A Threefold Cord Is Not Quickly Broken

7Then I returned and saw vanity under the sun. 8There is one who is alone, and he has neither son nor brother. There is no end to all of his labor, neither are his eyes satisfied with wealth. “For whom then, do I labor, and deprive my soul of enjoyment?” This also is vanity. Yes, it is a miserable business. 9Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. 10For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, and doesn’t have another to lift him up. 11Again, if two lie together, then they have warmth; but how can one keep warm alone? 12If a man prevails against one who is alone, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. 13Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who doesn’t know how to receive admonition any more. 14For out of prison he came out to be king; yes, even in his kingdom he was born poor. 15I saw all the living who walk under the sun, that they were with the youth, the other, who succeeded him. 16There was no end of all the people, even of all them over whom he was—yet those who come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a chasing after wind.

Solomon had thought he had achieved a great deal in his lifetime, but when the years had passed and he stood at the last stage of life, he realized there was not a single person with whom he could share his true heart. He had power and wealth no one else possessed, yet he even began to feel it had all come to nothing, wondering for whose sake he had worked so hard to gain them. Countless people surrounded him, but none truly understood him, trusted him, or shared his mind. Looking back, he saw that the road he had walked was the world’s road, far from God; that those who had shown him respect were not brothers in the faith; and that on the golden throne sat not God but himself. All this made him see that the way he had come was sin. God had promised Solomon that if he walked in God’s ways and kept his statutes and commandments as his father David had walked, God would lengthen his days. In other words, God was commanding Solomon to live in obedience to him as David had.

God had said that if Solomon kept and obeyed his law as David did, he would give him even the riches and honor he had not asked for. So had Solomon lived in keeping with God’s will, he would have become a king praised to this day. But he spent all the wisdom and understanding he had received from God on making his nation rich and on winning people’s respect.

While people praised him, he thought he was the greatest man in the world and one whom God had richly blessed. But as time passed and he looked back on their praise, he saw that it had been payment for the power they had enjoyed. Sadly, the common people were not like those who received Solomon’s favors. They had to suffer all the more to build the kingdom he pursued, and they were even oppressed.

Solomon, who more than anyone should have helped his people serve God well, became so absorbed in enjoying the world that he gave power to the wicked and never gave the weak among his people the conditions in which they could serve God. This is the very sin committed by those in power who have turned away from God.

After Solomon died and his son Rehoboam became king, Jeroboam appealed to him to care for the people, but Rehoboam refused, and in the end the kingdom split into Judah in the south and Israel in the north. A nation may be as rich and powerful as Solomon’s, but when its king does not obey God, its people suffer. The world and the Kingdom of God pursue different spiritual goals, so unless a leader knows the will of God, God’s people cannot escape persecution. Had Solomon ruled according to the law, his people would have enjoyed peace under a king who served God, and together they would have built an even stronger nation.

David spent his life on the run from King Saul and from Absalom. Still, he was always concerned for the safety of his people, and in each moment of suffering he asked what God wanted of him and put it into action. That is how his whole life became an offering of faith. Whenever great hardship came, David prayed to God, and because he sacrificed himself to protect his people, they were kept safe.

2 Samuel 22:21-25

21Yahweh rewarded me according to my righteousness. He rewarded me according to the cleanness of my hands. 22For I have kept Yahweh’s ways, and have not wickedly departed from my God. 23For all his ordinances were before me. As for his statutes, I did not depart from them. 24I was also perfect toward him. I kept myself from my iniquity. 25Therefore Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness in his eyesight.

This is David’s faith. Unlike Solomon, David lived a hard life from his youth, but because he always strove to live according to God’s will, he did not sin. Hunted by King Saul, he was at times reduced to the misery of begging for his life, yet he honored the people and officials who were with him. The lesson is plain. It is not the wealthy, the powerful, and the able who serve God well and govern a nation well; people of true faith and upright character are the ones who rule a nation and its people rightly. Solomon shows us that the wealth and power we pile up on earth do not last; they crumble as easily as a sandcastle. But when we walk with God as David did and our character is sound, the faith we share with our fellow workers will never break, like a threefold cord.

Ephesians 2:20-22

20being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone; 21in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22in whom you also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.

The apostle Paul said that the saints could now receive the gospel because the apostles and prophets had suffered and sacrificed for it. Because the apostles and prophets, too, were bound closely to Christ, God has been at work to make everyone, from the forefathers of faith to those who serve Christ today, one great temple together. Our church, too, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ as the chief cornerstone, forms part of that great temple in God. Therefore we must not defile the temple, and we must build relationships of love in which we work together so that the church may grow.

