(“Two Are Better Than One”)

Ecclesiastes 4:7-16 (NASU)

9“Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. 10For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. 11Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? 12And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

(A) THE LARGER CONTEXT

(1) Solomon began chapter four by talking about the evils of “oppression”, and how “the oppressed” often have “no one to comfort them” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:1).

Perhaps the most common biblical example of people who are easily oppressed, especially by those who are more powerful than themselves, would be widows and orphans. Hence, the Book of Isaiah says: ^{1“Woe to those who enact evil statutes and … constantly record unjust decisions, 2so as to deprive the needy of justice and rob the poor of My people of their rights, so … widows may be their spoil and … they may plunder … orphans”} (c.f. Isaiah 10:1-2).

One of the things that makes widows and orphans such easy prey is that they are alone – the widow having lost her husband – and the orphan having lost his parents.

(2) Another thing Solomon has already talked about in chapter four is how so many people (including believers) drive themselves to “work” hard and/or develop their “skills” because they are jealous of their “neighbors” – because they are envious of what others have they don’t – because they are driven not just to “keep up with the Jones” (so to speak), but to try and stay ahead of them. Hence, Solomon said in verse four that, “every labor and ... skill which is done (i.e. under the sun) is the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:4).

Such unhealthy and/or unholy competition tends to isolate people rather than draw them together – it tends to drive a wedge between people as opposed to encouraging unity and/or cooperation.

(3) Then there’s “the fool” in verse five who “folds his hands” and does nothing. This man is also alone (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:5). It’s not that he’s unable to work – it’s that he’s unwilling to do so. Likewise, it’s not that he has to be alone – it’s that he’s too lazy to make friends – too indolent to put himself out for the sake of others – too much of a sluggard to put forth the kind of effort required to build meaningful relationships with other people.

(4) And then last time we listened as the Holy Spirit spoke to us through Solomon in verse eight about the man we called a greedy, self-centered workaholic – the man who has no family or heirs – who is working only to satisfy himself. Although he has long since accumulated more than enough wealth to meet all his needs (as well most of his wants), he keeps working day and night to accumulate more and more and more – nor does he ever stop to enjoy what he has. This man is rich and successful, but he’s also alone – indeed, he’s alone by choice – he has no time for family or friends, because his work, which is driven by an avaricious desire for ever greater wealth, has totally consumed him (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:8).

(5) In tonight’s text (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12), then, Solomon contrasts these examples of being alone to the blessings of friendship – he compares the benefits of having a “companion” (v 10) to these four examples of isolation. His theme is that “two are better than one” (v 9a) – and he draws upon several examples from every day life to illustrate his point.

(B) THE IMMEDIATE TEXT

(1) First, he says (in verse nine) that: “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:9).

(a) Think of how many references there are to pairs in Scripture. In Genesis chapter two God said: “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him” (c.f. Genesis 2:18)¹ – and shortly thereafter, Eve was created. Indeed, we see that the fundamental fabric of human society is based on pairs – namely, husbands and wives (unfortunately, in our day we have be specific as to what kind of “pairs” we’re talking about).

When God preserved mankind, along with a remnant of living creatures from the destructive judgment of the Flood, He preserved them in pairs – four pairs of human beings (i.e. four pairs of husbands and wives), along with two of every kind of animal, bird, and every other living creature (c.f. Genesis 6:19-20).

In the New Testament, when Jesus sent his disciples out to preach and cast out demons, He sent them out “two by two” (as the King James says) (c.f. Mark 6:7; Luke 10:1).¹ There’s also our Lord’s well-known promise that “where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am … in their midst” (c.f. Matthew 18:20).

Then there are famous biblical pairs like Moses and Aaron (c.f. Exodus 4:14-15)² – Naomi and Ruth (c.f. Ruth 1:22) – David and Jonathan (c.f. I Samuel 18:10) – Paul and Silas (c.f. Acts 16:25) – and Esther and Mordecai (c.f. Esther 2:7). (There are also famous pairs outside Scripture – like on the Camp Meeting circuit, where there used to be “Rick and Randy”.)

