Ecclesiastes 4

The Explanation

The writer of Ecclesiastes, probably King Solomon, looks around at the world and writes down what he sees. And what he sees is not always beautiful. In chapter 4 he looks at four things: oppression, jealousy, loneliness, and power.

First he sees people who are being oppressed. They cry, and no one comforts them. The people who hurt them have all the power. Solomon is so shocked that he says something strange: dead people are better off than living people, and best of all is someone who has never been born, because he has never had to see this evil. That is a heavy sentence. Solomon does not soften it. He says: look, this is really how bad it is.

Then he watches people working. Why do they work so hard? Often because they want to be better than their neighbor. Jealousy drives them. Solomon says that is like chasing the wind. You never catch it. But sitting around doing nothing is not the answer either, because "the fool folds his hands together and ruins himself." Better a little with peace than a lot with stress.

Next Solomon sees a lonely man. He has no brother, no son, no one. He works and works and grows rich, but suddenly he asks himself: for whom am I doing this? There is no one to share it with. Solomon calls this a miserable business.

That is why he writes those famous words: "Two are better than one." If one falls, the other can lift him up. If it is cold, they warm each other. If someone attacks, two can defend themselves. And "a threefold cord is not quickly broken." Three strands twisted together are strong.

Finally Solomon looks at kings. A wise young man, even one who came from prison, can be better than an old king who no longer listens to anyone. But even that wise young man will one day be forgotten. Popularity fades like wind.

What Does This Mean?

Solomon is not writing a cheerful chapter, and he does not pretend he is. He shows what life "under the sun" looks like, that is, life without looking up to God. And under the sun, a lot goes wrong. People hurt each other, work for the wrong reasons, feel alone, and forget their heroes.

But in the middle of all that darkness, Solomon says something warm and true: you are not made to be alone. You are made for each other. That is not a cheap moral, that is how God created us. Already in Genesis God said it was not good for the human being to be alone.

The Common Thread

Ecclesiastes 4 asks a question the whole Bible answers: who lifts you up when you fall? Who comforts those who cry when no one else does?

Solomon writes that the oppressed "had no comforter." That word stays hanging in the air, waiting. Centuries later Jesus says to His disciples that He will send a Comforter, the Holy Spirit. And Jesus Himself comes to those who cry, who are alone, who have been oppressed. He is the strong friend who lifts you up when you fall.

And that threefold cord? Many Christians have seen a picture of it: you, another person, and God woven together. That cord does not break easily.

For You

Think about who your "second person" is. Who lifts you up when you fall? And for whom are you that person? Sometimes there is someone at school who always stands alone at recess. You could be a cord for that person.

And think about why you do things. Do you work hard at school, at sports, at music because you want to be better than someone else? Solomon says that is chasing wind. You will never be satisfied. Doing your best is good. Doing your best out of jealousy makes you tired inside.

Finally, when you see something in the world that is not right, unfair treatment, someone being bullied, you are allowed to be shocked. Solomon was too. You do not have to pretend everything is fine.

Talk About It

Solomon says the oppressed had no comforter. Where do you see people today who need comfort, and what could a comforter look like?

Why do you think God made us so that we need each other, instead of making us strong enough to do everything alone?

Praying Together

Lord God, thank You that You see people who cry, even when no one else sees them. Thank You for the friends and family You give us. Help us to lift others up when they fall. And when we feel alone, remind us that You are the Comforter who never leaves. Amen.