UBF Daily Bread

TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE

Passage: Ecclesiastes 4:1~16

Key verse: 9

Oppression, Toil, Friendlessness

4 Again I looked and saw all the oppression^(A) 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.^(B)
²And I declared that the dead,^(C)
    who had already died,
are happier than the living,
    who are still alive.^(D)
³But better than both
    is the one who has never been born,^(E)
who has not seen the evil
    that is done under the sun.^(F)

⁴And 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.^(G)

⁵Fools fold their hands^(H)
    and ruin themselves.
⁶Better one handful with tranquillity
    than two handfuls with toil^(I)
    and chasing after the wind.

⁷Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:

⁸There was a man all alone;
    he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
    yet his eyes were not content^(J) 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!

⁹Two are better than one,
    because they have a good return for their labor:
¹⁰If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
    and has no one to help them up.
¹¹Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
    But how can one keep warm alone?
¹²Though one may be overpowered,
    two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Advancement Is Meaningless

¹³Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning. ¹⁴The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. ¹⁵I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor. ¹⁶There 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.

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The Teacher twice mentions that the oppressed have no comforter. Because of that, the Teacher reckons that being dead is better than being alive and better still to not have been born at all. But when we come to God our Father, he comforts us in all our affliction and trouble (2 Co 1:3,4).

The Teacher also sees that people toil and achieve out of envy. Although fools let their laziness bring them to ruin, achievement and constant striving to get ahead is also meaningless. Having less with tranquility is better than endless toil to gain a little more which is likened to chasing the wind.

God made us for friendship. A person toiling alone, even if he realizes his ambitions, will find his labor meaningless. Modern western culture emphasizes achievement, advancement, material possessions, and comfort at the expense of relationships. We are living through an epidemic of isolation and loneliness. Two are indeed better than one! We need others to help us and as much as we need to help others throughout our life journey. How will you intentionally build up spiritual friendship today?

Many people may follow a poor but wise youth. But people who come later are not pleased. People are fickle but Jesus is forever the same (Heb 13:8).

Prayer: Father, help me to love others by being a good friend and comforting others.

One Word: Put people ahead of ambitions