11:1-5In these verses Solomon summarizes that life involves both risk and opportunity. Because life has no guarantees, we must be prepared. Solomon does not support a stingy, despairing attitude. Just because life is uncertain does not mean we should do nothing. We need a spirit of trust and adventure, facing life’s risks and opportunities with God-directed enthusiasm and faith.
Life Application Study BibleEcclesiastesChapter 11
Ecclesiastes 11
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1072, 1073
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
11Ecclesiastes 11
1and in time, profits will flow back to you.*
2But divide your investments among many places,*for you do not know what risks might lie ahead.
3When clouds are heavy, the rains come down.Whether a tree falls north or south, it stays where it falls.
4Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant.If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.
5Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb,* so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things. 6Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.
Advice for Young and Old
77Light is sweet; how pleasant to see a new day dawning. 8When people live to be very old, let them rejoice in every day of life. But let themalso remember there will be many dark days. Everything still to come is meaningless. Young people,* it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. 10So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy. But remember that youth, with a whole life before you, is meaningless.
Textual footnotes
- on the waters, / for after many days you will find it again.
- manuscripts read Just as you cannot understand how breath comes to a tiny baby in its mother’s womb.
- 11:2 Hebrew among seven or even eight.
- 11:5 Some
- 11:9 Hebrew Young man.
Life Application Notes 4 notes
11:4Waiting for perfect conditions will mean inactivity. This practical insight is especially applicable to our spiritual lives. If we wait for the perfect time and place for personal Bible reading, we will never begin. If we wait for a perfect church, we will never join. If we wait for the perfect ministry, we will never serve. Take steps now to grow spiritually. Don’t wait for conditions that may never exist.
11:7,8Solomon is no dreary pessimist in 11:7-12:14. He encourages us to rejoice in every day but to remember that eternity is far longer than a person’s life span. Psalm 90:12 Says, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.” The wise person does not just think about the moment and its impact; he or she takes the long-range view toward eternity. Approach your decisions with God's perspective—consider their impact 10 years from now and into eternity. Live with the attitude that although our life is short, we will live with God forever.
11:9,10Peopte often say, “It doesn’t matter.” But many of a person’s choices will be irreversible—they will affect that Person for a lifetime. What you do when you're young does Matter. Enjoy life now, but don't do anything physically, morally, OF spiritually that wilt prevent you from enjoying life when you are old.