Bread Cast on 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, we can see a baby’s face and watch it grow through ultrasound. Even more amazing, a life whose blood type is completely different from its mother’s grows without any trouble, receives nourishment through the umbilical cord, and grows its bones. This is something only God can do, and you were born in the midst of such amazing grace. Whatever the circumstances of one’s birth, every life is precious, and simply being born into the world is a blessing and a miracle.
Of course, babies are born looking different and will live in completely different circumstances, but from the moment they are born, they all travel the same road toward death. People born as descendants of Adam cannot help being sinners, even if they do not want to be, so they must receive Christ, who will cancel that sin. This is God’s law. So all people must obey this law, which says that original sin must be forgiven through the blood. That is why teaching God’s law and proclaiming the truth to souls trapped in darkness is the responsibility of those of us who were called first. Just as Christ obeyed God’s command, you must carry out your mission so that even one more soul may be saved. How many people have you shared the gospel with so far? If we do not share the gospel, the people of the world have no choice but to go on living as sinners. So we must be diligent in sharing it.
Ecclesiastes 11:1
1Cast your bread on the waters; for you shall find it after many days.
This word can be taken to mean that if you share your wealth with neighbors in need, you can reap good results in proportion to what you have given. But today I would like to consider it as a word that says this: if you do your best to proclaim to the world the truth, the spiritual food you have, you can gather much fruit of salvation. In Revelation 17:15 the angel said that the waters where the prostitute sits are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages. From this we can see that the waters are all the people of the world. Because the prostitute rules the world, it is never easy for people to come out of the world by themselves unless they are 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, the only one who can defeat Satan and give eternal life is Christ. So the gospel believers proclaim is not their own knowledge but the truth, and they may proclaim it boldly. When Jesus, who is life, is boldly proclaimed, those who have ears to hear will hear, and those who hear and still do not receive him will remain trapped in darkness, like a tree that stays in the place where it falls. God wants believers to proclaim this vital truth.
You know that the world is full of sin, and you know that the wrath of God, who hates sin, will soon come. But people who do not fear Christ cannot believe that the Lord is coming, and so they mock us. Just as the world was destroyed by Noah’s flood, the judgment God has planned for the last days is a judgment by fire. God knows that we who proclaim the gospel will be persecuted, and yet, waiting for the day when he will judge heaven and earth with fire, he is being patient until the world is filled with sin, as Sodom and Gomorrah were.
You who know that Christ is the Judge must strive now, by faith, to live good lives without spot or blemish. As the end draws near, God is looking for people to spread the gospel, and he wants to expand the kingdom of God through them. If you diligently cast the bread of the gospel into the world, God will give you the fullness of the Holy Spirit to enjoy and will grant you the great blessing of entering the 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.
Members of the church sometimes ask me, when they have to choose between two things, which one is God’s will. When I hear them ask what they should do if their choice is not the way God wants, I think that they still do not know God well. God is not one who sets your path in advance and then, if you do not take it, rebukes you or gets in your way so that you fail. Of course, faith must go along the path that has been set, but in the matters of this world you decide for yourself, making good choices moment by moment. There are conditions, though, on the choices you make. You must judge by the truth, you must think about what your priorities are, and your choice must not get in the way of living a good life.
If, to take responsibility for what you have chosen, you work diligently in the morning and do not rest from your efforts in the evening, that choice will become the right decision. If the work you chose in faith is not sinful, your knowledge will build up as much as you put in, and even if you fail, you will be left with good experience. When you have thought it through thoroughly and then chosen a path, God helps you in that work. And to make up for what is lacking, he sometimes shows you another direction and sometimes brings you to meet people who will help you.
God does not make the choice for you; he helps you do well at what you have chosen. So you need to work hard morning and evening so that you do not fail. Of course, there are times when your choice does not turn out as you expected. If you pray at such times, he sometimes shows you by giving you wisdom, and he leads you into better circumstances. Unlike the things of the world, the saving of souls is entirely in God’s sovereign hands. So there is no need to be disappointed when someone does not receive Christ as you hoped, and no need to give up easily.
You cannot know when, at what moment, or in what circumstances the Word you have shared will bring that person to understanding, so you need to share it with all your heart. For if you earnestly pray that the seed of the gospel you planted in the morning will take root, and tend it with care, God will answer your prayer. People born as sinners cannot leave their place, like a fallen tree. So unless we proclaim to them Jesus Christ, who is life, and bring them out of death into life, they can only receive eternal punishment.
Of course, it is not easy to lead someone who lives thinking the world is everything to become one of God’s people. But if you show zeal in cutting and shaping them with wisdom, that person can be born again as a child of God. What Solomon wants to tell his brothers in faith is that if they sow seed diligently, God will make it take root and sprout and grow, so they should carry out their mission with a good faith. Peter said he truly perceived that God doesn’t show favoritism, but that in every nation he who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him. In the same way, God looks only at faith. [Acts 10:34-35]
If we who proclaim Jesus Christ, who is life, show favoritism toward people because of their outward appearance, we cannot save those who are living as servants of Satan. Satan is at work so that not even one soul will be saved. So we must show love for souls by the power of God. Do not be disappointed or angry when people do not receive God. Simply believe that salvation depends on God, and proclaim. When the time comes, he will surely make the Word you have shared sprout. It is written that the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. So it is enough to trust and leave it 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 would have proclaimed it earnestly for the salvation of the people. But the people of the world, living under the dominion of the prostitute, did not believe in God’s judgment and lived with their eyes only on the earth. Because they cared only about eating and drinking, they did not know that the word of judgment Noah brought them was the gospel that could save their lives. Noah despaired as he watched them refuse to believe the Word, but holding on to the thought that their salvation was up to God, he threw himself into proclaiming the judgment and building the ark.
