trust Him to fulfill the desire that he creates.” God birthed a desire in Amy to love and serve the poor in Ireland which carried her to India. Amy trusted God even when she did not know what was going to happen. Amy Carmichael’s life exemplifies our text this morning. Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 calls us to risk boldly for the kingdom of God and the glory of the Lord Christ. I pray we would be encouraged to follow her example and many like her who took bold risks in the face of uncertainty.
Perceptive Faith
Life is uncertain. We have always known this, but God has made it abundantly clear in 2020. And as we face uncertainty, we are called to continue to fear God, keep his commandments, and live for his glory as kingdom citizens. Solomon, the preacher of Ecclesiastes, exhorts us to live in the face of uncertainty in Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 when he writes, “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.” Most commentators argue between two possible interpretations of these verses. One interpretation has to do with commercial trade. In this interpretation, to cast one’s bread on the water is to send your trade out into the sea that you will find out how it goes after many days. Of course, in those days ships were not built as they are today, and there was a likelihood that the ships would not be able to withstand the storms of the sea. And because the ships had a possibility not to return, it would be best to divide your cargo among seven or eight ships so that even if you lost some of the cargo, you would not lose it all. In modern day language, this would be the wisdom in diversifying your investments or not putting all your eggs into one basket. Although all investments are risky, one should use wisdom to mitigate the risk.
The other interpretation is referring to almsgiving or giving to the poor. There was an Arabian proverb which stated, “Do a good deed and throw it into the river; when this dries up you shall find it.[1]” In this interpretation, to cast your bread to the water is to give generously to those who are in need. Then, to give a portion to seven or to even eight is to give to completeness, as seven is the number for wholeness. The Preacher is encouraging one not to be overcome by uncertainty of the future but to be liberated by it. If you do not know what the future holds, then you should not be controlled by what might come to pass; you should live generously today while you can.
Regardless of the exact interpretation, we can apply the general principle in our life today. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:34-35) We cannot keep our life from disaster. Life is not about gain; it is a gift. God gives us life so that we can give ourselves to others. David Gibson helps us again here:
Here is wisdom you will not hear anywhere else: take the best of what you have and the best of what you are and give them away. Hold them out in open hands to God and to others. Worldly wisdom builds bunkers and barns to prepare for disaster. Biblical wisdom instead throws open the windows and doors of our homes and builds schools and hospitals and churches, and sees rich Christians become much, much poorer than they might otherwise have been. Ecclesiastes-type wisdom, Christlike wisdom, grows believers who spend their life on living in the world rather than on living in the world so as not to die.
God does not give so we can have in abundance; he gives so that we can give our lives away.
God loves a generous giver because it reflects his character. I have been meditating on Romans 8:32 over the last several days. “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” God did not withhold his own Son from us, but he gave him up for us all. God sent Jesus to the cross so that we could be forgiven. He was a man of sorrows so that we could be saints of the Most High. He was the suffering servant so that we could be givers of godliness. The beauty of that verse is that it also speaks of that which is to come. Jesus died and rose again! He humbled himself to the point of death, even death on the cross. “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father.” Jesus gave his life and received it back. Beloved, if we give our lives away, how will he not also with Jesus graciously give us all things? He has prepared for us an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading that is kept in heaven for us by faith.
Beloved, cast your bread upon the waters. Give yourselves away. Give your time, money, and treasures away, for you will find it after many days. There is a day coming when you will receive your reward. As Jim Elliot powerfully wrote, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose. He is no fool who parts with that which he cannot keep, when he is sure to be recompensed with that which he cannot lose.”
And yet sadly, too many of us do not invest our lives in others or take risks because we are paralyzed by fear.
