CAST THY BREAD UPON THE WATERS

1 Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. 2 Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; Eccl 11:1-2 (KJV)

           

            I have read this passage many times over the years and heard the song written by Joel Hemphill and always thought that it referred to casting bread on waters from the beach and that someday it would come back to me.  Following some commentary I have another insight into this.  Adam Clark says that this refers to casting rice seed on flooded areas.  The seed would settle into the bottom soil and often would be packed in the soil by the feet of the oxen and animals.  After a while the rice would come forth and produce fruit.  Another commentary said that people would use a boat to get to the flood waters of the Nile and would cast seed from the boat; later the seed from the bottom soil would spring up and bring forth its fruit.

            Hemphill, in his song, suggests that as we cast our bread (our seed) on the water that we are helping our neighbor who is struggling on life’s troubled sea.  He is right for the waters symbolize the people.  Our text says “give a portion to seven and also to eight.”  Seven is the perfect number or the complete number.  Eight would indicate many people.  Hemphill also says that it will come back to you.  It does.  Now that does not mean that you will find yourself in the exact same predicament as your neighbor and he will treat you as you treated him.  Rather it means that it is rewarding to help others.  In fact, if we give in the right way it is truly better to give than receive.  Think about it; is it not better to be able to give?  Knowing that you are at a place where you have the blessings to share with others.  It may not have always been that way.  There may have been times when you were the recipients of such blessings from someone else.  You were part of the waters they were casting their bread into.  For you to be blessed was the blessing for those casting the bread.

            Churches cast bread in Sunday school, youth classes, mission friends, G, A.’s and R. A.’s and so forth.  “Thou shalt find it after many days.”  It takes some days for seed to fully germinate and for the stalk to grow, put forth shoots and grain.  Isn’t it such a blessing to see some of these students germinate and finally bring forth fruit?  Some become great Christian parents, Sunday school teachers, youth leaders, VBS workers or even pastors.  These are the fruits of bread cast upon the waters so just keep casting your bread upon the waters.

 

Yours in Christ,

 

 

Brother Randy Burtram

 

(Originally published November 17, 2013)