Cast Your Bread upon the Waters
1Cast your bread on the waters; for you shall find it after many days. 2Give a portion to seven, yes, even to eight; for you don’t know what evil will be on the earth. 3If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth; and if a tree falls toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falls, there shall it be. 4He who observes the wind won’t sow; and he who regards the clouds won’t reap. 5As you don’t know what is the way of the wind, nor how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child; even so you don’t know the work of God who does all. 6In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening don’t withhold your hand; for you don’t know which will prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both will be equally good. 7Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to see the sun. 8Yes, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that comes is vanity. 9Rejoice, young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth, and walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. 10Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh; for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.
In the past no one could see a baby growing in its mother’s womb. Now that modern medicine has advanced, ultrasound lets us look at the baby’s face and follow its growth. More astonishing still, a life whose blood type is entirely different from its mother’s grows there without harm, takes in nourishment through the umbilical cord, and forms its bones. Only God can do such a thing, and each of you was born in the midst of grace as wonderful as this. Whatever the circumstances of a birth, every life is precious; simply to have been born into the world is a blessing and a miracle.
Of course, babies differ in their looks and will grow up in very different circumstances, yet from the moment of birth they all travel the same road toward death. Everyone born a descendant of Adam is a sinner, whether they wish it or not, and must therefore receive Christ, who will cancel the debt of that sin. This is God’s law, and every person must obey it: original sin has to be forgiven through the precious blood. That is why it is the responsibility of those of us who were called first to teach God’s law to souls shut up in darkness and to proclaim the truth to them. As Christ obeyed the command of God, we need to take up our calling so that even one more soul may be saved. How many people have you shared the gospel with so far? Unless the church shares it, the people of the world are left to go on living as sinners. We must proclaim the gospel with diligence.
Ecclesiastes 11:1
1Cast your bread on the waters; for you shall find it after many days.
This verse can be read to mean that if you share your wealth with neighbors in need, you will reap a good return in proportion to what you gave. Today, however, I would like to take it another way: if you do your utmost to bring the truth, your spiritual bread, to the world, you will gather a rich harvest of souls saved. In Revelation 17:15 the angel says that the waters where the prostitute sits are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages, and from this we learn that the waters stand for all the people of the world. Because the prostitute rules the world, it is never easy for anyone to come out of it on their own without being clothed with the power of Christ.
John 6:51
51I am the living bread which came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. Yes, the bread which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
Christ is God the Son, so the prostitute cannot stand against him; he is the light, so the darkness cannot overcome him. In this world ruled by the prostitute, Christ alone can defeat Satan and give eternal life. The gospel we share, then, is not our own knowledge but the truth, and we may proclaim it with confidence. When we preach Jesus, who is life, without fear, those who have ears to hear will listen, while those who hear and still do not receive him will remain shut up in darkness, like a tree lying where it fell. God wants us to make known a truth this important.
You know that the world is full of sin, and you know that the wrath of God, who hates sin, will soon come. But those who do not fear Christ cannot believe that the Lord will come again, and they mock his people. As the world was destroyed in Noah’s flood, so the judgment God has planned for the last days is a judgment by fire. Though he knows that those who preach the gospel will be persecuted, he is waiting for the day when he will judge heaven and earth by fire, and he bears with the world until its sin is full, as it was in Sodom and Gomorrah.
We who know that Christ is the Judge must strive now, by faith, to live good lives, without defect and blameless. As the last days draw near, God is looking for those who will spread the gospel, and through them he desires to extend the Kingdom of God. If you diligently cast the bread of the gospel out into the world, God will cause you to enjoy the fullness of the Holy Spirit and will grant you the great blessing of entering his eternal kingdom.
Ecclesiastes 11:6
6In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening don’t withhold your hand; for you don’t know which will prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both will be equally good.
Now and then members of the church come to me with two options before them and ask which one is God’s will. When I hear people worry about what will happen if their choice is not the path God wants, I think to myself that they still do not know God well. God does not lay out your path in advance and then rebuke you, or block your way until you fail, if you do not take it. In matters of faith, of course, we must keep to the road God has set; but in the affairs of this world you decide for yourself, making a good choice at every turn. Your choosing does come with conditions, however. You must judge by the truth, weigh what comes first, and make sure the choice does not stand in the way of a godly life.
