Ecclesiastes 9:11–11:6

Bringing the sermon home:

The dominant theme in this lengthy passage is the unknowability of the future. Life as a vapor is enigmatic, for what takes place on earth is not always predictable or controllable. The wise accept this and press on.

The middle section (from 9:13 through 10:20) begins with a short story that is followed by a long series of proverbs, not all of which seem directly related to each other or to the rest of the book. I believe this is intended to commend biblical wisdom in general, for “wisdom is better than might”, while also tempering our zeal for wisdom’s ability to fix life’s problems. The wise embrace wisdom, but not because it’s a remedy for the unpredictability or uncontrollability of life.

The passage reaches its climax in 11:1–6, where the Preacher insists that our lack of certainty regarding how any given endeavor will turn out must not prevent us from putting forth the effort. In other words, the wise are not deterred by the unknown of what may come, but, instead, trust that God is at work in ways that we cannot understand, and that He will use our faithful attempts to serve Him for His good purposes.

May we let go of our incessant need to know the future that hinders the faithful labors to which God is calling us.

“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly.” (2 Corinthians 9:6)

(See follow-up article here.)