Pastor's Sermon Notes: Ecclesiastes (series), #11 - Two Are Better Than One (Ecclesiastes 4:7-16)

Series: Ecclesiastes

Sermon #11: Two Are Better Than One

Ecclesiastes 4:7-16

[There was no audio recording of this sermon.]

⁷ Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun. ⁸ There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail. ⁹ Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. ¹⁰ For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. ¹¹ Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? ¹² And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.  ¹³ Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished. ¹⁴ For out of prison he cometh to reign; whereas also he that is born in his kingdom becometh poor. ¹⁵ I considered all the living which walk under the sun, with the second child that shall stand up in his stead. ¹⁶ There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Introduction:

The nature of the middle sections of Ecclesiastes

Outline:

I. Labor Not For Labor’s Sake (4:7-8) - Work For One Another

II. Alone Is Not Good (4:9-12) - Help One Another

III. One Thing Makes the Difference (4:13-16) - Listen To One Another

Transition:

There is a numerical issue in these verses.

⁷ Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun. ⁸ There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail. ⁹ Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. ¹⁰ For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. ¹¹ Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? ¹² And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.  ¹³ Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished. ¹⁴ For out of prison he cometh to reign; whereas also he that is born in his kingdom becometh poor. ¹⁵ I considered all the living which walk under the sun, with the second child that shall stand up in his stead. ¹⁶ There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

There is a theme that binds these verses together.

I. Labor Not For Labor’s Sake (4:7-8) — Work For One Another

⁷ Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun. ⁸ There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail.

1. The Introduction to the Next Series of Epigrams (4:7)

Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun.

Compare the other usages of “Then I returned, and I saw…” in this chapter in 4:1, 4, and 15.

2. The First Epigram — One Alone (4:8)

There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail.

Compare the various translations on verse 8! Did he, or didn’t he???

NASB: There was a certain man without a dependent, having neither a son nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, his eyes were not satisfied with riches and he never asked, “And for whom am I laboring and depriving myself of pleasure?” This too is vanity and it is a grievous task.

ESV: 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 vanity and an unhappy business.

HCSB: There is a person without a companion,  without even a son or brother, and though there is no end to all his struggles, his eyes are still not content with riches.  “So who am I struggling for,” he asks, “and depriving myself from good?” This too is futile and a miserable task.

NIV: There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil,

yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless—a miserable business!

NLT: This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, “Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?” It is all so meaningless and depressing.

YLT: There is one, and there is not a second; even son or brother he hath not, and there is no end to all his labour! His eye also is not satisfied with riches, and he saith not, ‘For whom am I labouring and bereaving my soul of good?’ This also is vanity, it is a sad travail.

Ask the question!

Who are you working, laboring, serving for?

II. Alone Is Not Good (4:9-12) — Help One Another

⁹ Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. ¹⁰ For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. ¹¹ Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? ¹² And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Gen. 2:18 — And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

No man is an island, nor ought he to be!

“Ten survival experts are dropped off in separate and extremely remote locations on Northern Vancouver Island. Equipped with only limited gear, their years of wilderness experience, and cameras to self-document their journeys, the men are completely isolated from one another as they struggle to live in the wild for as long as they can. Attempting to survive unaided in a thick and desolate rainforest presents immediate challenges to everyone. While each character battles to simply enter the dense forest and find a suitable base camp, they must also find water and make a shelter before night falls and temperatures drop. As the sun goes down, a new challenge presents itself: relentless rains and the struggle to build a fire without matches. Even worse, some find that water, shelter and fire are the least of their worries when the island's large predators wake from their dens and begin to stalk their new neighbors.”

— History at http://www.history.com/shows/alone [accessed 25 DEC 2015].

“Ten men try to survive as long as they can in the Vancouver Island wilderness, carrying only what can fit in a backpack. Alone in harsh, unforgiving terrain, these men must hunt, build shelters and fend off predators, all while documenting the experience themselves. It's the ultimate test of man's will.”

— IMDb at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4803766/ [accessed 25 DEC 2015].

You’ll never walk alone? Really? If you walk with the Lord, true, you will never walk alone, but is that the point of this well known show tune?

“”You'll Never Walk Alone” is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein  musical Carousel. In the second act of the musical, Nettie Fowler, the cousin of the female protagonist Julie Jordan, sings “You'll Never Walk Alone” to comfort and encourage Julie when her husband, Billy Bigelow, the male lead, is killed when trying to escape capture after a failed robbery attempt when he falls and lands on his knife. It is reprised in the final scene to encourage a graduation class of which Louise (Billy and Julie's daughter) is a member. The now invisible Billy, who has been granted the chance to return to Earth for one day in order to redeem himself, watches the ceremony and is able to silently motivate the unhappy Louise to join in the song.”

— Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You%27ll_Never_Walk_Alone [accessed 25 DEC 2015].

1. Reason #1 — Help in Time of Need (4:9-10)

⁹ Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. ¹⁰ For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.

2. Reason #2 —Warmth in a Time of Cold (4:11)

Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?

3. Reason #3 — Defense in a Time of Battle (4:12)

And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

III. One Thing Makes the Difference (4:13-16) — Listen To One Another

¹³ Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished. ¹⁴ For out of prison he cometh to reign; whereas also he that is born in his kingdom becometh poor. ¹⁵ I considered all the living which walk under the sun, with the second child that shall stand up in his stead. ¹⁶ There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

A different drummer? Going your own way?