If you work diligently in the morning and keep at it without rest in the evening to answer for what you have chosen, that choice will prove to be the right one. As long as the work you chose in faith is not sinful, your knowledge will grow in proportion to your effort, and even if you fail, you will be left with valuable experience. When you have thought things through carefully and then chosen a path, God helps you in that work. To make up what you lack, he sometimes points you in another direction, and he brings people across your path who will help you.
God does not make the choice for you; he helps you do well what you have chosen. You need, then, to work hard morning and evening so that you do not fail through your own neglect. There will be times, of course, when your choice does not turn out as you planned. If you pray at such times, he will sometimes show you the way by giving you wisdom, and he will lead you into better circumstances. Unlike the matters of this world, the saving of a soul rests wholly in God’s sovereign hands. There is no reason, then, to lose heart when someone does not receive Christ as you hoped, and no need to give up easily.
Since you cannot know when, at what moment, or in what circumstances the word you shared will open someone’s eyes, it is vital to share it with all your heart. The reason is this: if you pray earnestly for the seed of the gospel sown in the morning to take root, and tend it with care, God will answer your prayers. Those born as sinners cannot move from where they lie, like a fallen tree, and unless we bring them Jesus Christ, who is life, and carry them from death to life, nothing awaits them but eternal punishment.
Of course, it is not easy to lead someone who thinks this world is everything to become one of God’s people. But if you show the zeal to shape and smooth them with wisdom, they can be born again as a child of God. What Solomon wants to say to those who share his faith is that God will make the seed take root and sprout when it is diligently sown, and that they should therefore fulfill their calling in good faith. Peter said he had come to understand that God truly does not judge by outward appearance, but in every nation accepts anyone who fears him and works righteousness. In the same way, God looks at nothing but faith. [Acts 10:34-35]
If those of us who proclaim Jesus Christ, who is life, discriminate among people by their appearance, we cannot save those who live as servants of Satan. Satan is at work to keep even a single soul from being saved, and so we must pour out love for souls in the power of God. Do not be discouraged or angry when people do not receive God; simply share the gospel, trusting that salvation rests with him. When the time comes, he will surely make the word you shared spring up. Scripture says that the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Since the word does all this, we need only trust him and leave the matter in his hands. [Hebrews 4:12]
Genesis 6:13
13God said to Noah, “I will bring an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them and the earth.
Because Noah believed God’s word that he would judge the earth, he must have pleaded earnestly with people to be saved. But the people of the world, living under the prostitute’s dominion, did not believe in God’s judgment and lived with their eyes fixed on the earth alone. Their only concern was eating and drinking, and they did not realize that the message of judgment Noah brought them was the gospel that could save their lives. Seeing them refuse to believe, Noah despaired; yet holding to the conviction that their salvation rested with God, he threw himself into proclaiming judgment and building the ark.
Noah never doubted that the flood was coming, and he gave himself to the work without rest, because he knew that God will surely fulfill his promises. Knowing that God keeps working until his word is accomplished, Noah did his utmost to build the ark right up to the last day, when judgment fell. He was well enough off to build an ark, and he could have lived as merrily as everyone else; but he knew who God is, and that knowledge kept him from eating and drinking and enjoying the world as they did.
We too could enjoy life as much as we pleased, but because our hope is set on heaven, we are content in a lowly place and carry out the task God has given us. Friends, this world will be destroyed when sin grows strong on the earth, as it did in Sodom and Gomorrah. May you always remember that when injustice, violence, and sin grow mighty, the world will surely come under judgment. This law is as fixed as the rain that pours down on the earth when the clouds are full. In this life there are disasters we cannot escape, and there are also good things we never expected.
Just as a tree has no choice but to lie where it fell, those without God’s protection cannot avoid disaster in the place of sin. We are frail and cannot know what tomorrow will bring, so let us scatter what we have now — our wealth, our grace, and the truth — to care for those in need. If we hope for the Kingdom of God, rather than waiting for the world to change, we must first receive the power of the Holy Spirit, love God and our brothers and sisters, and labor to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth. Then the God of strength, salvation, and comfort will keep you.
Of all the billions on earth, only Noah’s family of eight entered the ark, and while the whole world came under the judgment of the waters, they alone survived. Billions of people live in the world today as well, but how many will welcome Christ when he returns? People were marrying and giving in marriage and were absorbed in their own affairs, and they would not listen to Noah. In the same way, the church is warning of judgment today, yet the world ignores the word out of pride.
