Threefold Cord

People love to make comparisons.

- “This one is better than that one”

- “The original movie was better than the sequel”

- “These are more expensive than others, but they’re worth it because they’re better made, and they’ll last you.”

We make comparisons every day, don’t we? It helps us discern the pros and cons, categorize, and at times, decide. One may even say that it is a crucial survival skill. The Bible also makes numerous comparisons. But when the Bible makes comparisons, it usually doesn’t compare between good and better. There are not many options. It is generally black and white – life or death, salvation or damnation, humility or pride, obedience or disobedience… so on and so forth… This is because there is a correct decision – a better way to live, act, speak, and think.

And the author of Ecclesiastes, whom we often call “Preacher-King," compared different ways of living life. Even though life was, for the Preacher, all but vanity—a breath of wind that simply disappears—there was practical wisdom for daily life in this temporary world. There was a better way to live. He made a very careful observation of how people live and concluded that, in all manner of life, two is better than one, companionship is better than solitude, unity is better than division, friendship is better than enmity, and fellowship is better than isolation.

He says this in verses 7-8: 7 Again, I saw vanity under the sun: 8 one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is also vanity and an unhappy business.

Here, the Preacher makes a comparison by sharing the sad tale of a solitary individual – the man is not named, but he lives and works alone. If he has a wife, she is not mentioned; however, even if he does have a wife, he does not have an heir – a son or a brother to inherit the wealth he’s accumulated. As the Preacher observed the life of this lonely miser, he saw that it was vanity. It seemed there was no end to his work – day after day, night after night – he kept toiling from dawn until dark. How long was his workweek? Sixty hours? Seventy? Yet he was never satisfied...

This man had accumulated many riches... but it was not enough… and most importantly, he had no children, no family, and no friends with whom he could share the fruits of his work and labor. And it doesn’t take someone with seminary training – to recognize that the Preacher gives this miser low marks for how he lived. Quite literally, the preacher says that it is meaningless…

Church, isn’t there a better way to live? Surely, there has to be a different approach... But what does a better way look like? How can we escape the vanity of isolation and solitude that so many people pursue in this world? How should we answer the question in verse 8 – For whom are we toiling and depriving ourselves of pleasure?

The answer is: Not for myself, the believer says, but for the glory of God and the good of other people, including the people I love in the family of God, the church. We toil and deprive ourselves of pleasure for the glory of God and the good of other people... and that is the better way to live and work.

Here’s what I mean. The Preacher now begins to compare the alternative: the right way to live. He puts it very simply: two are better than one. Verse 9 states that two are better than one. According to this simple comparison, it is better to share our life, our work, our joys, our gifts, fruits, and even our pains and struggles with others than to try to do it all by yourself. The buddy system is not just for school field trips – it is God’s plan for our lives and His plan for our service to Him.

Two are better than one! Here’s How!

First, when two people work together, they accomplish more than twice as much as either one could accomplish alone! Verse 9 – “They have a good reward for their toil.” – We’ve seen many examples of this happening in the church as pastors and the leadership collegially work together towards its mission and vision... I have seen it in the kitchen when Emily and I do the dishes together.

Second, two are better than one—because verse 10—if one of them falls, the other will lift up his fellow. Two are better than one because you have someone to help you in times of need. Sometimes this happens in life, not only literally but also metaphorically—because we get knocked down by life’s trials and troubles. Family relationships get broken, financial difficulties come, health difficulties come, and often, against our own better judgment, we fall into grievous sins. If we were alone at that moment, in the darkest of hours, we might not ever get back up.