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Preparing for a Rainy Day

Ecclesiastes 11:1-6
2008.04.06
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I enjoy the rain. I also understand that not everyone shares my appreciation for a good cloudy, dark day as much as I do. I prefer the rain over the sun. When I lived in Los Angeles for almost five years it got to the point of irritation at seeing the glaring sun every morning. People often asked if I was prepared for excessive rain in Washington, and though we don’t get downpours like the Midwest, I love the overcast days. Throw in some wind and rain and I’m a happy camper.

In Ecclesiastes chapter 11 Solomon talks about another kind of rainy day, about dark days of difficulty. Life is stormy. The first ten chapters of Ecclesiastes scream the message. We live in uncertain times. Nothing is guaranteed. Even if the sky is clear and the sun is out right now, it could start raining at any moment.

Chapter eleven begins the final stretch of Ecclesiastes. It includes a number of exhortations, not just for specific situations, but for life.

Today’s paragraph is Solomon’s advice for uncertain times, and it includes some important reminders about God’s sovereign hand over creation and men. In particular he explains how to prepare for rainy days. He gives three instructions.

1. INVEST WISELY vv. 1-2

The first advice for a rainy day is to put a little something away. Both the idea of cast (v.1) and give (v.2) convey the idea of investment.

Invest Patiently v. 1

Part of wise investing means you’ll have to wait a while before seeing any return.

1 Cast your bread upon the waters,
for you will find it after many days.

There are at least a few possibilities about what verse 1 means. The idea itself is simple, cast your bread upon the waters, but what is the “bread” and what are the “waters”?

One possibility is that this is actual bread. Since the bread at that time would have been unleavened, flat, and thin (not like our glutinous bread that would get water soaked and disintegrate) it would easily float on the surface. But putting actual bread on actual water doesn’t seem like good counsel from the wisest man who ever lived (unless we suppose Solomon just wanted us to feed ducks on the pond).

One of the more popular interpretations is that this verse refers to charity; giving to the poor. In fact this is the traditional interpretation of some of the oldest Hebrew commentators. The biggest problem, however, is that nothing in the context has anything to do with the poor. This isn’t a verse about the good karma you get from helping someone in need.

The most likely interpretation in terms of OT context and the paragraph itself relates to investing in foreign commerce; international trade. The idea of casting your bread upon the waters referred to investing in business ventures with a merchant who operated a fleet of ships. The Hebrew word for cast is also used in Isaiah 18:2 (translated there as “sends”) referring to boats on the face of the water.

For example, the Proverbs 31 woman “is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food (bread) from afar” (v.14). The word translated “food” is the same word as here in Ecclesiastes 11:1. It’s unlikely that she was buying bread which would have spoiled over a long journey. She was a hard worker and undoubtedly made her own bread. The point is she was getting “goods” from afar. So bread stands for any kind of commodity; the means of making a living.

As you can imagine, these transactions typically took a long time and involved significant risk. Ships on a commercial, international voyage could take years. For example, Solomon’s fleet of ships brought goods once every three years (1 Kings 10:22). Faith and patience were just as important as capital.

The venture at sea represents any venture that takes calculated risk. Sometimes worthwhile things take time. That’s why in order to prepare for a rainy day we should invest patiently. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, though the return isn’t always immediate.

Though the verse primarily refers to financial investment, I think it does have application for other types of investment like time and energy. I know sometimes it seems like school is a waste. You feel like you would be better doing it instead of learning about it. But education is an important investment that will take time to yield a return. It may help you on a rainy day. The principle perhaps also has application for evangelism.

The point is: be patient. You will find [your bread] after many days.

Invest Diversely v. 2

Not only should you invest long term, but also in many places.

2 Give a portion to seven, or even to eight,
for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.

Again there are a couple different proposed interpretations including charity, but again there is nothing in the context to suggest that. Instead it is another principle of investment for a rainy day.

Give a portion to seven, or even to eight. The “x or even x+1″ formula is a common Hebrew way to describe a lot. There is nothing special in the numbers themselves except to emphasize the importance of investing (a portion of the bread) in multiple places.

This is the principle of diversification. We have an English proverb that communicates the same point: don’t put all your eggs in one basket. If you do put them all in the same basket and something happens to the basket, you’ve lost everything. But if you divided them up, a couple might be broken but you’ve still got something left.

Remember when Jacob returned to Canaan and knew Esau was coming to meet him? He divided up his flocks and herds and even the people who were with him (Genesis 32).

Solomon also gives the reason for diversification: spreading of risk by putting assets in several categories of investments. The reason is, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth. You don’t know when the rainy day is coming. I dislike the NAS translation of “misfortune” since sometimes that word is used to deny God’s providence. This is disaster, calamity, and God is still in control.

Better to keep a few small umbrellas around (at home, the office, your car) than to get caught in the downpour with your monster golf umbrella out of reach.

Prepare for a rainy day by investing wisely, patiently and diversely. It’s not bad to take some calculated risks; they may pay off later.

2. DON’T OVERANALYZE vv. 3-4

You know the rainy day is coming. We expect it. It’s inevitable. But one of the worst things you can do is sit around and wait for it without preparing.