Ecclesiastes 4:8

8There is one who is alone, and he has neither son nor brother. There is no end to all of his labor, neither are his eyes satisfied with wealth. “For whom then, do I labor, and deprive my soul of enjoyment?” This also is vanity. Yes, it is a miserable business.

People put great effort into earning money because they have some purpose in mind. Some earn it for their families; others earn it because they have a goal for the future. But the labor of someone whose only aim is money, not for family and not to share with neighbors, is vanity indeed. Such a person has neither a son, the spiritual fruit of a life, nor a brother in the faith.

Jesus, who knows how human nature chases empty things for the sake of the world, told us to love our neighbor and to have a faith that fulfills the role of light and salt. Being light takes self-sacrifice: precious oil must burn to brighten all that is around it. Being salt calls for self-giving: we must dissolve ourselves to keep what is around us from rotting. And setting the lamp on its stand requires sincere love, a longing that people will see the light we shine and come out of the darkness.

You, too, are probably doing your utmost to earn money for someone. God does not judge a person by how much or how little money they have; he judges their faith and character by where they spend it. Selfish people who spend money only on themselves give nothing to the work of saving lives; the wealth heaped up in their storehouses will therefore belong in the end to someone else who never labored for it. Having no brothers in Christ with whom to build the holy temple, such people, even if they succeed in the world, will see their lives end in regret, as Solomon’s did.

People do not realize that to enter the Kingdom of God after death, they must have a son, their spiritual fruit, and a brother, the evidence of their faith. A spiritual son and a brother in the faith matter because they show that a person has lived by the word. Of course, it may feel like a waste to spend money we earned by our work on others. But God’s law is to cherish our neighbor as ourselves, and when we obey that word, a futile life becomes a meaningful one that fulfills God’s will.

We know that there is an eternal kingdom, that everyone dies, and that after death we cannot take with us the money in our hands now. Knowing this, we must use our money to spread the gospel. Those who sacrifice themselves to expand the Kingdom of God know why they work and what gives life meaning, which is why even on this earth they give themselves to the glory of God. Blessed are the lives of the saints whose labor God acknowledges and who are comforted by brothers in Christ walking the way of truth with them.

Ecclesiastes 4:11-12

11Again, if two lie together, then they have warmth; but how can one keep warm alone? 12If a man prevails against one who is alone, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

When Jesus sent his disciples out to preach, he sent them two by two. When Joshua sent spies into Jericho, he sent two men together. They did this because even a task too great for one person can be accomplished when a brother in the faith stands alongside; and when God’s grace and wisdom are added, they can show the strength to fulfill any calling, like a threefold cord. Two working together rather than one can not only fulfill their calling but escape danger as well. In this harsh world, to have a brother in Christ at your side who neither complains nor betrays is a special blessing that God’s people receive.

Do you have a brother in the faith to lean on when hardship comes? If you have one who would help you without any thought of gain when you are in desperate need, your life is blessed by God. Even a single sincere friend who understands your heart and stands on your side is enough to keep you from being lonely. With brothers at your side who believe in Jesus Christ, who gladly gave up his life, you would have nothing to fear! For this, you must first have good character yourself, and a love that sacrifices itself for that brother in the faith.

John 15:12-14

12“This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you.

Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment, that they love one another as he had loved them. The way Jesus loved humanity was to lay down his own life in our place to atone for sin. Jesus, who willingly gave himself up for the salvation of the human race, was telling us that as he had loved us, we too should love with a love that lays down its life. To give up one’s precious life, there must be a clear purpose. Just as Jesus gave his life to atone for the sins of the world, our faith has worth only when we, too, sacrifice ourselves for the gospel.

What Jesus wanted from his people was not that they live off one another but that they live for one another. The relationship of love God desires is one in which we work together for good and build each other up, even at cost to ourselves. The world is piled high with troubles enough to crush us. In such a world, hatred, envy, and quarrels bring nothing but pain to all involved, but if we strive to encourage one another and build each other up, we can easily repel the attacks of evil spirits.

Satan throws all kinds of trials at people so that they hate and slander one another and fail to show love, and through these he makes them despair. He keeps them from gaining brothers in Christ, leaving their lives without fruit. Satan makes people lose heart or grow proud so that they leave God, but if a brother in the faith is at someone’s side, that brother helps them judge rightly, and their wavering faith can be set upright again. Let us never forget, then, that accepting a brother’s counsel is like reading a signpost; it helps us as much as an anchor dropped at sea. Because Jesus knows we are too weak to overcome sin, he himself showed us how to withstand Satan’s temptations.

Matthew 4:1-3

1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry afterward. 3The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

Of course, the temptation of Jesus cannot be compared with the temptations we face; it was a spiritual war against Satan for the salvation of humanity, and suffering borne to atone for sin. Here, though, I want to take as an example how Jesus drove Satan away when, after forty days of fasting, he was desperately hungry and Satan tempted him with food.

