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.
Meditate
‘I bind unto myself today / the strong name of the Trinity, / by invocation of the same, / the Three in One and One in Three.’1
Think Further
In chapter 2, the Teacher considered the idea of pleasure as a source of meaning. Now in chapter 4 we get the opposite. The Teacher looks at oppression and toil, acknowledging the deep reality of both in human living. He recognizes the tragedy of human society, that the weak are oppressed by the strong. This evil is so great that his words echo the lament of Job as he declares that life itself is the problem and it might be better not to live. This is compounded by the idea that all of us are motivated by envy to work hard and to achieve in life. As you will guess, the Teacher declares this too to be meaningless. This idea is continued in verse 13 where the Teacher considers wisdom and folly in the hearts of young and old. There is irony as he talks about the wise young man, this being the very defining feature of the young King Solomon. Even in advancement, the Teacher concludes that there is little meaning.
Yet both these sections bookend a curious and seemingly out-of-character statement by the Teacher. Regularly read at weddings, verses 9–12 are a positive affirmation about not living in isolation. Two are better than one. It is a simple but fundamentally challenging truth about the importance of community. We should note that it is one of the few things that the Teacher does not conclude is meaningless. The mysterious shift from two to three in verse 12, declaring that the three-fold cord is stronger, is a suggestion that bringing God into any relationship will fortify it. It is also an anticipation of the Christian idea of the Trinity being at the heart of who our God is.
Apply
Pray for the oppressed in our world. Pray that God may show you ways in which you can stand up for those who are being exploited.
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.
Last Updated on October 14, 2024 by kingstar
