Work Diligently and Invest Wisely (Eccl. 10:18-11:6)

This passage contains the most direct financial advice to be found anywhere in the Bible. First, be diligent, otherwise your household economy will collapse like a leaky, rotten roof (Eccl. 10:18). Second, understand that in this life financial well-being does matter. “Money meets every need” (Eccl. 10:19) can be read in a cynical manner, but the text does not say that money is the only thing that matters. The point is simply that money is necessary for dealing with all kinds of issues. To put it in modern terms, if my car needs a new transmission, or my daughter needs college tuition, or I want to take my family on a vacation, it is going to take money. This is not greed or materialism; it is common sense. Third, be careful about people in authority (Eccl. 10:20). If you belittle your boss or even a customer, you may live to regret it. Fourth, diversify your investments (Eccl. 11:1–2). “Send out your bread upon the waters” does not refer to charitable giving, but to investments; in this case, the “waters” represent a venture in overseas trading. Thus, giving portions to “seven” or “eight” refers to diverse investments, “for you do not know what disaster may happen on earth” (Eccl. 11:2). Fifth, don’t be overly timid about investing (Eccl. 11:3–5). What will happen, will happen, and you cannot control that (Eccl. 11:3). But this should not frighten us into putting money under a mattress where it yields nothing. Instead, we should find the courage to take reasonable risks. “Whoever observes the wind will not plant; whoever regards the clouds will not reap” (Eccl. 11:4). Sixth, understand that success is in God’s hands. But you don’t know what plans or purposes he has, so don’t try to second-guess him (Eccl. 11:5). Seventh, be persistent (Eccl. 11:6). Don’t work hard for a little while and then say, “I tried that, and it didn’t work.”

The Teacher’s search for knowledge about the future ends at Eccl. 11:5–6 with a triple repetition of the marker phrase “not know.” This reminds us that although working wholeheartedly, accepting success and failure as part of life, and working diligently and investing wisely are good practices, they are merely adaptations to deal with our ignorance of the future. If we truly knew how our actions would play out, we could plan confidently for success. If we knew which investments would turn out well, we would not need to diversify as a hedge against systemic losses. It is hard to know whether to hang our heads in sorrow for the disasters that may befall us in this fallen world, or to praise God that it is still possible to muddle through, and maybe even to do well, in such a world. Or is the truth a bit of both?

There is No Way to Know What Comes Afterwards (Eccl 9:1-11:6), Theology of Work Project, Copyright © 2014 Theology of Work Project, Inc. Also find this article in Theology of Work Bible Commentary, Volume 2: Joshua through Song of Songs. For additional resources, please see The Theology of Work Project Series.