Explain for me Ecclesiastes 4:9-12.
To get a proper understanding of those verses, let’s read Ecclesiastes 4:7-12, “Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun. There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail. Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
In these verses, Solomon speaks of the vanity, or emptiness, of a miser who remains alone, yet works tirelessly and continually. This particular man has no other one to be with or care for. He doesn’t have a son or a brother; yet he tends to labor diligently, acquiring great wealth with no one to spend it on but himself. It never even occurs to him to ask the question, “For whom do I toil and deprive myself of good?”
The greediness of this man leads Solomon to point out four reasons why it would be better for this man to have a mate to share his life with, rather than continue to work only to amass wealth for himself.
Verse 9 shows how that two working together have a greater reward. Two workers are better than one because they will produce more efficiently when they work together cooperatively.
Verse 10 points out that if there is an accident while working, the one will be able to help the other. Being alone, one might get hurt but there is no one to help him or get medical attention for him.
Verse 11 shows the advantage of two being in a relationship. If there is a cold night, two together would produce heat, helping to keep each other warm.
Verse 12 speaks of one person being helpless against an attack, while two together would be able to ward off an attack. We then read in verse 12, that “a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” A threefold cord is more than three times as strong as a single cord. Why a threefold cord and not a twofold cord? In a Godly relationship, there would be a threefold cord: the husband, the wife, and the Lord! In a God led relationship, where the Lord is called upon to lead and guard, there is a threefold cord. How vital it is for believers to make the Lord head of their relationships and head of their homes. The Lord can give us strength and blessings that we could never get on our own.
This is not to say that a single man should not work hard. He should. We learn from Colossians 3:4, that in our labors, we “serve the Lord Christ.” Single or married, we should always do our best for the glory of the Lord. However, a person should not work continuously with the goal of simply gathering greater wealth for himself. Also, this portion is not condemning the single person. There are some who are intended to stay single. Their situation is just a valid as those who are in a relationship. In the typical sense, we see from our portion that, “Two are better than one.” The advantages are obvious. (191.6)