Keep Sowing Seeds
Scott K. Miller, Associate Pastor
Victory Baptist Temple, Piedmont, MO
June 6, 2024
Ec 11:1 Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.
Warm spring days bring out serious gardeners eager to plant their seeds with the desire of harvesting ripe tomatoes before their neighbor does. Bragging rights, it’s called. There is something delightful about seeing those little seedlings peek their primary leaves above the soil—finally growing into full fruit-bearing plants for harvest.
The wise Solomon writes, Cast thy bread upon the waters. That stirs up quite an image in our western minds—throw a loaf of bread on the water, and it will float back to you. Of course it will, if it’s loaded with preservatives and in a plastic bag sealed with a twisty tie!
Seriously, though, our understanding of the Oriental custom of sowing will aid us in our understanding of this verse. The casting of bread upon the waters is an allusion to the Orientals casting rice grains along the bank of a river during the annual flood. To an inexperienced gardener, doing this would seem to be a waste of seed. However, the sower understands that the submerged seeds will take root, and when the flood waters recede, he will find his seed again with a bountiful harvest.
Galatians 6:7-9 reminds us concerning the law of sowing and reaping. We all are sowing—either to the flesh or to the Spirit. As believers in Jesus Christ, we have been redeemed to be zealous of good works—good sowing—casting our bread upon the waters. It takes effort, and the place we sow the seed may, at times, seem like a fruitless endeavor—but take heart, our labor is not in vain in the Lord. Dear fellow-laborer, you will find a harvest after many days in this world or the next.
So, dear missionary, keep sowing the Gospel in that foreign land; keep teaching those little boys and girls each Sunday, dear teacher. Keep distributing gospel tracts wherever you go, soul winner; keep giving to missionary causes around the world, church member! You are casting bread upon the waters, and in due season you will reap if you faint not! (Gal. 6:9).
Thought In Music: Sowing in the morning…sowing in the noontide, and the dewy eve; Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping, We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. ~Knowles Shaw
Smiley: Many people get unlimited mileage out of limited vocabulary.
