Wisdom in Enterprise
Send your grain overseas, for after many days you will get a return. Divide your merchandise among seven or even eight investments, for you do not know what calamity may happen on earth. If the clouds are full of rain, they will empty themselves on the earth, and whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, the tree will lie wherever it falls. He who watches the wind will not sow, and he who observes the clouds will not reap. Just as you do not know the path of the wind, or how the bones form in the womb of a pregnant woman, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. Sow your seed in the morning, and do not stop working until the evening; for you do not know which activity will succeed – whether this one or that one, or whether both will prosper equally (Ecclesiastes 11:1-6).
As with wisdom, so with enterprise and labor: the Preacher laments their limitations yet still encourages their value.
Throughout Ecclesiastes 1:1-10:20 the Preacher meditated upon the hevel of life under the sun: all is vain, futile – truly absurd. He compares most human endeavors toward meaning as “chasing after wind”: people pursue pleasure, wealth, wisdom, or other things looking for ultimate purpose and satisfaction and will be disappointed and frustrated by all of them. To rage against such truths is itself futile and striving after wind. God understands better than we do.
While the Preacher bitterly lamented the ultimate futility of all human endeavor, such did not mean he found human endeavors of no benefit or value. Thus the Preacher commended human enterprise, and the exercise of wisdom in human enterprise, in Ecclesiastes 11:1-6.
The Preacher literally encouraged one to “cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it in many days” in Ecclesiastes 11:1. Some have wished to understand this in terms of fishing, but in context it is better understood in terms of commerce. To cast bread upon waters was often used in ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature to refer to sharing in some form or another. Perhaps the sharing was more a matter of mutual aid; thus the Preacher would be encouraging the sharing of grain with others with an understanding one would then receive grain when one was in need. Contextually, however, it is probably best to understand the Preacher speaking of sharing in terms of commerce, as expressed in the NET. In this way the Preacher commended participating in some kind of market economy.
In Ecclesiastes 11:2 the Preacher encouraged giving a “portion” to “seven or eight”; “seven or eight” is idiomatic to express variety in distribution. But a “portion” of what? Many have imagined the Preacher as commending giving benevolence widely, understanding the “portion” as some kind of material benefit. The Preacher would probably not argue with such beneficence, but contextually again the NET is most likely accurate in understanding the “portion” as some kind of investment. To this day any investment manager worth his or her salt will encourage their clients to maintain a diversified portfolio, and for the same reason the Preacher gave: you do not know exactly when, where, or how disaster might strike. Many of us have lived through the bursting of many economic “bubbles” and watched whole sectors of the economy nearly collapse; therefore, we well understand the Preacher’s concerns.
The Preacher then seemed to transition to a new thought with a view to what he had just considered: clouds full of water vapor will rain on the earth, and the tree will lie wherever it falls (Ecclesiastes 11:3). We can make some connection with the calamities which occur on the earth, but the statement would otherwise be baffling on its own. The Preacher carried on with his thought: a person who spends all their time watching the signs of the weather will never sow or reap a crop (Ecclesiastes 11:4). A person may not understand how or where the wind blows, or how a child forms in the womb; likewise a person does not understand God’s works in their making (Ecclesiastes 11:5). Thus the Preacher counseled his audience to sow seed in the morning and work until the evening, for one cannot know which enterprises in which they engage will prove successful or not (Ecclesiastes 11:6).
We can already hear the quibbling objection: ah, but we now do have some understanding about how and where the wind blows and how a child is formed in the womb! Yes, we have come to a better understanding about how various aspects of the creation works.
But for all we have learned about how the creation works, far more remains well beyond our understanding, and will likely always remain beyond our understanding. The premise of the Preacher remains quite valid: we do not know the work of God who does all.
We can apply this wisdom to almost any enterprise. Our economic system is based on a powerful and elaborate financial system which has developed incredible technologies and algorithms to attempt to ascertain how the markets will move; and yet there will still be times, events, and situations which were not well predicted and which lead to the rise and fall of many. Our ability to forecast the weather has significantly improved over the past few generations; and yet storms and temperatures will often change and develop in ways which were not well predicted. Any sports fan can tell you how often there is great variance between the betting odds and the actual result.
But we should not lose sight of the Preacher’s lesson in this premise: we can overthink ourselves out of productive behavior. There is wisdom in forecasting, planning, and even considering possible objections in terms of any kind of enterprise. But at some point, we do well to do the work! We can always come up with enough challenges and objections to decline participation in any given enterprise. But we should work, and maintain some level of diversification in work. Yes, some projects will fail; some for easily foreseen reasons, and others for reasons unimaginable at the beginning. But some projects will not fail; and these will provide for us mentally and financially. Nevertheless, you miss every shot you do not take; an enterprise only in the mind has no hope of success whatsoever.
We can know all earthly efforts are ultimately futile, and we will not know exactly what God is doing or how it will all turn out. And yet we can, and should, exercise wisdom in pursuing our enterprises. We should diversify our investments and our labors. Who knows where we might succeed or fail until we try?
The Preacher reflected wisely regarding life “under the sun.” We may not know how God is working in every particular way on the earth, but we can maintain confidence how God has worked in Christ to reconcile us to Him and to one another. May we thus entrust ourselves to God in Christ and work to glorify Him in all things, and share in eternal life!
Ethan R. Longhenry
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