Those who mocked Noah under a clear sky without a drop of rain must have realized that his words were true only when rain poured from the opened heavens and water burst up from the earth. But to understand once judgment has come is already too late; there is no chance left to live. Anyone who says there is no return of Christ and no judgment, simply because they cannot see it, is very foolish. Nor can you know exactly how many people will be saved by the bread of life you are casting into the world now.
You cannot know whether those who hear the gospel you share will gain new life, or come to receive God after many days. For that reason, even when no fruit of salvation is yet in sight, we must preach the gospel, trusting that God will be at work. If God asks whether you have cast upon the waters the bread he entrusted to you, what will you say? If he asks whether you have sown in people’s hearts the seed of the word he entrusted to you, how will you answer? God makes the seed grow, but planting it in the ground is the task given to his people. Since good seed planted in human hearts will surely sprout and take root, I hope you will always remember that only if you hold the word of truth can you sow good seed.
Ecclesiastes 11:7-8
7Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to see the sun. 8Yes, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that comes is vanity.
Life on earth is a happy and beautiful thing, because to live alongside those we love — giving to one another, sheltering one another, and sharing our hearts — is a blessing God has given. To live with our beloved families in this passing world is already a great gift; but to worship God in heaven with Christ our King and with our brothers and sisters who have been saved, resting in his peace, is a blessing beyond all wonder. We who enjoy happiness with our families here on earth while living in hope of the eternal kingdom are richly blessed indeed.
Genesis 1:3-4
3God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4God saw the light, and saw that it was good. God divided the light from the darkness.
When God created the heavens and the earth, the first thing he made was light. On this earth, formless and empty, with darkness on the surface of the deep, the light shone, and the vast pitch-black darkness withdrew in an instant. God exists in himself, and darkness and light make no difference to him; why, then, did he make light first? It was for the sake of the man he would form from the dust on the sixth day. Those who cannot believe that humans were made from the dust criticize the Bible, but once science showed that the elements making up soil and the human body are the same, the broadcaster EBS even aired a program about it. People made of dust cannot see an inch ahead without light, and God showed his tender care by creating light first, for their sake. Through this light, light and darkness came to be divided.
John 8:12
12Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Jesus’ words that he is the light, and that those who follow him will not walk in darkness, call to mind the light created on the first day. As the universe regained its order through the light made on that day, spiritual order was restored when Jesus, who is the light, became flesh. Isaiah 9:2 prophesies of the Christ who would come later, saying that the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light, and that light has shined on those who lived in the land of the shadow of death.
When the earth was formless and empty and darkness lay on the surface of the deep, God created light and the darkness withdrew. In the same way, Christ came as a great and glorious light to a people tormented by Satan, and death withdrew. Night and day follow the rising and setting of the sun; spiritually, too, those who receive Christ live lives as bright as day, and those who reject him live lives as dark as night. That is why, if those of us who received Christ first do not hold up a lamp toward this dark world, those who cannot see the way ahead cannot take a single step. If we take the hands of those in darkness with hearts full of mercy, they will surely be able to come out of death.
Verse 9 says that if a young man rejoices in his youth, lets his heart cheer him in the days of his youth, and walks in the ways of his heart and in the sight of his eyes, God will bring him into judgment for all these things. The young man here stands for the golden years of life. Solomon is stressing that while we can do anything with vigor, we must not forget God’s word but live good lives. If in our youth we have a faith that can judge rightly by the word, our lives will hold no regrets. I keep preaching the word of truth to you to build up in you the strength to make the right choice in any situation. I do this because a right knowledge of the truth lets you judge soundly, whatever problem you face.
Solomon, who had been given vast wealth, power, and opportunity, could not overcome the temptations of the flesh in the days of his youth, when he had the strength to do great things, and he fell into sin. Had this man who spoke three thousand proverbs lived in obedience to God’s commands in his youth, he would have led his kingdom, its countless people, and himself to God. But he spent his youth in pleasure and sexual immorality, and now his remorse has come too late.
Through Solomon’s life you will have learned how much your relationship with God matters, and I hope you will resolve to live according to God’s will so that you can judge rightly at every moment. May you pray all the more that those shut up in darkness will come out into the light of glory through the bread you have cast, and may you be among those whom God commends.