Ecclesiastes 11:4
He who watches the wind will fail to sow, and he who observes the clouds will fail to reap.
He who watches the wind
This phrase suggests a person overly concerned with conditions before taking action. In biblical times, agriculture was a primary occupation, and farmers depended on favorable weather for planting and harvesting. Watching the wind implies waiting for perfect conditions, which rarely occur. This can be connected to the broader biblical theme of faith and trust in God’s provision, as seen in Matthew 6:26, where Jesus speaks of God providing for the birds of the air.

will fail to sow
Sowing is a metaphor for taking initiative or making an investment. In the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3-9), sowing represents spreading the word of God. Failing to sow due to fear or procrastination can lead to missed opportunities for growth and blessing. This reflects the biblical principle of diligence and the importance of taking action despite uncertainties, as echoed in Proverbs 20:4, which warns against laziness.

and he who observes the clouds
Observing the clouds refers to being overly cautious or hesitant due to potential obstacles. In ancient Israel, cloud patterns were often used to predict weather, but focusing too much on them could lead to inaction. This can be related to the idea of walking by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7), emphasizing reliance on God rather than circumstances.

will fail to reap
Reaping is the reward for labor and effort, symbolizing the results of one's work. In Galatians 6:9, believers are encouraged not to grow weary in doing good, for in due season they will reap if they do not give up. Failing to reap due to excessive caution can result in lost blessings and unfulfilled potential. This phrase underscores the importance of perseverance and trust in God's timing.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Solomon
- Traditionally considered the author of Ecclesiastes, Solomon was the son of King David and known for his wisdom. Ecclesiastes is part of the wisdom literature in the Bible.

2. Israel
- The setting for much of Solomon's life and reign, Israel is the nation where these teachings were originally shared and applied.

3. Agricultural Imagery
- The verse uses agricultural terms like "sow" and "reap," which were common in the agrarian society of ancient Israel and serve as metaphors for action and inaction.
Teaching Points
Avoiding Paralysis by Analysis
The verse warns against overanalyzing circumstances to the point of inaction. In life, waiting for perfect conditions can lead to missed opportunities.

Faith in Action
Trusting God involves taking steps of faith even when conditions are uncertain. This reflects a reliance on God's sovereignty rather than our own understanding.

Diligence and Responsibility
We are called to be diligent in our responsibilities, whether in work, ministry, or personal growth. Avoiding action due to fear or uncertainty is contrary to biblical teaching.

Trusting God's Provision
Just as a farmer trusts that the seeds will grow, we must trust that God will provide and bless our efforts when we step out in faith.

Overcoming Fear of Failure
Fear of failure can prevent us from taking necessary actions. Ecclesiastes 11:4 encourages us to overcome this fear by focusing on our responsibilities rather than potential obstacles.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Ecclesiastes 11:4 challenge you to take action in areas where you may be hesitating?

2. In what ways can you relate the agricultural imagery in this verse to your personal or professional life?

3. How do the teachings in Proverbs 20:4 and Ecclesiastes 11:4 complement each other in terms of diligence and action?

4. Reflect on a time when you waited for "perfect conditions" before acting. What was the outcome, and how might this verse have changed your approach?

5. How can you apply the principle of "faith in action" from Ecclesiastes 11:4 to a current situation in your life, and what steps will you take to move forward?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Proverbs 20:4
- This verse also uses agricultural imagery to discuss the consequences of laziness and inaction, emphasizing the importance of diligence.

Matthew 25:14-30
- The Parable of the Talents highlights the importance of taking action and using what God has given us, rather than being paralyzed by fear or indecision.

James 1:22-25
- Encourages believers to be doers of the word, not just hearers, which aligns with the call to action in Ecclesiastes 11:4.
Difficulties VanquishedDavid Hughes, B. A.Ecclesiastes 11:4
Optimism and Pessimism Versus ChristianityCanon Liddon.Ecclesiastes 11:4
Sowing in the Wind, Reaping Under CloudsCharles Haddon Spurgeon Ecclesiastes 11:4
Sowing in the Wind; Reaping Under CloudsEcclesiastes 11:4
The True WorkmanW. Clarkson Ecclesiastes 11:4
Too LateJ. A. Jacob, M. A.Ecclesiastes 11:4
Incentives to Christian WorkW. Clarkson Ecclesiastes 11:1-4, 6
Provision for the FutureJ. Willcock Ecclesiastes 11:1-6
Fulfill Duty and Disregard ConsequencesD. Thomas Ecclesiastes 11:4, 6
People
Solomon
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Clouds, Grain, Looks, Observes, Observeth, Observing, Plant, Planted, Reap, Reapeth, Regardeth, Regards, Seed, Sow, Soweth, Thick, Watches, Watching, Wind, Won't
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Ecclesiastes 11:3-4

