Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in issue no. 9 (weeks 32-35; August 18—September 8, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com.
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Lesson Aim: We are better when we have each other to care for and to care for us.
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By Mark Scott
Ecclesiastes is full of sound
advice: know what really matters in life, redeem pleasure, use time wisely, be
judicious with your words, think properly about wealth, act well toward
government, think eternity, give generously, and enjoy work, food, and friends.
In our digital age where people are addicted to their screens, thinking rightly
about friendships is vital. C. S.
Lewis talked about friendship when he said, “Lovers are always talking to one
another about their love; Friends hardly ever about their Friendship.
Lovers are normally face to face, absorbed in each other; Friends, side by
side, absorbed in common interest” (The Four Loves).
Tucked
away in Ecclesiastes between teaching about time and work (chapter 3) and
worship (chapter 5) is a section about friendships. We are hardly ever at our
best alone. We are often at our
best when caring for others. As Rueben Welch wrote years ago, We Really Do Need Each Other. Some years ago, Gene Getz
alerted the evangelical world to the many “one another” passages in the
New Testament epistles (Sharpening the Focus of the
Church). But 900 years before Christ, Solomon was underlining the
importance of lifting up one another.
Life Alone | Ecclesiastes 4:7, 8
In
his scientific experiment called Ecclesiastes, Solomon tried to make sense of
life under the sun. This important phrase occurs 29 times in the
book and means “down here on earth without God in the equation.” Put simply,
oppression, work without significance, and interpersonal strife all make the
grind so daily. To go it alone is just not good. Being alone is one thing—even
extroverts need a break. But being lonely is something else.
Solomon
illustrated this truth by pointing to a man who had no siblings or children. He
was all alone (literally “has no other”). His
dilemma was that he was working his fingers to the bone, but for what? Since he
was alone, he had no one to whom he could even pass his inheritance. There is no end to his toil (misery, pain, or weariness). In addition
to that, his wealth had not brought him
contentment—something Solomon knew all too well. He might as well have spent
his legacy. Since he was alone he was only depriving (diminishing or
decreasing) himself of enjoyment (goodness
or gladness). Like everything else under the sun, the lonely man found his work
and wealth to be meaningless and labeled the appendix a miserable business (evil occupation or job). Profit
without someone to share it with is of small comfort.
Life Together | Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote a book with the
title, Life Together.
It is not a bad description of the church. This paragraph is one of the few in Ecclesiastes with a
smiley face. Solomon traced four advantages of doing life together. The first
is meaningful or lasting profit. Two are better (good)
than one because they receive a good return (price, worth, economy) for their labor (sorrow). Profits are more fun to receive when they
are shared and celebrated in unity. Second, there is assistance when needed. Falling
down is rarely good, but if a friend is close by, then help is on the way. Solomon
added a contrasting parallel phrase by saying, “But pity anyone
who falls and has no one to help them up.” A helping hand makes our
falls more bearable.
Third,
there is intimacy. Solomon would not have to have marital intimacy in mind
here, but it fits. Like the earlier Lewis quote he could simply have in mind
friendship. Either way, warmth takes place best with a duet—not a solo. The
word for “warm” does refer to hot or passionate. Finally, there is conflict. There
might be a few Samsons out there who could kill 1,000 Philistines single-handedly (Judges 15:15), but conflicts
in the ancient world were almost universally won by pure numbers. The
more soldiers, the greater the victory. At least with two a defense (a persistent stand) can be marshalled.
The famous line, “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” is not a fifth advantage of life together. It seems to be a concluding metaphor of life together. Strands were cords or lines or strings. Apart they can easily be snapped. Together they can hardly be broken (torn apart). Sometimes this passage is used in weddings with each strand representing a three-way relationship between the bride, the groom, and God. That is not the phrase’s context but could be an application of the principle. There is a certain peril to isolation. We are most often better together.
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Lesson study ©2019, Christian Standard Media. Print and digital subscribers are permitted to make one print copy per week of lesson material for personal use. Lesson based on the scope and sequence, ©2019 by Christian Standard Media. Scripture quotations are from the New International Version, ©2011, unless otherwise indicated.
Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. He also serves as minister with Park Plaza Christian Church in Joplin.
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