Part 3 of 3
We are continuing in our study of Ecclesiastes 10:8-11:6.
Four Lessons (Continued)
In our previous article, we learned two important lessons from this passage, namely, that uncertainties about the future should not lead to inactivity, and uncertainties of life ought to lead to wise and prudent work.
This leads us to our third lesson – the uncertainties of life ought to lead us to faith and trust in God.
The Christian can go forward confidently in his work and life, and not be paralyzed by excessive fear and anxiety. And the reason for his confidence is not because he is arrogant or because he thinks there won’t be failures or because he has done sufficient research and analysis and risk management and so on.
No, he can go forward in confidence because of His faith and trust in God. This is one of the big differences between a believer and an unbeliever.
In his book on Ecclesiastes, the author John Fesko wrote, “In fear of the apparent dangers of life, the fool retreats to the safety of inactivity. But the wise man who trusts in the Lord has confidence in the providence of God. He does not fear life, even in the uncertainties of life, but goes forward with boldness and industriousness…
Knowing what God has done for us in Christ, we may entrust ourselves to the care of our heavenly Father, knowing that if Christ is for us, no one can destroy that confidence. That encourages us to be bold, not for ourselves, but for the sake of Christ.” Notice how the end of Ecclesiastes 11:5 speaks of the works of God, who does all things. It is true that no one knows the secret will or plan of God. There are many things we do not and cannot understand in the unfolding of His providence. Nevertheless, the simple truth that God is at work in all things in this world gives us great confidence and encouragement to face life and to engage in our calling and vocation.
The Christian must not worry about the future even though he does not know how exactly the future will unfold. Instead, he must look to the future believing that all is and will truly work out well. It is only when we have a right view of tomorrow that we can live rightly today.
If we give in to anxiety and worry about the future, then tomorrow becomes a dreadful and fearful thing to contemplate, and not only that but we are unable to function properly today. But if we remember that the future is entirely in our loving Father’s sovereign hands, then we can live productively today, and even the thought of tomorrow can become a blessing today.
Again, coming back to the parable of the talents, not only was the third servant lazy and slothful because he worried about the future, but he had a very wrong view of his master. He viewed him as a harsh and unjust and impossible-to-please kind of master, who was always out to find fault.
But in reality, our Lord is anything but a hard taskmaster. He does not expect us to do the impossible. He knows our limitations and frailties. He takes into account our weaknesses and inabilities. As the 103rd Psalm says, “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust…but the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon then that fear him…”
The Lord does not ask us to do what is above and beyond our abilities. And He certainly knows that we have no certain knowledge of the future beyond what He has revealed in His Word. All He calls us to do is to act according to His revealed will, to labour diligently, and to entrust the future outcome to His care. Our fourth and final lesson is that we can have hope that our labours will not be in vain in the Lord even in the face of life’s uncertainties.
1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
The promise given in verse 1 of chapter 11 is that when we cast our bread upon the waters, we shall find it after many days. We may not see the results of our labours and investments for the Lord immediately or even in this life but we have the promise and hope that they will not be wasted but will bear fruit in due time.
The story was told of a farmer, who died and left his farm to his wife. Her two sons helped her manage the property. However, they were very careless and incompetent, and their mother, realizing that their family’s wealth would soon be lost, decided to give away a large portion of it to a missionary society. Her two sons were naturally very angry with her and said she might as well have thrown the money into the sea. She replied that God’s Word says, “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days,” which are the very words of our text.
Soon her sons joined the army and were sent to India. The older son was sent many miles up the Ganges River. There he heard a missionary preach and he was converted. He sent a letter telling his mother. She was delighted and said, “Here comes my money back!” Remember that she had earlier given money to the missionary society. Her own son had been converted by the labours of the missionaries overseas.
Later that son returned to Calcutta, but soon died of cholera. Before he died, he urged his younger brother to attend the worship of God, and he too was eventually saved. The news of her younger son’s conversion arrived just before she died. She said joyfully, “Here comes my money back again!”
Galatians 6:7-9, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
Conclusion
We’ve learnt four lessons from our text. First, uncertainties about the future should not lead us to inactivity or laziness but rather to hard work. Second, the uncertainties of life ought to lead us to work wisely and prudently in accordance to God’s word. Third, the uncertainties of life ought to lead us to faith and trust in God. Fourth, we can have certain hope that all our effort and labours will not be in vain but will indeed bear fruit in due time, whether in this life or in the life to come.
If you are not a Christian, then you need to know that such a perspective on life does not belong to you and cannot be yours unless you have God as your Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus as your Saviour and Lord.
Every day that you live apart from God and Christ, you are sowing to sin, and someday you will reap everlasting corruption and destruction. Do not continue in such a state of sin and misery. Seek deliverance and rescue from it by calling upon the name of the Lord. Repent of your sins. Believe in Him, and you shall be saved. But to those who are in Christ, may you take to heart these simple lessons and be encouraged to live a life of faith, hope, and faithful commitment to Him. I end with the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, “Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.” Amen.
Linus Chua