AFTER MANY DAYS!

Friday, January 17, 2020

AFTER MANY DAYS!

Eccl 11:1

11 Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.

It is curious to read the commentaries on this verse. Most disagree in part or at least in kind. One, Clarke, says it refers to sowing rice in a muddy field covered with water. It is trampled into the mud by the oxen. After many days it grows and produces an abundant harvest. Another, Wiersbe, says it refers to shipping. He paraphrases it “send out your grain in ships.” After many days the return on your initial investment comes back to you.

What we need to understand is that Solomon, who wrote both Ecclesiastes and the book of Provers, is speaking proverbially. Don’t look for a quick return on your investment. This is especially so in Gospel ministry. Truth sown in the muddy field of someone’s life takes time to mature and produce root and fruit. Even Jesus illustrates patience in dealing with various kinds of soil.

Matt 13:23

23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Lord, help me to be patient with people who are slow to receive your truth and to apply it to their lives. Let me also be both diligent and patient with myself. AMEN