TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE
Opening Prayer
Holy God, immutable and eternal, I praise you. Thank you for rewarding those who diligently seek you.
Read ECCLESIASTES 4
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Oppression, Toil, Friendlessness
4 Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun:
I saw the tears of the oppressed—
and they have no comforter;
power was on the side of their oppressors—
and they have no comforter.
2 And I declared that the dead,
who had already died,
are happier than the living,
who are still alive.
3 But better than both
is the one who has never been born,
who has not seen the evil
that is done under the sun.
4 And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
5 Fools fold their hands
and ruin themselves.
6 Better one handful with tranquillity
than two handfuls with toil
and chasing after the wind.
7 Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:
8 There was a man all alone;
he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
“and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”
This too is meaningless—
a miserable business!
9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Advancement Is Meaningless
13 Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning. 14 The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. 15 I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor. 16 There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Think about the root cause of oppression. Pray for justice and mercy for oppressed people.This chapter confronts us with two ways to live: the way of greed, envy, and abuse of power resulting in lonely wealth (vv. 1–8), or the way of sharing, resulting in
community and wisdom (vv. 9–12).
Read verses 1 to 8 again carefully, looking for the causes and results of living for self and wealth. Envy and greed result in the poor, weak, and needy being trampled on, abused, and oppressed, in contradiction of Jewish Law (see Deuteronomy 24:14, 15). The fool (v. 5) who lived this way may be wealthy but ended up alone. This is summarized in verse 8. It’s the result of people living in rebellion against God— ‘the evil that is done under the sun’ (vv. 3, 7).
Now read verses 9 to 12. Look for the reasons that prompt the teacher to say, ‘two are better than one’ (v. 9). It is striking that mutual cooperation and support result in a good return for work, as well as companionship.
Verses 13 to 16 seem like a change of subject, yet, in contrasting the wealthy, lonely king with the poor but accompanied youth, the teacher illustrated what he had said about two ways to live. He concluded that poverty with wisdom is better than wealth without meaning.
Apply
Take an honest look at your own life. Where are times when you live ‘under the sun’ and chase what you think benefits you?
Closing prayer
Father, I confess that there are times when I think only about myself and ask for your forgiveness. Give me what I need to live in ways that benefit others.
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