     4805   clouds

Ecclesiastes 11:3-5

     4854   weather, God's sovereignty

Library
A New Years Sermon to the Young
'Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.... Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.'--ECCLES. xi. 9; xii. 1. This strange, and in some places perplexing Book of Ecclesiastes, is intended to
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Sowing in the Wind, Reaping under Clouds
"He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap."--Ecclesiastes 11:4. SOW when the time comes, whatever wind blows. Reap when the times comes, whatever clouds are in the sky. There are, however, qualifying proverbs, which must influence our actions. We are not to discard prudence in the choice of the time for our work. "To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven." It is well to sow when the weather is propitious. It is wise
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 38: 1892

Of Confession and Self-Examination
Of Confession and Self-examination Self-examination should always precede Confession, and in the nature and manner of it should be conformable to the state of the soul: the business of those that are advanced to the degree of which we now treat, is to lay their whole souls open before God, who will not fail to enlighten them, and enable them to see the peculiar nature of their faults. This examination, however, should be peaceful and tranquil, and we should depend on God for the discovery and knowledge
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of Prayer

Curiosity a Temptation to Sin.
"Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away."--Proverbs iv. 14, 15. The chief cause of the wickedness which is every where seen in the world, and in which, alas! each of us has more or less his share, is our curiosity to have some fellowship with darkness, some experience of sin, to know what the pleasures of sin are like. I believe it is even thought unmanly by many persons (though they may not like to say
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

1872-1874. Letter from Rev. A. M. W. Christopher --Letter from Gulf of St. Lawrence-Mrs. Birt's Sheltering Home, Liverpool --Letter to Mrs. Merry --Letter from Canada --Miss
Letter from Rev. A. M. W. Christopher--Letter from Gulf of St. Lawrence-Mrs. Birt's Sheltering Home, Liverpool--Letter to Mrs. Merry--Letter from Canada--Miss Macpherson's return to England-- Letter of cheer for Dr. Barnardo--Removal to Hackney Home. Though human praise is not sought, we cannot but feel peculiar pleasure in giving the following testimony from a servant of the Lord so much revered as the Rev, A. M. W. Christopher of Oxford:-- "Of all the works of Christian benevolence which the great
Clara M. S. Lowe—God's Answers

How the Slothful and the Hasty are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 16.) Differently to be admonished are the slothful and the hasty. For the former are to be persuaded not to lose, by putting it off, the good they have to do; but the latter are to be admonished lest, while they forestall the time of good deeds by inconsiderate haste, they change their meritorious character. To the slothful therefore it is to be intimated, that often, when we will not do at the right time what we can, before long, when we will, we cannot. For the very indolence of
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Jesus Attends the First Passover of his Ministry.
(Jerusalem, April 9, a.d. 27.) Subdivision A. Jesus Cleanses the Temple. ^D John II. 13-25. ^d 13 And the passover of the Jews was at hand [We get our information as to the length of our Lord's ministry from John's Gospel. He groups his narrative around six Jewish festivals: 1, He here mentions the first passover; 2, another feast, which we take to have been also a passover (v. 1); 3, another passover (vi. 4); 4, the feast of tabernacles (vii. 2); 5, dedication (x. 22); 6, passover (xi. 55). This
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

How those are to be Admonished who Decline the Office of Preaching Out of Too Great Humility, and those who Seize on it with Precipitate Haste.
(Admonition 26.) Differently to be admonished are those who, though able to preach worthily, are afraid by reason of excessive humility, and those whom imperfection or age forbids to preach, and yet precipitancy impells. For those who, though able to preach with profit, still shrink back through excessive humility are to be admonished to gather from consideration of a lesser matter how faulty they are in a greater one. For, if they were to hide from their indigent neighbours money which they possessed
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Jeremiah, a Lesson for the Disappointed.
"Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord."--Jeremiah i. 8. The Prophets were ever ungratefully treated by the Israelites, they were resisted, their warnings neglected, their good services forgotten. But there was this difference between the earlier and the later Prophets; the earlier lived and died in honour among their people,--in outward honour; though hated and thwarted by the wicked, they were exalted to high places, and ruled in the congregation.
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

The Wrath of God
What does every sin deserve? God's wrath and curse, both in this life, and in that which is to come. Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.' Matt 25: 41. Man having sinned, is like a favourite turned out of the king's favour, and deserves the wrath and curse of God. He deserves God's curse. Gal 3: 10. As when Christ cursed the fig-tree, it withered; so, when God curses any, he withers in his soul. Matt 21: 19. God's curse blasts wherever it comes. He deserves also God's wrath, which is
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Ecclesiastes
It is not surprising that the book of Ecclesiastes had a struggle to maintain its place in the canon, and it was probably only its reputed Solomonic authorship and the last two verses of the book that permanently secured its position at the synod of Jamnia in 90 A.D. The Jewish scholars of the first century A.D. were struck by the manner in which it contradicted itself: e.g., "I praised the dead more than the living," iv. 2, "A living dog is better than a dead lion," ix. 4; but they were still more
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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