Humans are made for companionship and community.
The Value of Relationships
Ecclesiastes 4.9-12
9Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
10For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he hasno one to help him up.
11Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
12Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
The Story: There is more to life than getting-and-spending. Here Solomon inserts another truth from his “under the heavens” perspective, one that even hard-headed Rehoboam should be able to acknowledge as simple common sense: Everybody needs other people; we can’t just think about ourselves or consume all our time and energy trying to accumulate things and advantages. Implied in this, of course, is the idea that we should choose our friends wisely and not surround ourselves with fools or gluttons (vv. 4-7): this will be Rehoboam’s downfall. Because so many advantages come from meaningful relationships, it is important that we work hard to nurture and sustain these. Life is more than things, and human beings are more than consumers. God made us for community, and we need to work hard at making this part of life work.
The Structure: The “common sense” appeal of this verse anticipates later sections (chs. 7, 10, 11), in which Solomon will again appeal to common sense in order to expose the folly toward which Rehoboam is inclined. The section that follows this (4.13-16) will build on the advice of this section in an effort to point Rehoboam to finding wise friends, even though they may not be the most “attractive.” Although Ecclesiastes can seem to ramble in a fairly unstructured way, when we slow down and study the links Solomon builds into his argument, we can see the wisdom of his style. Solomon warns and exhorts even as he provokes and reminds, all the while building his argument from experience through theme through everyday reality to the conclusion that life only makes sense when it is wholly devoted to God.
In what ways do you experience the advantages of relationships, such as Solomon suggests here? How hard is it to develop such relationships? But why are relationships so important to the divine economy?
Each week’s studies in our Scriptorium column are available in a free PDF form, suitable for personal or group use. For this week’s study, “Frauds, Follies, and Fleeting Joys: Ecclesiastes 4,” simply click here.
T. M. Moore
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