(b) One of the older commentators noted God has so made the human body that many of the instruments of action are made to function in pairs³ – like the eyes, the ears, the arms, the legs, the lungs, and the kidneys. Furthermore, while we can lose one member of these pairs and still living reasonably normal lives, most people would agree that “two of each are better than just one” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:9a).

(c) If we inquire as to why “two are better than one” the first answer Solomon gives is, “because they have a good return for their labor” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:9).

Notice Solomon did not say they will have a “greater return” for their labor – as if they will “make more money”⁴ (for example) by working together than if they worked alone, like the workaholic in verse eight (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:8). They may indeed make more money – but I don’t think that was Solomon’s point.

His point (in my opinion) is that they will get “a good return for their labor” because (for example) they don’t have to work as hard to make the same amount of money – because there’s someone with whom they can share the load – because there’s someone to “keep things going” if one of them gets sick or needs some time off – because there’s someone with whom they can enjoy their successes, and comfort or encourage each other when they fail – because one is able to compensate for what the other lacks, and vice versa – because what one doesn’t know, the other often does – because, even though everyone may need some “alone time” now and then, most aspects of life are made more enjoyable when there’s someone with whom we can share it.

Hence, the “good return” comes, not so much from increased profit or productivity, but from the increased enjoyment and/or benefits that come from doing something together – in part because in doing it together, we’re doing it for someone beside ourselves.

(d) This principle is one of the foundation stones for commands like the one that tells us Christians “not (to) merely look out for (our) own personal interests, but also for the interests of others” (c.f. Philippians 2:4). When we do that, both we and the “others” get a “better return” for our efforts (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:9b).

It’s also one of the foundation stones for commands like the one that says we should do our work “as for the Lord rather than for men” (c.f. Colossians 3:23) – in part, because when we work to please men we’re really working to please ourselves (which is just another form of selfish isolation) – whereas when we work to please the Lord, we’re working to please Him and others. So when we obey this command, both we and the one for whom we are working get a “good return for (our) labor” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:9b) – plus our Savior is glorified, which is the “best return” of all!

(e) Another application might be that the only way we Christians get a “good return on our labor” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:9) is not by going it alone (as it were), but by relying on Christ’s enabling grace. In this regard, I think of familiar passages like these – “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain” (c.f. Psalm 127:1) – and again (Jesus speaking): “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (c.f. John 15:5) – and once more: “we are (not) adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God” (c.f. II Corinthians 3:5).

(2) Second, Solomon said “two are better than one” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:9a) because (verse ten), “if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion” – and then he adds this warning: “But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:10).

(a) Solomon’s point is very simple,⁴ at least on the surface – if a person falls into a pit, his “companion” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:10a) can pull him out – if he’s hiking in the mountains, falls and breaks his leg, his “companion” (v 10a) can go for help – if he’s traveling across country and suddenly becomes ill, his “companion” (v 10a) can rush him to the nearest hospital. Were such things to happen to someone while they were alone they would probably suffer prolonged agony, and/or even die.

(b) Beyond the obvious, however, this principle also applies in a general way to any difficulty or hardship we face in life.⁴ For example, is it easier to face the death of someone we love alone – or with the company and comfort of people who care about us and what we’re going through? Is it easier to deal with the various disappointments of life by ourselves – or with someone who understands how we feel, and is able to sympathize? Is it easier to overcome an immoral habit on our own – or with the help of a friend who will hold us accountable for our behavior? If we’re having trouble with a particular subject in school, is it better to keep trying to figure it out ourselves (even though we’re stumped) – or to go to a classmate or teacher who can explain it and/or help us understand it?

Laying aside the marriage application for a moment – if it “wasn’t good for man to be alone” before the Fall (c.f. Genesis 2:18), why do so many seem to think it’s good for men and women to be alone after the Fall – especially when it comes to trying to deal with the various difficulties we encounter in a fallen world?! When we try to go it alone (as it were) – when we try and make the various hurts or disappointments of life go away by pretending they didn’t happen – are we not ignoring the warning in verse ten of tonight’s text that says, “woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:10b)?

(c) Beyond these things, however, there is the matter of what Solomon would call, “the vanity of life under the sun” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:7) – i.e. the futility of living without regard for God or His commands (c.f. Ecclesiastes 12:13) – of going through life without having trusted Jesus Christ as our Savior (as we might say today) – and/or of depending on our own strength and effort, instead of Christ’s forgiving, healing, enabling grace.