The Pictures

3 If the clouds are full of rain,
they empty themselves on the earth,
and if a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.

Two illustrations set the stage for the point in verse 4. First, If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth. This is a real rainy day. Even though we can’t control it, we can see it coming. It doesn’t take expensive, sophisticated Doppler radar to forecast. It is also one potential form of disaster from verse 2: a strong storm.

The second picture is if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie (though if no one is there to hear it, does it still make a sound?). This is another inevitable conclusion of Captain Obvious. There isn’t a person chopping or sawing down the tree, it is a tree uprooted by the wind–as the next verse suggests–and therefore another possible form of disaster.

Both pictures are of simple, observable, obvious situations. You can’t do anything other than take life as it comes. Que Sera, Sera: whatever will be will be.

The Point

It is possible to overanalyze the obvious.

4 He who observes the wind will not sow,
and he who regards the clouds will not reap.

He who observes the wind will not sow; he’s afraid that the wind will blow away the seed. He observes, “watches” (NAS), pays close attention to, scrutinizes the wind sock waiting for the perfect conditions. It makes him apprehensive and he postpones his work.

Also, he who regards the clouds will not reap. Regards, “looks at” (NAS) is parallel to observes and refers to analyzing and examining so much waiting for a clear sky that he entirely misses the opportunity. Rain in harvest was not helpful (Proverbs 26:1), The self-made meteorologist is afraid the rain will destroy the crops before he harvests.

This principle is known as the paralysis of analysis. You spend so much time trying to outguess your opponent that you never make a move. You’re so afraid of making a bad decision that you don’t make any. You fear that if you choose or do something today it might not be good in 2 weeks or 2 years so you sit on your hands. You paralyze yourself and rationalize procrastination. It’s an excuse.

Someone so afraid of a rainy day that they spend all day watching the Weather Channel rather than finishing the roof will get wet when the rain comes.

Now obviously this doesn’t mean that you should plant the field in a tornado. But you can’t sit around waiting for the ideal circumstances (especially if you’re waiting for a Washington day without precipitation). What happens is what happens.

Think about it. Make appropriate preparations. But if you want to be ready for the rainy day, don’t overanalyze.¹

3. WORK TWICE AS HARD vv. 5-6

Here is the third piece of advice to prepare for a rainy day.

The Reality

5 As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.

Again Solomon paints a picture. But unlike the pictures in verse 3, this is not observable. Instead this is hidden; something we’re ignorant about. Our ignorance is the emphasis since three times in verses 5 and 6 Solomon says you do not know.

There are significant translation differences. The NAS, NJKV, NIV all go one way:

Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of a pregnant woman`

The ESV, NRSV go the other.

As you do not know the way the spirit (breath) comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child

The first approach sees two illustrations: the wind and growth of a baby; the second sees one illustration: the spirit coming to a baby. It primarily hinges on how we interpret the Hebrew word ruah that can mean “wind” or “breath” or “(human life) spirit” (the same as πνεῦμα in Greek). Ruah in the previous verse is clearly wind.

Yet I prefer the ESV. As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child. It’s hard enough to understand how the bones themselves form in the womb; how a zygote gets a skeleton. But it’s actually impossible to know how a person gets a spirit. Where does the spirit come from? How is the spirit connected to the body? We are ignorant. It is one of the most mysterious things in the universe; the supreme example of a human endeavor completely outside of our control. It’s not the only thing we don’t know (and a cause for wonder in the OT, Psalm 139:14-16).

So you do not know the work of God who makes everything. This isn’t the first time Solomon has mentioned this fact–God is sovereign and we’re ignorant.

He has made everything beautiful in its time…; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. (3:11)

I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning. Even if a wise man claims he knows, he cannot really comprehend it. (8:17)

God in His sovereignty has made it this way so that we will fear Him. There are things we can’t explain.

The Responsibility

But our ignorance is no excuse for inactivity. Just the opposite.

6 In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.

Working the land is the original example of labor. Solomon commands us to work: In the morning sow your seed. It is an illustration from the farm: get up and get to work. Stop worrying about the inevitable. Stop fretting about your ignorance. Just sow your seed even though you’re not sure if it will be fruitful.

And don’t stop working: at evening withhold not your hand. Either this means sow seed again in the evening or it refers to working hard all day tending the field after you’ve planted. In Hebrew the preposition changes and could even be translated “until,” so from morning until evening, through the whole day, beginning to end.

Either way it means work hard. The reason: for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good. This final explanation actually leads me to think the point is sow in the morning and sow again in the evening. Plant two times; one or both might germinate. Work twice as hard. “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” There isn’t necessarily one time to act.

Conclusion

If you want to prepare for a rainy day–for uncertainty–

1. Invest wisely.
2. Don’t overanalyze.
3. Work twice as hard.

All three require human initiative alongside fear of God. Trust leads to action.

We shouldn’t think more about the rainy day than the sunshine today, but neither should we act like they won’t come. Enjoy the process, find enjoyment in your toil, even when you’ve got to wait, even though it’s never the perfect time, even though you don’t understand it all.

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