Ecc 11:4a Whoever watches the wind will not plant….
I read commentary for background details that I might not otherwise know, but I always take their words and hold them up to my own filter, to what I know to be true of my Savior. Commentary views this section through the lens of disobedience: if you don’t do what you are supposed to because you are too busy focusing on the little details, you are being disobedient. The implication, at least in my mind, is that you will be punished for that disobedience.
Ecc 11:4b …whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
I think the analogy of God as parent is appropriate. As a parent myself, my primary focus is not the disobedience of my children so I can punish. Rather, my heart longs for them to trust that what I want for them is in their best interest and to be obedient because of that trust. That shift in perspective, for me, is huge. That trust, for me, is a daily struggle (and the fact that it is a struggle is a daily frustration).
Ecc 11:5a As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed a in a mother’s womb….
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for not being a task-master God, who jumps at the opportunity to punish disobedience. Thank You for wanting me to trust You and for Your fierce patience as I traverse this path. Draw me closer. Amen.
Ecc 11:5b …so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.
Have a blessed day.