How many times have you heard a Christian who’s going through a crisis say something along these lines: “I can’t imagine how people who don’t believe in Christ get through something like this”?

To what are they referring? Whether they realize it or not, I think they’re referring to biblical promises like these – ^{23“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. 24When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand”} (c.f. Psalm 37:23-24) – and again: “The Lord sustains all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down” (c.f. Psalm 145:14) (“all” in this instance refers to those who are God’s redeemed people) – and once more: “a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity” (c.f. Proverbs 24:16).

(d) The implication of that last verse (c.f. Proverbs 24:16) is that, even though the righteous man and wicked man both fall, it’s the wicked man who does not rise. And if we inquire as to why this difference exists, the answer is, because the “righteous” man has a divine “companion” (as it were), that the “wicked” man does not have!

In Second Corinthians chapter four the Scripture says ^{8“we (Christians) are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed”} (c.f. II Corinthians 4:8-9). If we inquire as to why this is true, the answer is, because (verse seven) we Christians have the “treasure” of “the surpassing greatness of the power … of God” in these “earthen vessels” we call our bodies (c.f. II Corinthians 4:7) – or, to draw upon Solomon’s imagery in tonight’s text, we have a divine “companion to lift us up when we fall” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:10), while the unsaved man has no one but himself. It was along these line, then, that David wrote: “The Lord is my shepherd” – i.e. my Provider, my Caretaker, my Sustainer, but also my constant Companion – therefore, “I shall not want” – i.e. I shall not want for anything I need no matter what I may encounter during the course of my life (c.f. Psalm 23:1). Hence, “two are better than one” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:9a) – especially when the other One is my God and Savior!

(3) Third, Solomon said “two are better than one” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:9a) because (verse eleven), “if two lie down together they keep (each other) warm” – after which he asks: “but how can one be warm alone?” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:11).

(a) In the days before efficient heating systems, people often slept in the same bed on cold nights to keep warm. In the days before motels, travelers used to bundle up close together at night for warmth.

In the guardhouse at Old Fort Niagara, New York, you can still see a bed on which twelve soldiers slept in their uniforms – in part, so they would be ready for action if awakened by the sentries – but also so they could keep warm during the night.⁵

The point is, two or more people sharing body heat can help keep each other warm – while one person who’s alone is going to get very cold before the night is over.

(b) We have a biblical example of this in First Kings chapter one, where we’re told: ^{1“Now King David was old, advanced in age; and they covered him with clothes, but he could not keep warm. 2So his servants said to him, ‘Let them seek a young virgin for my lord the king, and let her attend the king and become his nurse; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm.’ 3So they searched for a beautiful girl throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4The girl was very beautiful; and she became the king’s nurse and served him, but the king did not cohabit with her”} (c.f. I Kings 1:1-4) – however, we’re given to understand that this arrangement helped the old king stay warm.

(c) Beyond these practical applications is the idea of how important mutual assistance and/or encouragement is to our Christian growth.⁶ Hence, Solomon says in another place that just as “iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (c.f. Proverbs 27:17) – i.e. both benefit from their interaction.

When I think of mutual benefits from interacting with other Christians, I think of the various one-anothering passages found in Scripture – passages that describe some of the ways we are to treat and/or minister to each other – passages like Romans 14:19, “let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another” – Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” – and Hebrews 10:24, “let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds”.

Christians who cuts themselves off from other believers by neglecting the appointed times of worship, instruction, prayer and/or fellowship also cut themselves off from the means God has provided (c.f. Acts 2:42) by which the “warmth” of their faith (if you will) is maintained. Indeed, they cut themselves off from the mutual ministry of one-anothering – in this regard, that they receive no benefits from their brothers and sisters in Christ, nor are they of benefit to others. As the old illustration correctly notes, when the embers of a fire are kept together they help each other burn and maintain their heat – but an ember that’s removed from the fire and set off by itself quickly grows cold and dies.

In short, then, we need each other to maintain the “warmth” of our faith.

