Ecclesiastes Chapter Four, Solidarity

Ecclesiastes 4:11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone?

“Again,” signifies that the preacher wishes to return to the same topic, but to approach it from a different perspective. This time, rather than partnership he refers to the most intimate companion one may find: a spouse.

The record of Genesis testifies that marriage is the oldest partnership in human history. When God created Adam, He said of him, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper as his complement,” Genesis 2:18, HCSB. And so God created woman, whom Adam named Eve. Eve was his helper, or help-meet, and was not meant to be his subordinate or employee, but his life partner. Eve was equal to Adam in the sense of what God created them to govern, Genesis 1:27, 28. Equal, but not identical, as modern gender politics would assert, sorely confusing the issue and people’s perceptions. Rather, as was written, Eve was created to complement Adam. This idea suggests that Eve provides what Adam lacks, and vice versa. Thus was created the marriage covenant in Eden between husband and wife; one that has not been abolished, and will not be abolished while this present heaven and earth remain.

The preacher commends the institution of marriage. Though Solomon was a polygamist, there was reason to believe that one single woman held the king’s heart: the Shulamite from the Song of Solomon. Yes, the king had 700 wives and 300 concubines, but how many of these women did he know, or even easily recall the names of? It is a sad testimony to the politics of the day that Solomon entered into so many marriages, when God forbade kings from multiplying wives, Deuteronomy 17:17. The institution of marriage was monogamous fidelity between a man and woman, Matthew 19:4-6. Polygamy, homosexual union, et al., were later perversions that arose when sin corrupted what God’s intention for marriage was. Solomon likely learned this behavior from his father David, who likewise multiplied wives contrary to Scripture, 2 Samuel 5:13. Fathers, we must be very careful what we teach our children, and equally careful as to what we practice. They are watching, and they are intelligent, more so than we like to credit them. If we are Christians, then I plead with you (as I plead with myself) to walk worthy of the calling we have been called in, so little eyes see the truth lived out daily.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Again, the preacher commends strength in numbers. Whether it be business partnerships or marriage, people are stronger together. Man was not meant to be alone, as God explained in Eden when He created Eve to be Adam’s companion. The monastic lifestyle found in numerous religions that touts solitude is not the norm for the human condition. When we disconnect from society, we have missed the point of existence.

Humans are social creatures; we are made in God’s image. God is a social creature: He is three persons in one being, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Three persons in perfect harmony, having fellowship throughout eternity and needing nothing, complete in Himself. Mankind, being made in God’s image, craves human interaction. Denying human interaction is counterintuitive to human experience, like forcing priests and nuns not to marry. It is then no surprise that homosexual unions and pedophilia abound when such restrictions occur. Isolation is not the normal human experience. God Himself said that it is not good for man to be alone.

For believers, having a believing partner is invaluable. Paul, when he was distressed about the Thessalonian church being tempted by the tempter, sent Timothy to them to know their state, 1 Thessalonians 2:5. Our spouse is our Paul, so to speak. They keep us in check, as we keep them in check, helping one another to walk the path of obedience to the Spirit and avoiding or resisting the attacks of the tempter. Even Christ our Lord, when He was tempted by Satan in the desert, was not alone. For He testified in another place that the Father is always with Him, John 8:29. The preacher seems to be fixing on the point of solidarity between people. In earthly experience, or life under the sun as it were, being among people and finding those like minded that you can yoke yourself with, is a good thing. As the preacher stated in verse 9, “Two are better than one.”

Finally, the threefold cord strongly intimates the presence of God in the lives of the two people joined personally or professionally. “What God has joined together, let not man separate,” Matthew 19:6. This is why Paul counsels the Corinthian church not to be unevenly yoked with unbelievers. When this occurs, we cannot possess the threefold cord, because God cannot bless a relationship that mingles light and darkness. In Ezra’s time, after the return from exile to Israel, he learned that many of the people, encouraged by their leadership, married the Canaanites, contrary to God’s expressed will for them, Ezra 9:2. Seeking God’s blessing rather than indulging carnal convenience, Ezra and the eldership set about removing Israel and its bloodline from pagan influence and corruption. Why? God’s people needed to obey His voice to receive the proffered blessings He offered to those that listened. The threefold cord excellently portrays marriage, when that marriage is done according to God’s will. The husband and wife become one flesh, and God creates between them a union of spirit, represented by sexual union, that invokes a bond that ought to endure for life. Then we each would have a help meet or companion to ward off the aggressors that would do us harm, or to avoid the pitfalls either of us may not readily see.