Noah knew that God always fulfills his promises. That is why he never doubted that the flood would come, and devoted himself diligently. Knowing that God is one who keeps working until his word is fulfilled, Noah did his utmost to build the ark until the last day, when the judgment came. Noah was well off enough to build an ark, so he could have lived happily like everyone else; but because he knew who God is, he could not eat and drink and enjoy the world as they did.
We too could live enjoying ourselves as much as we like, but because we have set our hope on heaven, we are content in a lowly place and carry out our mission. The time when this world will be destroyed is when sin grows strong on this earth, as it did in Sodom and Gomorrah. Be sure to remember that when unrighteousness, violence, and sin grow strong, the world will surely be judged. Just as clouds full of rain empty themselves on the earth, this law does not change. As we live in this world, there are disasters we cannot avoid, and there are also good things we never expected.
Just as a tree has no choice but to stay where it falls, if we are without God’s protection, we cannot help but meet disaster in the place of sin. People are weak and cannot know what tomorrow will bring. So I hope you will scatter your wealth, your grace, and your truth now and care for those in need. If you hope for the kingdom of God, do not wait for the world to change. First receive the power of the Holy Spirit, love God and your brothers, and strive to spread the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth. Then the God of strength, salvation, and comfort will keep you.
Out of a population of several billion, only Noah’s family of eight went into the ark, and while the whole world was judged by water, they alone survived. Today, too, billions of people live in the world, but how many of them will be ready to meet Christ when he comes again? People were so absorbed in marrying and giving in marriage and in their own affairs that they did not listen to Noah. In the same way, believers are warning of judgment today, but people ignore the Word because their thinking is arrogant.
The people who mocked Noah as they looked at a clear sky without a drop of rain would have realized that Noah’s words were true only when they saw rain pouring from the opened heavens and water bursting up from the earth. But realizing it after the judgment has come is already too late, and there is no more chance to live. Anyone who says there is no second coming of Christ and no judgment just because they cannot see it is a very foolish person. Right now, you cannot know exactly how many people the bread of life you have cast toward the world will save.
You cannot even know whether the people who hear the gospel you share will gain new life, or whether they will receive God after many days. That is why, even if you see no fruit of salvation right now, you must believe that God will work, and proclaim the gospel. If God were to ask whether you had cast on the waters the bread he entrusted to you, what answer would you give? If he asked whether you had sown in people’s hearts the seed of the Word he entrusted to you, how would you answer? It is God who makes the seed grow, but planting that seed in the ground is the mission we must carry out. When good seed is planted in people’s hearts, it will surely sprout and put down roots. So be sure to 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.
Living in the world is a happy and beautiful thing. For living in harmony with the people we love, giving to one another, embracing one another, and sharing our hearts is a blessing God has given. Living with our beloved families in this passing world is a great blessing, but the life of worshiping God and enjoying peace in heaven, with Christ our King and with our brothers who have been saved, is a truly amazing blessing. We who enjoy happiness with our families in this world and live in hope of the eternal kingdom are people who have received great blessing.
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, he made light first of all. When light shone on this earth, which was formless and empty, with darkness on the surface of the deep, the great pitch-black darkness withdrew in an instant. God exists by himself, so darkness and light make no difference to him at all. Why, then, did he make light first? It was for the people he would create from dust on the sixth day. People who cannot believe that humans were made from dust criticize the Bible, but once science showed that dust and people are made of the same elements, EBS even broadcast this fact. People made from dust cannot see an inch ahead without light, so God showed his tender care by creating light first of all, for their sake. Because of 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.”
When Jesus says that he is the light and that he who follows him will not walk in the darkness, his words call to mind the light created on the first day. Just as the universe was restored to order by the light created on the first day, spiritual order was restored when Jesus, who is the light, became flesh. In Isaiah 9:2, Isaiah prophesies about the Christ who was to come, saying that the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light, and on those who lived in the land of the shadow of death the light has shined.
Just as the darkness withdrew when God created light at the time when the earth was formless and empty and darkness was on the surface of the deep, so Jesus came as a great light of glory to the people who were tormented by Satan, and death withdrew. As night and day change with the rising and setting of the sun, so, spiritually speaking, those who receive Christ live lives as bright as day, and those who reject him live lives as dark as night. So if believers, who received Christ first, do not shine their lamps toward the dark world, the people there, unable to see ahead, cannot take a single step. If believers take the hands of those in darkness with a heart of compassion, they can surely 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. The verse stresses that while we can do anything with vigor, we must not forget God’s word and must live good lives. If in your youth you have a faith that can make right judgments by the Word, your life will be one without regret. The Word of truth is proclaimed to you without ceasing to build up in you the strength to make the right choice in any situation. For if you know the truth rightly, you can make sound judgments whatever problem you meet.
Solomon, who had received vast wealth, power, and opportunity, could not overcome the temptations of the flesh in the days of his youth, when he could work with vigor, and he fell into sin. If Solomon, who spoke three thousand proverbs, had lived a life of obedience to God’s commands in his youth, he would have led not only his nation but many people, and himself, to God. But because he spent his youth enjoying pleasure and living an immoral life, he is now regretting it, too late.
Through Solomon’s life you will have learned how important your relationship with God is. So I hope you will resolve to live according to God’s will, so that you make right judgments at every moment. May you pray all the more, so that people who were trapped in darkness may come out into the light of glory through the bread you have cast, and may God commend you.