Paralyzing Fear
Ecclesiastes is an honest book. It speaks of what is certain and what is uncertain. It gives us a new framework on how to live honestly in light of an honest look. Ecclesiastes 11:3–4 says, “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.” (ESV) Solomon uses nature to make his point. First, he speaks of what is plain to all. The clouds that are full of rain will eventually empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls in the forest, that’s where it is going to stay. Before we had the weather channel and sophisticated Doppler radars to show us weather patterns, we had the knowledge of looking at the sky. Jesus said to the crowds in Luke 12:54–55:
He also said to the crowds, ‘When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
People could read the weather, but they could not understand that Jesus was the Messiah. Solomon makes a similar point. We all know what happens when we see a rain cloud and when we see a tree fall in the forest. We know the weather we see today, but we do not know what will come tomorrow.
If you want to wait for perfect conditions of the weather, then you will never sow your seed and plant your crop. And if you do not sow, you will not reap. Life is unpredictable. Ecclesiastes 11:5 reminds us that “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.” Praise God for ultrasound technology that gives a glimpse of what is happening in the womb, but even with all our eyes, we cannot see how God breathes life into the child. Only God knows everything, only God. Our limitations of wisdom should not paralyze us in fear of the future but liberate us to live in the fear of the God who knows the future.
In the movie Shawshank Redemption, Andy Dufresne was speaking to his good friend Red about life. Their conversation captures what Solomon is trying to help us understand. He said, “I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living or get busy dying.” In 2004, my friend Michael Madeo and I challenged each other to do stand-up comedy at a local open-mic night. It was one of the conversations that began, “Wouldn’t it be great to…” or “I have always wanted to try…” Well, 2004 was almost over and neither of us had acted on that conversation. However, an opportunity presented itself that same year for me to do stand-up comedy at a church function. I was going to be the opening act for a Christian comedian. I was terrified. At that point in my life, I had preached in front of thousands of people. When you are preaching and there is no visible response, it’s easy to say “the Lord is working on them.” But if you try to make people laugh and they don’t, well, then you’re just not funny. It was terrifying, but I did it. It happened before iPhones, so sadly there is no record of the set. The way I remember it though is that I was funnier than the paid comedian.
As one writer says, Solomon does not want us only to tackle our “to-do list” but our “bucket list.” Wayne Gretzky once said “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Are you paralyzed by fear? Are you waiting for the perfect conditions before you live? If you do not sow, you will not reap. Life under the sun is unpredictable. But that should liberate us, not paralyze us. God is in control. Only he knows what is coming, so live for his glory and leave the results of your life up to him. Take fifteen minutes this afternoon and write down something you want to do before you die.
How many of us do not try things because we are afraid we are going to fail? How many of us look at all the bad things that could happen, while ignoring all the glorious possibilities of what might come to pass? It may be the fear of trying a new recipe for guests because you are afraid it may taste terrible, while that same recipe may bring an explosion of delight and enjoyment to their taste buds! It may be fear of asking that young lady on a date because she could say no and reject you. And yet, she may say yes and become your wife one day. Take a risk because life is short. You may fail or you may succeed. But remember that neither success nor failure is ultimate because both will be forgotten. Use your wisdom and risk sowing seed. Leave the results to God. If you do not sow, you will not reap. You will miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Enjoy the life the Lord has given you. Life is a gift; receive it with joy.
We are in the midst of a global pandemic. We must use wisdom, but we also must continue to risk for the glory of God. There are so many applications for us from this text of Scripture. Though I do not know how this text applies to each one of you, I hope and pray that you seek the Lord and ask him how you should respond to it for the glory of God. Some of us are not taking the virus seriously enough, while others of us may have become paralyzed by it. What are we to do? We all are called to pray, hear God’s word, seek counsel, and live in the fear of God.
Prosperous Fruit
Solomon ends this section with an exhortation to sow seed and be generous during our days under the sun as we trust the one who rules over the Sun. Ecclesiastes 11:6 states, “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.” Friends, sow your seed for we do not know what will prosper.