Jesus knew exactly why he had fasted. Satan seized on the hunger of Jesus, who had fasted forty days, to tempt him to turn stones into bread, and from this we can see that Satan can use any situation to tempt people. But Jesus knew well what Satan intended in telling him to make bread from stones, and he drove Satan away, answering that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of God’s mouth.

As we make our way through the world, we too are tempted by Satan again and again. When we are hungry, he tempts us with food; when we need money, he shows us all the kingdoms of the world and their glory and lures us, as if he will give us everything if only we listen to him. And when something we long for fails, he works to make us think we are worthless people who can never recover. He does this to drive us to take our own lives. You can win only by never for a moment losing sight of what Satan is after.

If we had faith and a sense of calling as sure as that of Jesus, we could resist him firmly, but weak as we are, we often take Satan’s hand even when we know it is sin. Satan disrupts the bonds among the saints and makes them depend on him, but we who belong to Christ must help one another not to stray from his way.

Ecclesiastes 4:13-14

13Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who doesn’t know how to receive admonition any more. 14For out of prison he came out to be king; yes, even in his kingdom he was born poor.

Under old King Saul, who would listen to no one, young David suffered much, yet he became a king of outstanding wisdom. Unlike Saul, who had forsaken God, David ruled the nation according to God’s will and brought an age of peace, and the people served him wholeheartedly. But since it is appointed for each person to be born once and to die, foolish King Saul and wise King David alike died. As time passed, people no longer remembered the foolish and dull king, nor the king who had ruled wisely. A wicked man who will not receive admonition may rule the world, or a wise one who loves the people; either way, as the years go by, the world forgets them all. So, Solomon says, their labor is like chasing after the wind.

Saul turned against God even though God himself had made him king, and he lived a proud life, exalting himself. David, who united the kingdom, gave the people peace and made the nation a great power, but as time went by, people stopped thinking of him. In a world where one generation goes and another comes, every life will be forgotten. If that is so, you need to prepare for life after death while you live. After all, if you fail to build a right relationship with God, who rules the eternal world, you will have to suffer an eternal punishment far harder than anything on earth.

We still remember David’s faith and speak of him today, not because of what he achieved but because he was an ancestor of Jesus. To this day we take the ancestors of Jesus and the disciples who gave themselves to Christ as our examples and honor them, and this shows that God does not forget those who lived for Christ but loves them. The faith of those who love Jesus Christ is never forgotten.

Exodus 1:8

8Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who didn’t know Joseph.

Every Israelite knows the faith of Joseph, who fulfilled the calling God gave him. But the Egyptians, who did not know God, forgot Joseph, who had helped them survive seven years of drought, and instead oppressed the people of Israel. The Egyptians came through a great calamity because of Joseph, yet because they did not know God’s work, they cared nothing for Joseph’s faith. The people of Israel, however, could never forget that God had sent Joseph ahead of them into Egypt to save them.

If you do not want to be forgotten after you leave this world, fulfill your calling with a faith ready for martyrdom, and God will work so that your brothers and sisters in Christ and your descendants will not forget you. Kings who conquered vast lands have been forgotten, and the famous have all been forgotten, but the prophets and disciples who lived by faith, and the saints who gave themselves to God, have not been forgotten. This is how a life of vanity becomes a life of meaning.

With our hope set on the eternal kingdom, we must build, together with our brothers and sisters in the faith, a church as strong as a threefold cord in Christ. A threefold cord of two or three joined in faith is not quickly broken, so we can live the holy lives of saints who expand the Kingdom of God. Now it is up to you whether you make your life a vain one or a holy life that will never be forgotten.

However hard we work and strive not to die, a last day surely comes when we put off this body. Even if you do great things in the world, life is such that within a single generation you will be forgotten. This world is working to bind the nations together into a single state that will bring forth the Antichrist, and money is already moving toward a single currency, usable anywhere through cards and coins. Religious leaders of every faith are meeting to create a single religion.

To stand against them and save more souls, what is needed is your sincere faithfulness in guarding the truth. As Scripture says, the Antichrist will appear in this world, but now, while God gives us the opportunity, we must save more souls. If you live out your faith, as the prophets and disciples sacrificed themselves, God will protect you through your spiritual sons, the fruit of the gospel, and through your brothers in the faith, and he will make you children of God who are never forgotten.

I hope you will be a good friend and fellow worker to the brothers and sisters in Christ beside you, building them up with humility and love. May you become people God approves, upright in character and holy in faith, always remembered by the generations of faith who come after you.