(d) Along these same lines, unless the “warmth” of our relationship with Jesus Christ is maintained, our spiritual hearts and/or the fervency of our faith will quickly grow cold. Hence, we need His enabling grace to help us maintain those spiritual exercises that drive off the “cold” of indifference and neglect –exercises like reading and studying Scripture – praying privately and corporately –regular participation in the sacraments – regular attendance at worship – building relationships with lost people in hopes of being used by God to see them come to Christ – and fellowshipping with and/or ministering to our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Although I’ve said it poorly, I trust you get the point. We cannot “keep warm” spiritually by ourselves – we need the “warmth” of our Savior (if you will) to keep from growing cold. Furthermore, that “warmth” comes through the various means of grace He has provided for maintaining a relationship with us, and we with Him.

(4) Finally, Solomon said “two are better than one” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:9a) because (verse twelve), “if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him” – and then he adds that, “a cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:12).

(a) The man Jesus spoke of in Luke chapter ten, who “fell among robbers (who) stripped him and beat him (and left) him half dead” (c.f. Luke 10:30) was alone. Had he been traveling with one or more companions, he might not have been attacked – for the adage is true that says, there is strength in numbers.⁵ That’s one reason women in our day are encouraged not to walk, or jog, or hike alone – but to take a partner along, because there is some measure of safety in numbers.

(b) Beyond these obvious applications, this proverb (if you will) is also a rebuke to the religious loner – i.e. to the man or woman who, as one writer said, “belongs to no church because no church is perfect enough for them.”

Invariably (at least in my own experience), such people are easily “overpowered” (if you will) (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:12a) by doctrinal error – not that any church (including the PCA) is theologically perfect – rather, it’s that when a person chooses to “go it alone” (as it were) – when they choose to have church at home (for example), instead of joining with other believers – when they draw their circle so small there’s no room left for anyone but themselves and/or a few like-minded loners, Satan invariably leads them off into doctrinal confusion – in part, by getting them to put too much emphasis on questionable passages of Scripture, interpreting certain verses out of context, and/or applying other verses too narrowly.

I have yet to see a religious loner whose beliefs and practices are consistent with the Christian church’s historic and/or orthodox understanding of God’s word.

(c) Beyond this, you and I need to remember that the Scripture says “(our) adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (c.f. I Peter 5:8) – and that while we are commanded to “resist him” (c.f. I Peter 5:9a), we cannot do so in our own strength, which is another way of saying we can’t do it alone.

This is illustrated by the fact that when Jesus told Peter: “Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat” (c.f. Luke 22:31), He did not leave Peter to fend for himself – knowing full well he could never have “stood firm” against the devil on his own (c.f. Ephesians 6:11). Hence, Jesus went on to say: “I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail” (c.f. Luke 22:32a) – thereby coming to Peter’s aid to keep him from being completely “overpowered” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:12a), as he most certainly would have been, had Jesus left him to deal with this attack alone.

(d) Beyond the devil’s attacks, you and I cannot function alone in any area of life. We are constantly dependent upon Christ and His enabling grace, lest we be “overpowered” (as it were) (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:12a) by the various situations and circumstances of life. Hence, the Scripture says: “since (Jesus) was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to (our) aid (when we) are tempted” (c.f. Hebrews 2:18) – and again: “(since) we … have a high priest who (can) sympathize with our weaknesses … who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin … let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace … that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (c.f. Hebrews 4:15-16).

(5) To sum up then, for us Christians “two (is always) better than one” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:9a) – especially when the second One is Jesus Christ.

Without Him we will not get a good return on any of our labor (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:9b) – with Him our toil is never in vain (c.f. I Corinthians 15:58b).

Without Him we have no one to lift us up when we fall (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:10) – with Him we have a friend who sticks closer to us than a brother (c.f. Proverbs 18:24b) – who is always there to pick us up and restart our steps.

Without Him the fire of our spiritual devotion and/or life would certainly go out (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:11) – with Him we will can be sure the good work He began in us will be fully completed (c.f. Philippians 1:6).

Without Him we would easily be overpowered by our adversary, and/or the adverse circumstances of life (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:12a) – with Him we are able to stand firm against every scheme of the devil (c.f. Ephesians 6:11-14).

Truly, then, with Christ “two is always better than one” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:9a)!

Testament; The Book of Ecclesiastes; p. 142.