Special Insights No. 12
First Quarter 2007
Adult Sabbath School Lessons
“Ecclesiastes”
(Produced by the Editorial Board of the 1888 Message
Study Committee)
The Way of the Wind
Ecclesiastes11:1 “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for
thou shalt find it after many days.” What is the bread?
The bread of life; “the third angel’s message in verity.”
Scatter it!
11:2: “Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for
thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.”
Give to everyone. Cast your love broadcast, because you don’t
know who will believe. (When you know you’re loved, a calamity
is always easier to endure.)
11:3: “If the clouds be full of rain, they empty [themselves]
upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the
north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.”
In the time of the latter rain, heaven’s clouds are full! Ever
since 1888.
11:4: “He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and
he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.” You’ll
be immeasurably happier in the day of judgment if you have kept busy
now “sowing” the 1888 message “seed,” because
the “judgment” is the reaping.
11:5: “As thou knowest not what [is] the way of the spirit,
[nor] how the bones [do grow] in the womb of her that is with child:
even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.”
We know that all things work together for good to those who love Him
(Rom. 8:28). But we can believe now that He will cause the seeds of
truth we “sow” to grow in hearts.
11:6: “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening
withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper,
either this or that, or whether they both [shall be] alike good.”
Don’t give up, keep working, and let the chips fall where they
may. You never know what will become of it. There’ll be great
surprises of joy in the last day.
11:7: “Truly the light [is] sweet, and a pleasant [thing
it is] for the eyes to behold the sun.” Jesus is the
light of the world—and we are, too, if we let Him work in us.
Just look at Him.
11:8: “But if a man live many years, [and] rejoice in
them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall
be many. All that cometh [is] vanity.” If you are going
through a calamity today, remember, “This, too, shall pass.”
And the sun will shine again—even on the just and the unjust.
(And if the Lord allows the sun to shine on the unjust, too, how much
more does he care for you, His child?)
11:9: “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.” For those
who are young, be thankful that you have your youth. You have your whole
life ahead of you. And if your heart is thankful for what God has given
you, you can safely “walk in the ways of thine heart and in the
sight of thine eyes”. However, remember that when God brings you
to judgement, it means deliverance. The work of the judge in Bible times
was to deliver the accused (Psalm 76:8,9; Judges 2:16; 1st Sam. 24:15),
and Christ, by passing judgment upon us has forged out for us and given
to us salvation in Himself (Isa. 45:23). Should we actively choose to
discard the gift He gave to us, then by our own resulting acts of unrighteousness,
we condemn ourselves and God does not need to condemn.
Note the work of the Divine Judge: “He that
believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned
already [without God having to condemn him], because he hath not believed
in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation,
that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than
light, because their deeds were evil (John 3:17-19).
“All this deliverance is ‘according to the will of our
God and Father.’ The will of God is our sanctification. 1 Thessalonians
4:3. He wills that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge
of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:4. And He ‘accomplishes all things according
to the counsel of His will.’ Ephesians 1:11. ‘Do you mean
to teach universal salvation?’ someone may ask. We mean to teach
just what the Word of God teaches—that ‘the grace of God
hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men.’ Titus 2:11, R.V.
God has wrought out salvation for every man, and has given it to him;
but the majority spurn it and throw it away. The judgement will reveal
the fact that full salvation [spiritual blessings as well as temporal]
was given to every man and that the lost have deliberately thrown away
their birthright possession.”—E. J. Waggoner, The Glad Tidings,
pp. 13, 14 (emphasis original).
When Jesus tells us to “take up our cross and follow” Him,
that means He gives us a life of denial of the temptations of the fallen
sinful human flesh (otherwise known as “self-denial”), giving
ourselves completely to Him, and saying in our hearts, “not my
will, but Thine be done”—the experience of Christ in Gethsemene.
To take up the cross of Christ results in the believer in God expressing
agape in his relationships with others, and cheerful thankfulness in
his heart for what God has done. Then we can say we believe in Jesus.
11:10: “Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put
away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth [are] vanity.”
Be happy because of this deliverance and righteousness God has given
you, and receive His Word into your experience today, for your youth
will soon disappear like a vapor.
What does it mean to cast your bread upon the waters? A heartfelt appreciation
of the Price God paid for your salvation so that you can receive the
righteousness of God, experientially. Then leave the results with Him.
What are we waiting for?
—Craig Barnes
P.S. For those of us who are older, we are only as old
as we think we are.
(Note: A series of CDs on these lessons recorded
by this author is available from the office of the 1888 Message Study
Committee: 269-473-1888.)
Listen to the audio recording for Lesson 12 now in MP3 format.
Read Special Insights 13
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