Ecclesiastes 11 verse 3

Today we are looking at verse three of Ecclesiastes 11.

VERSE THREE

Sometimes the scriptures use clouds when referring to people. Jude 12 tells us of people who are clouds without water carried about of winds, whereas Prov.25:14 tells us that these people are false brethren who are boasting of a false gift of salvation.(Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain.)

Here reference is to the clouds being full of rain, and what happens when they are? they empty themselves upon the earth. This is an exhortation to be full of God's Spirit, and the consequences of this being that we will pour forth ourselves (i.e.empty ourselves) upon a needy world. The Hebrew word used here for 'clouds' comes from the root 5743 (Strong's concordance)  'oob' to be dense or dark: thus referring to being heavy with rain.  The obvious conclusion to this is that we must be full to bursting with God's Holy Spirit. When the gospel has been shared with a person, then the responsibility for that person's soul rests with himself or herself.

Thus the second half of this verse tells of a tree falling to the south or the north. Again here the scripture is using 'tree' typologically. The term falling is given to indicate the death of the person who has been given the gospel by a believer. The south or the north indicates what happens to the person after death. There are several places in the scriptures where north illustrates God's presence.(e.g.Psalm 48:2; Isaiah 14:13; Psalm 75:6 North is omitted referring to promotion coming from the north.) The south speaks of the person entering death without Christ and thus falling away from God; whereas the north speaks of the person accepting the message of the gospel and thus at death falling towards God. This passage, as with the rest of the scriptures, tells us the truth of either eternal separation from God or eternal bliss with Him -- in the place where the tree falleth there it shall be. After the person has entered death there is no second chance, he remains in heaven or hell forever.

Verse 4 tomorrow