Jesus shared the parable of the talents with his disciples to explain the kingdom of God. One man received five talents; he invested it and gave ten back to his master. One man received two talents; he invested it and gave four back to his master. Each of them heard from their master, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” But the third man received one talent. He did not cast it on the water and invest it but hid it in the ground because he was afraid. Ultimately, he gave it back to his master when he returned. His master said to him:
You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 25:26-30)
Friend, there are dire consequences for everyone who does not receive life as a gift and give their life back to God in his service. When we live in fear and do not give thanks to God with our life and service to him, we will one day hear, “You wicked and slothful servant. Away from me.” The Kingdom of God is meant for sowing seed and reaping a harvest. We are called to scatter seed for we do not know which will prosper. We may scatter seed and it may fall on the rocky path or among the thrones or on the rock, but it may fall on fertile soil, reaping a harvest of thirty, to sixty, or to hundredfold what was sown.
Those of you who have yet to trust in Christ as Savior, is fear holding you back from following Jesus? I know many people who have decided not to follow Jesus because they are afraid of what they will miss out on in life. Is that you? Are you afraid to follow Jesus because of what it will cost? Friend, hear me. You will lose far more if you don’t turn from your sin and follow Jesus. Jesus offers us salvation through his life, death, and resurrection. He offers the record of his perfect life to you by faith. He offers the payment of his atoning death to you by faith. He offers the fruit of the resurrection and eternal life to you by faith. If you deny Jesus, you will lose everything. Yet, if you deny yourself and turn to God through Jesus, you will have access to the Father, fellowship with the Holy Spirit, and eternal life in the land of glory. Before Jesus went to the cross, there were some who came to the disciples and wanted to see Jesus. Jesus answered them with these words in John 12:23–26:
The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. (ESV)
Life is a gift, not gain. When we give ourselves away, we will bear much fruit. Jesus lived for the Father and gave his life for others. Friend, Jesus gave his life for you so you could come to the Father. Beloved, Jesus gave his life for you so you could bear much fruit in the kingdom of God.
God wants us to risk boldly for the kingdom of God. When was the last time you scattered the seed of the gospel? The main reason usually given for not sharing the gospel is fear. We too often look for the perfect circumstances, but “he who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.” If we sow sparingly, we will reap sparingly, but if we sow generously, we will reap generously. There will always be a cost for serving the Lord and scattering seed in the kingdom, but the risk will always be worth it. “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.”
I pray you do write your bucket list, but when you do, keep an eye on the kingdom of God. Our life is not our own. It is a gift to be used for God’s glory and the good of God’s people. On May 30,1792, William Carey stood to preach at the Friar Lane Baptist Chapel in Nottingham England to encourage his fellow ministers to reach the nations with the gospel. His most memorable sentence from that sermon was “Expect great things; attempt great things.” And that’s what Carey did. A year after delivering that address, Carey arrived in India. He wrote to a friend, “I am in a strange land…no Christian friend, a large family, and nothing to supply their wants…Well, I have God and his word is sure.” Carey would spend the next forty-one years of his life in India translating the entire Bible in the main languages, establishing a Serampore College (a divinity school of Indians), and seeing seven-hundred converts. But probably most importantly, he inspired the Christian world to reach the nations with the gospel by expecting great things from God and attempting great things for his name. Carey casted his bread on the water and sowed his seed in the morning. He withheld not his hand at night and the Lord prospered as he saw fit.
My prayer for our congregation is that we would not fear to cast our bread on the waters; to scatter the seed of the gospel; to serve one another. My prayer is that we would risk all for Christ; risk pouring our lives into church family; risk sacrificing our time, talents, and treasures for the glory of the King of kings and Lord of lords. God did not spare his own Son, but he gave him up for us all. How will the Father not with Jesus also graciously give us all things? Every time we cast our bread on the waters, we are taking a risk. But risk for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ is always worth it. He who sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and he who sows generously will reap generously. I pray we will give ourselves for one another. I pray we will deny ourselves, pick up our cross, follow after Christ, and bear much fruit.
“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” This was true for Jesus Christ. It was true for Amy Carmichael. It was true for William Carey. Will it be true of our church? Will it be true of you?
[1] Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 254). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
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