Text: “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days” (Ecclesiastes 11:1, ESV). 

Historical Context: For many years, Ecclesiastes has been my favorite book of the  Bible. I often wince when I hear folks speak of their “life verse” or “favorite saying” from the Bible. More often than not, it is uprooted from its historical context, misinterpreted, and thus misapplied. “Text without context is pretext” remains wisdom for the teachable. 

Question: Do you ever ask yourself, “Why do I even bother to do a good job?” No one even cares, you may lament silently. They’ll probably promote or advance _______ just because he/she fits some demographic of political correctness. It’s pointless. It’s all rigged to default to advancing the least-deserving. 

And on and on it could go…

Connection: This is one of the countless reasons I return again and again to Ecclesiastes. It is replete with wisdom about human folly and God’s wisdom for His people. 

Rubber Meeting the Road:

How should you respond to such foolhardy trends like social promotion vs. merit?

How should you respond if the forces of darkness seem to eclipse the armies of light?

How should you respond if you battle anger and resentment towards the very people you should view as a mission field?

Wisdom from the Word: 

When I earned my Ph.D. in church history, one of the thinkers and pastors I returned to over and over again was Martin Luther. This is one of the gems Luther penned regarding Ecclesiastes 11:1: “Be liberal to everyone while you may. Use your riches everywhere, for the good of everyone, even though it may seem to you that your donations are wasted, and your bread is thrown into the water. What you gave to others shall not be lost, even though it seems so. The Lord will give you bread for a long season. For God will not allow himself to be beaten for liberality but will far surpass our bounty and largesse.” 

Solomon’s wisdom (and God’s by necessity) seems to be that we are to be generous in our diversification when it comes to pouring into others. 

Let’s be honest: many folks just don’t care. They wouldn’t recognize goodness and wisdom even if they were dressed in blaze orange and shouting in their faces. 

But Christians are still called to faithfulness to serve while trusting God for the right outcome.

Reality Check: I believe in telling the truth. Keep it real: some folks simply don’t care. They are what the Bible warns against when Jesus says not to cast your pearls before pigs: ” . . . and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.”

But Here’s the Good News: God sees us. He knows when we are faithful (and when we are not). Therefore, Christians are to cast our bread upon the waters. Why? Because God sees; because God knows our motives; because God is good and holy; because nothing escapes the gaze of God. Therefore, do not lose hope. Trust the Lord, and let us do good while we can, entrusting ourselves to the One who knows all and is goodness Himself.