Ecclesiastes11:2

Yesterday we looked verse 1 of chapter 11 so now let's look further into this passage.

VERSE TWO Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

Here the scriptures command us to 'give a portion to seven and also to eight.'
According to Strong's concordance (2506) the word 'portion' can mean a smoothness of the tongue, thus the smoothness of the tongue signifies the speaking of the gospel to individuals, but the primitive root(2505) means to be smooth, as in the smooth stones used for casting lots to settle disputes for allotments or inheritances. This reminds me of the declaration of the wonderful inheritance He has won for the world if they will only repent and believe the gospel. The words 'seven' and 'eight' again convey to us the importance of reaching as many as possible in our lifetime. Seven (7651) typologically speaks of an indefinite number (e.g. Gen: 4:24; Luke 17:4; Mat: 18 21:22)  whereas eight (8083) conveys plumpness – a surplus above the 'perfect' seven. From this can be seen the importance of reaching the perfect seven, but also having such a burden for the lost that we go above and beyond this in our zeal to reach the eight.
The second part of this verse warns us of the day of darkness that can speedily come upon us. At the moment in this country there is liberty to preach the gospel but the day may come when that liberty is removed and there will be a persecution of the church of God which preaches the true gospel. Not only this, but the words 'for thou knowest not what evil shall be on the earth' also warn us of the frailty of life in that we don't know what tomorrow will bring:death, ill health or other unforeseen circumstances which can inhibit us in spreading the gospel.  Therefore the message of this verse is the same as that which our Lord Jesus said, "The night cometh, when no man can work". John 9:4

Verse 3 tomorrow. Bye for now.