Tomorrow May Be Too Late - Ecclesiastes 11 Series

Tomorrow May Be Too Late - Ecclesiastes 11

Last time we were in Ecclesiastes, we saw Solomon’s Portrait of a Fool in chapter 10. Now, in chapter 11, Solomon is starting to wrap up his thoughts. In my Bible, this chapter titled “Invest in Life.” This may seem to contradict with the concept of laying up our treasures in Heaven (Mt 6:19-21), but these two sets of verses are not at odds at all. They are, in fact, synergistic.

19 “Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21 HCSB

And Solomon starts off talking about sharing your physical wealth.

1Send your bread on the surface of the waters, for after many days you may find it.

2 Give a portion to seven or even to eight, for you don’t know what disaster may happen on earth.

Dr Howard Kelly, one of the founding physicians of Johns Hopkins Hospital kept a journal. Two different entries tie together. On a walking trip up through Northern Pennsylvania one spring, Kelly stopped by a small farmhouse for a drink of cool spring water. A little girl answered his knock and instead of water brought him a glass of fresh milk. After a short friendly visit, he went on his way. Some years later, that same little girl came to him for an operation. Just before she left for home, her bill was brought into the room and across its face was written in a bold hand, “Paid in full with one glass of milk.”

That is the idea that Solomon is relaying in these first two verses. Don’t be greedy. When you have surplus, share it. That little girl had no way of knowing that simple glass of milk would be remembered or have an impact on her future. That story about Dr. Kelly and the little girl giving him the glass of milk has been greatly embellished and passed around on the internet. But the truth is, Dr. Kelly actually charged very high amounts to his patients who could afford it and used that money to offset the costs for those who couldn’t afford it. Knowing that, it would seem Dr. Kelly recognized his previous benefactor was not in the best shape financially as an adult. He had a chance to share his wealth and repay someone who had blessed him earlier in his life.

We have no guarantees that our bread will come back to us. Solomon says, “after many days you MAY find it.” So we shouldn’t share our blessings with the idea that it will come back to us in the future. This isn’t the idea of trying to fund our retirement. This is not the wealth and prosperity gospel. But in the New Testament, we do read this in Luke 6:37-38, “Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure – pressed down, shaken together, and running over -will be poured back into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Solomon seems to be more focused on the commonsense wisdom there. Look again at verse 2.

2 Give a portion to seven or even to eight, for you don’t know what disaster may happen on earth.

Remember the story of Joseph and all the grain he collected in Egypt? He stored the grain in every city. (Genesis 41:48) We all recognize the wisdom of not putting all our eggs in one basket. And Solomon relays that same idea here. There is a second idea here also. If you are liberal to those around you in your times of abundance, you create goodwill that could be useful or necessary in the lean times.

3 If the clouds are full, they will pour out rain on the earth; whether a tree falls to the south or the north, the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.

This verse reminds me of the old question, “If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is there to hear it, does it still make a sound?” That’s not what Solomon is saying though. There are certain natural events that will happen independent of our plans or intentions. When the clouds get full, no one can stop the rain from falling. When the tree falls, no one can change its direction. Even when we try to control the direction of a falling tree, it can still be beyond our control. I remember once when I was little, Dad and Grandpa were cutting some trees at Grandpa and Grandma’s house. In spite of ropes on the trees, and notching the trees, and pulling on the ropes as the tree started to fall, they managed to land not one, but two different trees across the windshields of their trucks.