Solomon commends diversification, risk-taking, and personal
industry as ways to counter the unpredictable events of life. He
also admonishes readers to seek God in their youth.
You Do Not Know
Four times this phrase appears in Ecclesiastes 11, emphasizing
our inability to foresee the future. Seeing this limitation,
Solomon offers guidance for protecting yourself against loss.
Ecclesiastes 11 Outline
11:1-6
Prepare for life’s uncertainties
11:1-2
Diversify your efforts
11:3-4
Take risks
11:5-6
Be continually industrious
11:7-10
Affirm the joys of life
11:7-8
Make every moment count
11:9-10
Seek God when you are young
Cast your bread upon the waters.
This word picture depicts a farmer casting grain into flooded
soil. When the flood or irrigation waters recede, the grain
grows to yield a bountiful harvest.
Two schools of interpretation are applied to this proverb. The
traditional view is that we should sow charity in faith. Our
benevolence will return to us, perhaps when we are in need. See
Proverbs 3:9-10, 19:17, 28:27, and Luke 6:38.
The contemporary view is that we should diversify our assets. In
other words, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. If calamity
strikes one of your assets, you won’t loose it all.