IBS Wednesday February 24
Ecclesiastes 4:12
Though
one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord
is not quickly broken.
This passage in the book of Ecclesiastes is in a
series of verses that expresses the value of a friend.
Verses 9-12 says,
“Two
are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if
they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he
falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again if two lie down together, they
will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by
another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
Ecclesiastes speaks about the futility and
meaninglessness of life. It talks about the emptiness of being without a
companion and the meaninglessness of riches. King Solomon, son of David, isn’t
officially accredited as being the author, but it was very likely him who wrote
this book of the Bible. Solomon was, by the Bible’s account, one of if not the
wealthiest man who ever lived as well as the wisest. He enjoyed life to the
maximum and experienced everything one possibly experience given the financial
resources he had. The answer he gives to deal with the vanity of life is to have
a companion to be there to experience it with you, obey God’s commandments,
take delight in what the Lord has given you, and recognize that life will come
to an end.
There is strength in numbers. One man teams often
fail. There is only so much resistance that one man can endure on his own, but
with the help of another person, it becomes much easier to withstand opposition.
With three people working together, a team is not slow to break. In my own
life, I have had friends who have stuck up for me when I was in trouble and
backed into a corner by an enemy. The most devastating moments in my life have
been when I was in trouble with no one to help me up. However, the best moments
in my life have been when my friends were there to lift me up in the midst of
trials. The book of Ecclesiastes really clarifies the importance of having
someone there or being there for another person through trials. A friend makes
the trials worth it and the good times even better.
Application: Today I am going pray that God helps me
to be there for others when they are going through trials and thank Him for the
friends who He’s placed in my life to help me through the trials in life. I
will talk with my friend Jack about how God speaks to me.
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