December 24, 2006

Cawson St. Church of Christ

Hopewell, Virginia

Mural Worthey

 

Cast Your Bread Upon the Waters

 

Introduction: Text: Ecclesiastes 11:1-2

 

“Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days.  Give a portion to seven and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.”

 

The general meaning of these words by Solomon is easy to grasp, but the exact figure that the writer had in mind is not so evident.  It may mean: 1) Sow seeds upon the waters and when the waters subside, the seed will sink into the fertile soil and come forth abundantly; or 2) Give generously to others and blessings will come back to you.  You will find the bread that you cast upon the waters later on.  He added that we should give to seven and to eight because we do not know what evil shall be in the future.  We know not what we might need in the future.

 

Isaiah wrote: “Blessed are you that sow beside all waters that send forth the feet of the ox and the donkey.”  (Isa. 32:20.)  Rice can be planted by broadcasting the seed on the ground, or by planting small seedlings in irrigated areas.  Recently, David Crutchfield told me that his mother planted grass seed for her lawn on snow in the yard.  When the snow melted, the seed would be planted in the soft earth.  In the Spring, grass would come up abundantly.

 

Paul wrote: “He which sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; he which sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”  (2 Cor. 9:6.)

 

This is a good passage for us to consider at the end of the year.  Whether it is interpreted to mean sowing and reaping or giving generously to others, the meaning is very similar.  “Bread” stands for the source of bread or the seed.  Someone might argue, “Why not make bread out of the grain rather than planting it?”  Or, “Why not keep it for yourself rather than giving it away?”  The answer is because blessings come to those who cast their seeds upon the water.  Even when done without any desire for return, God will bless those who do so.

 

There are people who are afraid and refuse to cast their bread upon the waters.  They reason that it is better to keep what they have than to give it away.  If you saw someone casting bread on the face of the waters that they could eat, you might think that it is wasteful.  For what purpose is it?

 

Examples

 

Manna.  God gave the Israelites bread from heaven.  They could gather for six days, but not on the Sabbath Day.  They could gather for the seventh day on the sixth.  If they gathered too much, it spoiled.  If they gathered little, they had no lack of food.  See Exodus 16:18, 2 Cor. 8:15.  This is not an example of man casting his bread upon the waters, but rather of God casting bread down for man and man’s response to it.  Does he greedily gather too much?  God still provides for us today.

 

The Dead Sea.  This Sea in the midst of the Bible lands is a good example of a body of water that receives an inflow of water and minerals, but gives nothing out.  Water flows from the north down to the Sea of Galilee and down the Jordan Valley to the Dead Sea.  This amazing Sea is about 1300 feet below Sea level and another 1300 feet to the bottom.  It is filled with heavy minerals and salts.  Nothing can live in this salty sea; thus, the name the Dead Sea.  People can be like that sea.  They receive, but refuse to give.  It seems like a good plan, but it is a fatal one.  Many people who are covetous make that mistake.  They receive and save and hoard their riches.  In the end, they become stale and dead.  People who know them do not give gifts to them because they are covetous.  They want more and more so they can hoard it. 

 

Jesus taught, “Give and it shall be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over shall men give unto your bosom. For with what measure you give, it shall be given to you again.”  (Luke 6:38.)  Note that this says, Men shall give unto you.  Others passages say that God will open the widows of heaven and give unto you. (Malachi 3:10.)  God and men will give to those who give to others.  Do not become another Dead Sea; there are too many already.

The woman in Bethany.  An unnamed woman anointed Jesus with expensive ointment in the house of Simon the leper in Bethany.  Jesus’ disciples asked, To what purpose is this waste?  It could have been sold and given to the poor.  Jesus replied, The poor you have always with you; but you will not always have me with you.  She did this for my burial and this deed will be told where ever the Gospel is preached as a memorial of her.  (Matt. 26:6-13.)  This remarkable example of generosity is a good example of “casting your bread upon the waters.”  This woman receives recognition and blessings every time this story is told.  Love sometimes seems extravagant; it gives more instead of less.  It is selfless and self-sacrificing.  Jesus also said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.  (Acts 20:35.)  It is better to cast your bread upon the waters than it is to keep it hoarded until you die.