1. The One Reason Why (4:13)

Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished.

2. The Ascent and the Descent (4:14)

For out of prison he cometh to reign; whereas also he that is born in his kingdom becometh poor.

3. The Second Child (4:15)

I considered all the living which walk under the sun, with the second child that shall stand up in his stead.

4. No Joy (4:16)

There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

“U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)

In air intercept, a code meaning, “I have been unsuccessful,” or, “I have no information.”

“When a controll [sic] tower advises a pilot that he has an approacing aircraft. If the pilot does not see the approacing [sic] aircraft, after a few seconds, he can reply “no joy.”

— Urban Dictionary at http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=No+Joy [accessed 25 DEC 2015].

“From military aviation. A pilot reports "no joy" when an attempt to establish visual or radio contact with another aircraft is unsuccessful; or when an attempt to acquire a target - either visually or on tactical radar - is unsuccessful.”

— The Online Slang Dictionary at http://onlineslangdictionary.com/meaning-definition-of/no-joy [accessed 25 DEC 2015].

“No Joy
Failure to make visual sighting; or inability to establish radio communications.”

— “Aviator Slang” on Tailhook Association at https://www.tailhook.net/AVSLANG.htm#N [accessed 25 DEC 2015].

“Aircrew does not have visual contact with the target/bandit/landmark. Opposite of TALLY.”

— Brevity: Multi-Service Brevity Codes, FM 1-02.1 (FM 3-54.10), MCRP 3-25.B, NTTP 6-02.1, AFTTP(I) 3-2.5 (15 JUN 2005), II-27; on Federation of American Scientists (FAS) at https://fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm1-02-1.pdf [accessed 25 DEC 2015].[1]

Conclusion:

In order to function with wisdom while in this fallen world East of Eden and West of Glory groaning in the bondage of corruption the principles in these verses should never be far from our thoughts or the intents of our hearts.

[Sermon preached 27 DEC 2015 by Pastor John T. “Jack” Jeffery at Wayside Gospel Chapel, Greentown, PA.]

Complete Outline:

I. Labor Not For Labor’s Sake (4:7-8) - Work For One Another

II. Alone Is Not Good (4:9-12) - Help One Another

III. One Thing Makes the Difference (4:13-16) - Listen To One Another

Select Sources on Ecclesiastes:

J. Sidlow Baxter, Explore The Book: A Basic and Broadly Interpretive Course of Bible Study from Genesis to Revelation, 6 vols. in 1 ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, n.d., 1960 printing).

William D. Barrick, Ecclesiastes: The Philippians of the Old Testament, Focus on the Bible series (Fearn, Ross-Shire, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2012).

C. Hassell Bullock, An Introduction to the Old Testament Poetic Books: The Wisdom and Songs of Israel (Chicago: Moody Press, 1979)/

Michael A. Eaton, Ecclesiastes: An Introduction and Commentary, Vol. 16, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity, 1983).

F. Delitzsch, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, trans. M. G. Easton, Vol. VI in C. F. Kiel and F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament in Ten Volumes, trans. James Martin (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, n.d., 1975 reprint).

Duane A. Garrett, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Vol. 14, New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman, 1993).

Donald R. Glenn, “Ecclesiastes,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. J. F. Walvoord, and R. B. Zuck (Wheaton, IL: Victor, 1985).

William Henry Green, “Scope and Plan of the Book of Ecclesiastes,” Biblical Reparatory and Princeton Review 29 (1857), pp. 419-40; on Gordon Faculty Online at http://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/Ted_Hildebrandt/OTeSources/21-Ecclesiastes/Text/Articles/Green-ScopeofEccl-1857.pdf [accessed 7 NOV 2015].

Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Ecclesiastes: Total Life, in Everyman’s Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1979).

Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Coping With Change: Ecclesiastes (Fearn, Roth-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2013).

H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Ecclesiastes (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1952).

Tremper Longman III, The Book of Ecclesiastes, New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997).

John MacArthur, MacArthur Study Bible, rev. ed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997).

Roland Edmund Murphy, Ecclesiastes, Vol. 23A, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, 1992).

Philip Graham Ryken, Ecclesiastes: Why Everything Matters, in Preaching the Word, gen. ed. R. Kent Hughes (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010).

Philip G. Ryken, Why Everything Matters: The Gospel in Ecclesiastes (Fearn, Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, Ltd., 2015).

J. Stafford Wright, “Ecclesiastes,” in Psalms-Song of Songs, Vol. 5, Expositor's Bible Commentary, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1991).

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Note:

[1] This has most recently been revised to Brevity: Multi-Service Tactics, Techniques, And Procedures For Multi-Service Brevity Codes, ATP 1-02.1 (20 SEP 2012; and then 23 OCT 2014). It is once again being revised (as of 18 AUG 2015) according to “…its two-year life cycle. Changing operations and combat environments require revision of the MTTP on a continuous basis.”

— Air Land See Application (ALSA) Center memorandum, dated 18 AUG 2015, from COL Michael E. Kensick, USAF, Director, SUBJ: Project Approval Package (PAP) on Multi-Service Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (MTTP) for Multi-Service Brevity Codes., to DIR, MCCOE; DIR CDD, MCCDC; COMNAVWARDEVCOM, and LEMAY CENTER/CC; on Air Land Sea Application Center at http://www.alsa.mil/library/mttps/current/brevity_pap_2015.pdf [accessed 25 DEC 2015].