Ecclesiastes 4

Ecclesiastes 4:1

D. The Vanity of Life’s Inequalities (Chap. 4) 4:1 Robert Burns said, “Man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn!” Sensitive hearts in every age have been grieved to see the oppression that is carried out by men against their fellowmen. It tormented Solomon also. He was grieved to see the tears of the oppressed, the power of their oppressors, and the failure of anyone to defend the downtrodden. Power was on the side of the oppressors, and no one dared to defy that power. From this vantage point, it seemed that “Truth [was] forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne.” He could not see that “behind the dim unknown, standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above His own.” 4:2 So in his dejection, he concluded that the dead are better off than the living. To him, death provided welcome escape from all the persecutions and cruelties of this life. He was not concerned at the moment with the deeper implications of deaththat a person who dies in unbelief is doomed to more severe suffering than the worst oppression on earth. For him the question was not, “Is there life after death?”, but rather, “Is there life after birth?” 4:3 Solomon’s cynicism touched bottom with the observation that though the dead are better off than the living, the unborn are still more enviable. They have never lived to be driven mad by oppressions under the sun. They have never had to endure “that ghastly mockery of happiness called life.” 4:4 There was something else that drove him up the wallthe fact that human activity and skill are motivated by the desire to outdo one’s neighbor. He saw that the wheel of life was propelled by the competitive spirit. The desire to have better clothes and a more luxurious homeit all seemed so empty and unworthy of men created in God’s image and after His likeness. When Michelangelo and Raphael were commissioned to use their artistic talents for the adornment of the Vatican, a deep spirit of rivalry broke out between them. “Although each had a different job to do, they became so jealous that at last they would not even speak to one another.” Some are more adept at concealing their envy than these geniuses were, but this same attitude of rivalry is at the bottom of much contemporary activity. A modern cynic has written, “I’ve tried everything that life has to offer, but all I see is one guy trying to outdo another in a futile attempt at happiness.” 4:5 In contrast to the one whose motive and reward is envy is the foolthe dull, stupid sluggard. He folds his hands and lives off what little food he can get without much exertion. Perhaps he is wiser than his neighbors who are driven relentlessly on by their envy and covetousness. 4:6 While those around him are working themselves into a frenzy of competition, the fool’s sentiments are: Better a handful with quietness than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind. Or as H. C. Leupold paraphrases it, “Rather would I have my ease, though I possess but little, than acquire more and have all the vexation that goes with it.” 4:7, 8 There was another kind of folly which blew the Preacher’s mind. It was the mindless craze of the man who is alone, to keep working and accumulating wealth. He has neither son nor brother, no close relatives. He already has more money than he will ever need. Yet he wears himself out day after day and denies himself the simple amenities of life. It never occurs to him to ask, “For whom do I toil and deprive myself of good?” Charles Bridges in his exposition comments, “The miserhow well he deserves the namethe wretched slave of mammon, grown old as a toiling, scraping, griping drudge!” His name is miser and as his name, so is hemiserable. What an empty, wretched way to live, thought Solomon! Surely Samuel Johnson was right when he said, “The lust for gold, unfeeling and remorseless, is the last corruption of degenerate man.” 4:9 The solitariness of the miser leads Solomon to point out the advantages of fellowship and partnership. He uses four illustrations to press home his thesis. First of all, two workers are better than one, because by cooperation they can produce more efficiently. 4:10 Also if there is an accident on the job, one can help his companion. But pity the man who falls off the ladder when he is alone. There is no one around to call for help. 4:11 Two in a bed on a cold night are better than one because they help to keep each other warm. We could shoot holes in his argument by mentioning the annoyance caused by the partner who has cold feet or who hogs the covers, or the superior controlled heat that comes from the electric blanket. But the point remains that there are pleasures and benefits from friendship and socializing that are unknowable to the one who lives in isolation. 4:12 The third illustration has to do with protection against attack. A thief can often overpower one victim, but two can usually resist the intruder successfully. Finally, a rope made with three cords is stronger than a rope with only one or two strands. In fact, three strands twisted together are more than three times as strong as three separate strands. 4:13-16 The follies and vanities of life are not confined to the peons; they are even found in the palaces of kings. Solomon describes a king who overcame poverty and a prison record in his rise to the throne; yet now when he is old, he is intractable. He will not listen to his advisers. It would be better to have a young man who is teachable, even though poor, to reign in his place. Solomon thought about all the people who are subjects of the king and about the young man who is second in the chain of commandthe heir apparent. Multitudes flock to his banner. They are tired of the old ruler and want a change, hoping for a better administration. Yet even those who come afterward will not be happy with him. This fickleness and craving for novelty made Solomon realize that even the world’s highest honors are vanity. They too are like grasping for the wind.