Ecclesiastes 4

Read Ecclesiastes 4

Verse chosen for meditation: Ecclesiastes 4: 12 ESV 

And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him - a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Reflect

This is a rather depressing chapter to read if not for the break in the chain of thoughts in the middle. 

Immediately after making a grand summation in the last chapter that God will make everything beautiful in its time (3: 11), although for a little while we may have to go through the different seasons of life, he lets in on his observations about the meaninglessness of life under the sun, such as the ongoing oppressions, the toil and loneliness of man, the anti-climax of achievements and the non - disparity of status regardless of whether one is king or a poor commoner.

Somewhere in the middle, however, we get to see a glimmer of hope again, that not everything is as meaningless as it was made to be.

Why do you think the author feels this way, that everything under the sun is meaningless? Could he have his own reasons or biases?

What is the common thread running through all the examples if there is one?

What would you make of today's verse for meditation? How would it serve as an antithesis of meaninglessness?

Relate

On the first reading of the passage, the word 'meaningless' appears a total of four times. Though evenly mentioned throughout the passage, it catches the reader's attention at the beginning and at the end. To any casual reader, it might look as though everything under the sun is meaningless. To put it poetically, 'a chasing after the wind', an idiomatic phrase to describe the elusiveness of things.

But is it true that everything is meaningless, or is it just the opinion of Solomon, the supposed writer of Ecclesiastes? For we need to remind ourselves that Solomon was a man who had everything - wisdom (presumably the wisest man), wealth (all the riches of a king) and women (a thousand to be exact). Therefore, his standards and thresholds could be different from an ordinary man like us. It would be natural for him to feel the meaninglessness of life if reduced to such states. An ordinary man might feel otherwise.

That aside, I have always believed in the tenacity of man, which more often than not is underestimated. I believe that man, with an inherent penchant for survival, will do crazy things, hitherto unseen and unheard, to stay alive. There will be no time to debate on the meaninglessness of life - a luxury he can't afford.

What could have driven someone like Solomon to reach such a conclusion is perhaps aloneness along with loneliness, the saddening realisation that they're all alone, with no one to live for. This also seems to be the common thread running through the examples. No doubt it’ll be utterly sad and meaningless when everything ends with us.  

Looking at it from another point, everything that has no eternal value is meaningless after a while. But when we live for others, it puts an eternal spin to it. For anything that is good and continues on is not meaningless.

Take for instance, the supreme example of Christ, who left the riches of heaven by emptying himself so as to live among us. Further to that, he was even betrayed, tortured and cruelly nailed to a cross. Wouldn't all this have been meaningless? Far from it as it became the most meaningful thing ever to have taken place under the sun. For he died that we may all be saved. It seems, therefore, that the antithesis of meaninglessness is to live not only for ourself. But for Christ (Philippians 1: 21) and others (1 Corinthians 9: 22). 

I want to believe too that when Christ, or even Paul for that matter, suffered, they were not alone despite their feeling forsaken at times. We can take a leaf out of Psalm 23 where the Psalmist knows the Lord is always with him, even in his darkest moments.

To conclude, meaninglessness is when we have no one to share our life with, or to live for. And when we have invested our whole life in things that have no eternal value.

In that sense, the Great Commission (Matthew 28: 19, 20) can be a true antithesis of meaninglessness.

Rest

Lord, there is nothing meaningless about pursuing you, investing in the lives of others for your sake and holding fast to your Word. For all three are eternal. Besides, a cord of three is not easily broken when you make up one of the cords, the other person or persons make up the other and we make up the final cord. Protect our love, pursuits and labour from being meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Naville Chia