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 that he achieved a great deal in his lifetime, but when the years had passed and he actually stood at the end of his life, he realized there was not a single person with whom he could share his heart. He had power and wealth that no one else had, yet he even came to feel how empty it was, wondering for whom he had labored so hard to gain it all. Countless people were around him, but none truly understood him, trusted him and thought as he did. Looking back, he saw that the path he had walked was the world’s path, away from God; that those who had shown him respect were not his brothers in faith; and that on the throne made of gold sat not God but he himself. Because of all this, he realized that the way he had come was sin. God had given Solomon a promise: if he would walk in God’s ways as his father David walked, keeping God’s statutes and commandments, God would lengthen his days. God was commanding Solomon to live a life of obedience to God, as David had.
God had said that if Solomon kept and followed God’s law as David did, he would give him even the riches and honor he had not asked for. So if Solomon had lived a life in keeping with God’s will, he would have been a king praised to this day. But Solomon ended up using all the wisdom and understanding he had received from God to make his nation rich and strong and to win people’s respect.
When people praised him, he thought he was the most outstanding person in the world, one greatly blessed by God. But as the years went by and he looked back on their praise, he came to see that it had been the price paid for the power they themselves enjoyed. Sadly, unlike those who received special favors from Solomon, the people had to suffer even more, and were even persecuted, so that the kingdom Solomon pursued could be built.
Solomon, who more than anyone should have helped the people serve God well, became so absorbed in enjoying the world that he gave power to the wicked and did not create conditions in which the weak could serve God. This is exactly the sin committed by wicked rulers who have left God.
When Solomon died and his son Rehoboam became king, Jeroboam pleaded with him to look after the people, but Rehoboam refused, and in the end the kingdom split into Judah in the south and Israel in the north. In this world, even if a nation is made as rich and strong as Solomon’s, the people suffer if the king does not obey God. The world and the kingdom of God pursue different spiritual aims, so unless their leader knows God’s will, believers cannot help but be persecuted. If Solomon had ruled the nation according to the law, the people would have enjoyed peace with a king who served God, and would have built an even stronger nation.
David lived a life of being chased by King Saul and by Absalom. But he always cared about the people’s safety, and in each moment of suffering he thought about what God wanted of him and put it into action. So he always lived a life that offered his faith to God. Whenever David met great suffering, he prayed to God, and he sacrificed himself to protect the people, so the people 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 he always strove to live according to God’s will, and so he did not sin. Chased by King Saul, he even sank so low as to beg for his life, yet he respected the people and servants who were with him. Look at this, and you see that it is not those with wealth, power and ability who serve God well and rule a nation well; it is those with true faith and good character who rule a nation and its people well. Look at Solomon, and you see that the wealth and power piled up in the world do not last forever; they are like a sandcastle that easily crumbles. But when we walk with God as David did and have good character, the faith we share with our fellow workers never breaks, 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 believers could now receive the gospel because of the sacrifice of the apostles and prophets who suffered for it. The apostles and prophets, too, were closely bound to Christ, and so God worked to make everyone, from the forefathers of faith to the believers who serve Christ now, one great temple together. Our church, too, with Christ set as the chief cornerstone and built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, is taking its part as one section of that great temple in God. So we must not defile the temple, and we must build loving relationships of working together so that the church can 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 have some purpose when they work hard to earn money. Some earn money for their families, and others because they have a goal for the future. But the labor of a person 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, nor a brother in faith.
Jesus knows the nature of people who chase empty things for the world like this, and he said to love your neighbor and to have a faith that does the work of light and salt. To do the work of light takes self-sacrifice, burning precious oil to light up what is around. To do the work of salt takes devotion, dissolving oneself to keep what is around from rotting. And to put a lamp on a stand, there must be a sincere love that hopes people will see the light it gives and come out of the darkness.
You too are likely doing your best to earn money for someone. God does not judge a person by how much or how little money they have; he looks at where they spent it and judges their faith and character. A selfish person who uses money only for themselves does not devote themselves to the work of saving lives, so in the end the wealth piled high in their storehouse will belong to someone else who did not labor for it. Such a selfish person has no brothers in faith with whom to build the holy temple, so even if they succeed in the world, theirs will be a life of regret like Solomon’s.
People do not realize that to enter the kingdom of God after death, one must have a son, the spiritual fruit, and a brother, the evidence of faith. For a spiritual son and a brother in faith are evidence of having lived by the Word. Of course, it may feel like a waste to spend money you worked for on others. But the law God has set is to care for your neighbor as yourself. So when you obey that word, an empty life becomes a meaningful life that fulfills God’s will.
We believers know that there is an eternal kingdom, that everyone dies, and that after death we cannot take with us the money we hold in our hands now. So we must use money to spread the gospel. Believers who sacrifice themselves to expand the kingdom of God know the purpose of their work and what a meaningful life is, and so they devote themselves to God’s glory even here on earth. The lives of believers whose labor God acknowledges, and who are comforted by brothers in faith walking the path of truth with them, are blessed lives.
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.
Jesus sent out his disciples two by two when they set out to spread the gospel. When Joshua sent spies to Jericho, he sent two together. When a brother in faith shares even a task no one can carry alone, and God’s grace and wisdom are added to it, then, like a threefold cord, the two can show the strength to carry out any mission. That is why it was done this way. If two work together rather than one, they can not only carry out their mission but also escape danger. To have a brother in faith who does not complain or turn traitor in this harsh world is a special blessing believers have received.
