A lesson on Giving and Investing
Eccl. 11:1-3
Introduction
We are now on the last two chapter of this Book written by the wisest an who ever lived. Today, we
will be talking about giving and investing. The Word of God has a lot to say about giving. It is more
blessed to give than to receive. The context of this last two chapter for me is, Solomon the Preacher
telling us to trust God more and to have more concern about others too.
I. Sowing (Eccl. 11:1)
A. This passage is about sowing and investing, giving out and having the faith that God
will give back to you in return – someday, if not immediately.
B. The Turks have a similar proverb. “Do good throw it into the water. If the fish doesn’t
know it, God does”.
C. The idea is that giving is living, living in a way that is honouring God.
D. Some Guidelines for giving:
1. Give without regard for rewards. – Casting your bread upon the waters is not a
give to get scheme. Notice that it does not say “Cast your bread upon the waters
today, and God will bring back tenfold tonight”.
a. It is true that such verses as Prov. 3:9-10 Honour the LORD with thy substance,
and with the first fruits of all thine increase: So, shall thy barns be filled with
plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. Frequently in God’s
Word the Lord promises that when we give, He will respond by blessing us.
But why we give is just as important as what we give, and often even more
so. We do not give in order to get.
b. Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down,
and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For
with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
For me this verse is a promise of blessing, not the purpose of giving. We do
not give in order to get something in return: we give because it is good to give.
c. When we exercise responsible giving. God exercises bountiful blessing.
d. The word “give” appears 880 times in the Bible. Obviously, God considers
giving very important. Proverbs 13:7 There is that maketh himself rich, yet
hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.
e. In other words, the person who focuses on getting ultimately ends up with
nothing, the one who majors on giving will have an abundance.
f. Why do we cast our bread upon the waters? We do it because it is right
2. Give without regard to adversity – many Christian are giving too little to the Lord’s
work because they lack faith in God that He will meet their needs in the future.
There is economic crisis coming.
a. I’m not telling that we shouldn’t prepare for the future. Careful preparation
is a Biblical concept (Prov. 6:6-8, 30:25). But what if the economic crisis
doesn’t come or if you do not live to see it come? Will you not be better off
casting bread into the water and trusting God than hoarding in an attempt to
have security for the hard times?
b. God is still God in the good times as well as the hard times.
c. Certainly, there are times that it is more difficult to give than it is at other
times. But if you wait for that perfect time to give, chances are you won’t give
at all.
d. Cast your bread upon the water without regard to adversity, because it’s the
right thing to do.
3. Give cheerfully. (2 Cor. 9:7)
4. Give freely. (Mt. 10:8, Lk. 6:38, 12:33)
5. Give regularly, every week. (1 Cor. 16:2)
6. Giving will serve as a practical reminder that God is the Owner of everything you
have. (1 Chron. 29:11-18; Ps. 24; 1,2; Ps. 59:10-12; Hag. 2:8.)
7. Giving will encourage your spiritual growth and trust in God. (Deut. 14:23; Prov.
3:5,6; Mal. 3:8-10; Hag. 1:4-11, 2:15-19; 2 Cor. 8:5)
Illustration: Building Fund
The outstanding Baptist preacher, Rd. George W. Truett, was helping a struggling congregation raise
money for their church building. They still needed $6500. Truett found the response weak. With only
$3000 pledged he said in exasperation, “Do you expect me to give the other $3500 needed to reach
your goal? I’m just a guest here today.” Suddenly, a woman near the back stood. Looking at her
husband seated on the platform recording pledges, she said in a shaking voice, “Charlie, I wonder if
you would be willing for us to give our little home? We were offered exactly $3500 cash for it
yesterday. If the Saviour gave His life for us, shouldn’t we make this sacrifice for Him?”
Truett reported that the fine husband responded with equal generosity. “Yes, Jennie, I was thinking
the same thing.” Turning to Truett, he said, “Brother Truett, if it’s needed, we’ll raise our pledge by
$3500.” Silence reigned for a few moments. Then some of the folks began to sob. Those who fifteen
minutes earlier had refused to do more now either added their names to the list or increased their
donations. In a short time, their goal had been achieved, and Charlie and Jennie didn’t have to forfeit
their home. Their willingness to sacrifice had stimulated others to similar generosity.
Leslie B. Flynn, in Resource, July/August, 1990
II. Diversify (Eccl. 11:2)
A. This either refers to:
1. Diversifying your wealth or investment
2. More probably in context, helping many people (Matt. 5:42; Luke 6:30). The
additional thought of the “eight” divisions may imply an unlimited number and
could be expressed by “seven and more.
B. Since we do not know the future we do not know what will happen with our
investments so the wise advice is to diversify. Prudent investments in a number of
ventures. Rather than, as we might say, putting all our eggs in one basket.
C. When you cast your bread in the water (investing) you are taking a risk. You may never
see it or get any return. The activity of investing requires faith.
D. Spiritual Investments.
1. When you go to church what do you invest? Do you expect something in return?
Illustration: Millionaires
L. Kraft, head of the Kraft Cheese Corp., who had given approximately 25% of his enormous income to
Christian causes for many years, said, “The only investment I ever made which has paid consistently
increasing dividends is the money I have given to the Lord.”
J. D. Rockefeller said, “I never would have been able to tithe the first million dollars I ever made if I
had not tithed my first salary, which was $1.50 per week.”
W. A. Criswell, A Guidebook for Pastors, p. 154.
III. Make use of every opportunity (Eccl. 11:3)
A. There are things that man have absolutely no control.
1. If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth. Man may
suffer because of too much or no rain at all but he has no control over it.
2. If the tree falls toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree
falleth, there it shall be. A tree may fall because of the strong wind. The tree may
be a fruit tree or any other kind of tree, but what is being taught here is man
cannot prevent its destruction.
B. The laws of nature are fixed so that man should make use of present opportunities
for doing good, before some action of nature (which is unseen and unavoidable) cuts
off the opportunity.
IV. Conclusion:
Giving is a way of honouring Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ promised us that if we give, He
would respond by blessing us. Make use of every opportunity to do good to others for we
may not have a chance to do it due to unforeseen or things that we have no control
