The labor of sowing is most important in an agrarian society, but the term is also used metaphorically for most anything, from investing in one’s business to simply referring to one’s personal activity, as that pertains to righteousness or wickedness. As Paul claimed, “…as a man sows, so shall he reap!” (Galatians 6:7). So, the labor of sowing to good or to evil has become part of the theme of the Teacher’s thesis, telling us what he had discovered through investigating the “sore travail” that the Lord had given man to be exercised therein (Ecclesiastes 1:13; cp. Genesis 3:14-19). His advice has been both surprising and enlightening, and with that knowledge comes contentment with the Lord’s table—or one’s daily experiences in life (cp. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; cp. Ezekiel 39:17-22).
In light of how the Teacher has left us in his conclusion of things in the last chapter, namely, how wearisome it is to live under a foolish ruler (Ecclesiastes 10:15-16), when everything is in decay (Ecclesiastes 10:18), and irresponsibility and bribes keep justice from being carried out for the common folk (Ecclesiastes 10:19)—despite all this, the Teacher tells us to: “cast your bread upon the waters…” (Ecclesiastes 11:1), because as one sows, so shall he reap (Galatians 3:14). It is the law of nature that sowing brings forth a harvest. While one doesn’t know when or how much one would receive, the harvest will come, and it will be according to what one sows. Some scholars understand the Teacher to mean give to poor sailors, but the word, waters, is a metaphor for the masses (Revelation 17:15; cp. Isaiah 8:7). So, we are told to reach out to help the needy wherever we find them, and “after many days” or in due season, we shall reap a harvest.
Instead of considering outer circumstances in light of how we would be affected, we need to understand that the Lord sees us and will respond in kind (Matthew 6:3-4, 31-34). It isn’t the king that controls our lot in life, as it may seem to us during difficult times. Rather, obey the Lord and never cease being generous, as long as we have what poorer folk need (Ecclesiastes 11:2).
Just as the rain clouds empty their treasure upon all indiscriminately, so we should be generous to all, without seeking to judge who is worthy and who is not (Ecclesiastes 11:3). The Lord will judge the evildoer, and folks who take unfair advantage of mercy. We needn’t trouble ourselves with such things. Let God be God, and let us tend to the labor he has given us to do, for death (the falling tree in the text) will go this way or that, toward the light or toward darkness. “Death refines nothing, purifies nothing, destroys no sin, helps no glory. Let your continual inclination be toward God, toward holiness, toward charity, toward mercy, and toward heaven: then, fall whenever you may, and you will fall well.”[1]
If we are overly sensitive to difficult times, such as the frustrating season of living under a foolish king (Ecclesiastes 10:15-19), we shall never reap a good harvest in life. We may do well financially, but we’ll have no joy, nor will we be useful to the Lord in bringing him glory. If the winds of discontent and the clouds of despair keep us from planting seed, they will also keep us from a good harvest (Ecclesiastes 11:4), for our fields will be empty of all but thorns and briars.
Very often man’s biggest problem is that he seeks to know the good and the evil (Genesis 2:9, 16-17), before he attempts to perform his labor. He may think this is wise and good to understand (Genesis 3:6), but it is not. The problem with such an attitude is that it displays no faith in God. Although we like to think we are wise and very knowledgeable, we are, in fact, ignorant of many things, when it comes to life and how the universe works (Ecclesiastes 11:5). Certainly, men are able to specialize in one matter or another and know a great deal about little issues of life, but the point of fact is, according to the Teacher, we simply do not know what the Lord is doing, and we cannot know those things, which he has kept in his own hand (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; cp. Acts 1:7). What is revealed to us is ours to know and take advantage of (Deuteronomy 29:29), but in the final analysis, we must let God be God, and trust he will work out everything for our benefit (Romans 8:28).
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[1] See Adam Clarke’s Commentary at Ecclesiastes 11:3.
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