 

A postal worker in Richmond.  Thomas Cannon is a legend in the Richmond area.  He is known for casting his bread upon the waters.  He is not a wealthy or affluent man.  His salary at the Post Office only rose above $30,000 when he worked overtime.  Yet since 1972, he has given away more than $96,000, mostly in awards of $1000 at a time.  (Story in Parade Magazine, September 21, 1997.)  He gave a check for $1000 to a teenage in Norfolk who returned a wallet that he found.  The wallet had only $40 in it.  He gave another check to a group of teenagers who rescued a drowning horse; to a school teacher from Kuwait who traveled the world looking for a cure for a disease that threatened his son’s life; to a Woman’s Club who helped under-privileged children near his home in Richmond.  All the time he was giving money away to others, he lived in a modest home where he took care of his wife who was afflicted by two strokes.

 

Citizens of Richmond who had kept up with his philanthropy decided to help.  They moved the Cannons into a new house so that he could better care for his ailing wife.  Even after his retirement in 1993, he keeps up his custom of giving to others.  Betty Booker, a columnist for the Richmond Times Dispatch has chronicled his good deeds.

 

The poor widow.  An interesting story is told in 1 Kings 17:8-24.  God told Elijah to go to a certain widow in Zarephath and she would give him food to eat.  When the prophet arrived at the city, she was out gathering wood for a fire.  He asked her for some water to drink.  As she was going to get the water, he asked her to bring also some bread for him to drink.  She replied that all she had was a handful of meal and some oil, and that she had planned to cook the little bread that was left for herself and her son so that they could then die together.  Apparently, they were nearly starved to death.

 

The prophet said, “Fear not; go and do what you said, but bake me a little piece first and afterward make some for you and your son.”  (17:13.)  Seems like a strange thing to command a poor widow.  Let me eat first and then you may eat.  She obeyed the voice of the prophet and the barrel of meal and oil do not run out.  She had plenty to eat.  But then a sickness fell upon the widow and her son. The son died.  The mother asked Elijah why he had come; was it to visit my iniquity upon me?  Elijah took the child from the woman and lay upon him calling upon God to bring him to life again.  The child was raised up from the dead and given to his mother again.  The woman said, “Now by this I know that you are a man of God and the word of the Lord is true.”  (17:24.)

 

What does this story mean?  It shows the faith of this widow in the face of extreme poverty.  She did as she was commanded and she was blessed.  She cast her bread upon the waters in faith and she received blessings from God.  We too should do as she did.

 

All You Can Hold in Your Hands

 

Carve thy name high over the shifting sands

Where the steadfast rocks defy decay

All you can hold in your cold, dead hands

Is what you have given away

 

Build your pyramid skyward and stand

Gazed at by the millions, cultured they say

All you can hold in your cold, dead hands

Is what you have given away

 

Count your wide conquest of sea and land

Heap up the gold and hoard all you may

All you can hold in your cold, dead hands

Is what you have given away

 

Culture and fame and gold—ah, so grand

Kings of the solar, the mart, a day

All you can hold in your cold, dead hands

Is what you have given away

 

Author unknown

 

Bible Passages

 

Jesus taught: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal.  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through and steal.  For where your treasure is there will your heart be also.”  (Matt. 6:19-21.)  Jesus was teaching the same thing that Solomon wrote about.  “Cast your bread upon the waters, and you shall find it after many days.”

 

Paul wrote: “But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.  And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content.”  (1 Timothy 6:6-8.)

 

“Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and dies, it abides alone.  But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit.  He that loves his life shall lose it.  He that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.”   (John 12:24-25.)