**The Parable of the Two Farmers: A Story Inspired by Ecclesiastes 11**
In the fertile plains of Judah, where golden fields stretched beneath the watchful gaze of the sun, there lived two farmers—Jared and Eliab. Both men were diligent, for they knew the land was a gift from the Lord, yet their hearts held different understandings of His ways.
Jared was a man of careful calculation. He rose with the dawn, his eyes scanning the skies for signs of rain. “If the winds blow from the north,” he would murmur, “the clouds will not come. And if the clouds do not come, the earth will remain parched.” Day after day, he hesitated, waiting for the perfect moment to sow his seed. His neighbors urged him, “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days!” (Ecclesiastes 11:1). But Jared shook his head. “What if the floods come and wash it all away? What if the birds devour it before it takes root?” And so, his storehouses remained full of seed, while his fields lay barren.
Eliab, on the other hand, was a man of faith. He, too, studied the heavens, but he did not let uncertainty bind his hands. “We do not know the path of the wind, nor how the bones grow in the womb of a pregnant woman,” he would say, recalling the wisdom of the Preacher (Ecclesiastes 11:5). “Shall I then withhold my labor because I cannot see the hidden works of God?” So, with a heart full of trust, he scattered his seed—some in the morning, some in the evening, for he did not know which would prosper (Ecclesiastes 11:6).
As the seasons turned, the rains came—sometimes gentle, sometimes fierce. Jared watched from his window, clutching his grain, while Eliab worked tirelessly, his hands calloused but his spirit light.
Then came the harvest.
Jared’s fields yielded little, for he had sown sparingly and too late. The few stalks that had taken root were choked by weeds, for he had not trusted the earth to bring forth life. But Eliab’s fields flourished. Though some seed had been lost to the wind, though some had been eaten by birds, much had fallen on good soil. His barns overflowed, and his children ate their fill.
One evening, as the sun dipped below the hills, Jared came to Eliab’s home, his face lined with regret. “Brother,” he said, “I have been a fool. I thought wisdom lay in holding back, but now I see that true wisdom is in trusting the Lord’s provision.”
Eliab placed a hand on his shoulder. “The Preacher spoke truly when he said, ‘He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap’ (Ecclesiastes 11:4). Life is full of mystery, and the works of God are beyond our understanding. But this we know: He calls us to work with joy, to give generously, and to trust that He orders all things well.”
From that day forward, Jared no longer let fear rule his hands. He sowed in faith, reaped in gratitude, and learned the deepest lesson of all: that though the future is unseen, the One who holds it is faithful.
And so, under the vast and sovereign heavens, both men lived out the wisdom of Ecclesiastes—embracing the call to diligence, generosity, and trust in the God who gives the increase.