When you suffer, do you have a brother in faith you can lean on? If you have a brother in faith who will help you with no thought of gain when you are in desperate need, yours is a life blessed by God. In this world, even one true friend who understands your heart and stands on your side is enough to keep you from loneliness. If you are joined by a brother who believes in Jesus Christ, who gladly gave his own life, there will be nothing to fear. For that, you must first have good character, and a love that sacrifices itself for that brother in 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: to love one another as he had loved them. The way Jesus loved humankind was to lay down his own life in their place to atone for sin. Jesus, who gladly gave himself up for the salvation of humankind, was telling them to love as he had loved them, with a love that lays down its life. To give up one’s precious life, there must be a clear purpose. Only when we sacrifice ourselves for the gospel, as Jesus laid down his life to atone for the sins of humankind, is our faith worth something.
What Jesus wanted from believers is not parasitism but symbiosis. A relationship in which people work together for good and build one another up, even at their own cost, is the loving relationship God wants. The world is piled high with things that could kill. In such a world, hating, envying and quarreling only bring each other pain. So if we make an effort to encourage one another and build each other up, we can easily hold off the attacks of evil spirits.
Satan throws all kinds of trials at people so that they hate one another, tear one another down and fail to show love, and through that he makes them despair. He makes their lives fruitless, so that they cannot gain brothers in faith. Satan makes people lose heart or grow proud so that they leave God. But if there is a brother in faith beside them, that brother helps them judge rightly, so they can set their wavering faith upright again. So do not forget that accepting a brother’s counsel is like looking at a signpost, and is as great a help as dropping anchor at sea. Jesus knows that we are weak and cannot overcome sin, so he himself showed us how to overcome 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, Jesus’ temptation cannot be compared with the temptations we face. It was a spiritual war with Satan for the salvation of humankind, and a suffering to atone for sin. But here I want to take as an example how Jesus, when he had fasted forty days and was very hungry, drove Satan away when Satan tempted him with food.
Jesus knew exactly why he had fasted. Satan used the hunger of Jesus, who had fasted forty days, to tempt him to make the stones become bread. Look at that, and you 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. So he drove Satan away, saying that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.
We who live in the world also face Satan’s temptations 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, luring us as if he would give us everything if only we listen to him. And when what we long for fails, it is to make us think that we are worthless human beings who can never recover. He does this to make us throw away our own lives. You can win only if you never forget, even for a moment, what Satan’s aim is.
If we have the sure faith and sense of mission Jesus had, we can firmly drive Satan away, but weak as we are, we often join hands with Satan even though we know it is sin. Satan tries to come between believers and make them rely on him, but we who believe must help one another not to stray from the way of Christ.
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.
Young David suffered a great deal under old King Saul, who would not listen to others, but he became a king of outstanding wisdom. Unlike Saul, who had abandoned God, David ruled the nation according to God’s will and brought an age of peace, and the people served David with all their hearts. But it is fixed that a person is born once and dies, so foolish King Saul and wise King David both died. As time went on, people no longer thought of either the foolish and dull king or the king who ruled wisely. Solomon is saying that whether the world is ruled by a wicked person who will not heed admonition or by a wise person who loves the people, everyone forgets them all as the years pass. So, he says, their labor is like chasing after wind.
Although God himself had made Saul king, Saul betrayed God and lived a proud life, exalting himself. David, who united the kingdom, gave the people peace and achieved the feat of making the nation a great power, but as time passed people stopped thinking of him. This is a world where one generation goes and another generation comes. If, because of that, every life, whatever it is, is forgotten, then you need to prepare for life after death while you live. For if you do not build a good relationship with God, who rules the eternal world, you will have to suffer eternal punishment more grievous than anything in this world.
We still remember David’s faith and speak of him today not because of his achievements but because he is Jesus’ ancestor. To this day we take the ancestors of Jesus and the disciples who devoted themselves to Christ as our examples and honor them. That shows that God does not forget those who lived for Christ, and loves them. The faith of those who love Jesus Christ is not forgotten.
Exodus 1:8
8Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who didn’t know Joseph.
Among the people of Israel, there is no one who does not know the faith of Joseph, who carried out the mission God gave him. But the Egyptians, who did not know God, forgot Joseph, who had helped them endure seven years of drought, and instead persecuted the people of Israel. The Egyptians overcame a great disaster because of Joseph, but because they did not know God’s work, they had no interest in Joseph’s faith. But the people of Israel could never forget that God had sent Joseph ahead into Egypt to save them.
If you do not want to be forgotten even after you leave this world, and you carry out your mission with a faith ready for martyrdom, God will work so that you are not forgotten by your brothers in faith and by your descendants. Kings who conquered much land have been forgotten, and famous people have all been forgotten, but the prophets and disciples who lived by faith, and the faithful who devoted themselves, have not been forgotten. This is how a vain life is made into a meaningful one.
Set your hope on the eternal kingdom, and with your brothers in faith build a church in Christ that is as strong as a threefold cord. A threefold cord of two or three people joined together in faith is not quickly broken, so you can live the holy life of a believer who expands the kingdom of God. Now it is your choice whether to make your life a vain one or a holy life that will never be forgotten.
In this world, however hard people live and struggle not to die, there is surely a last day when they put off the body. Even if you have done great things in the world, life is such that you are forgotten once a single generation passes. This world is working to bind the nations into one and make a single state in order to bring forth the Antichrist, and money is already moving, through cards, cryptocurrencies and the like, toward a single currency that can be used anywhere. All the religious leaders are meeting to make a single religion.
To stand against them and save more souls, what is needed is your sincere faithfulness in keeping the truth. As the Bible says, the Antichrist will appear in this world, but while God is giving us the chance now, we must save more souls. If you live out your faith as the prophets and disciples sacrificed themselves, God will protect you through spiritual sons, the fruit of the gospel, and brothers in faith, and he will make you children of God who are not forgotten.
I hope you will be good friends and fellow workers to the brothers in faith beside you, building them up with humility and love. I hope that, with good character and holy faith, you will be approved by God and always remembered by your descendants in faith.