# 7 2024 Dev. Ecclesiastes 4:1 God’s Comfort! Read all of chapter four first . We invite you into God’s space, to read His Word, to think on and interact with. This is God’s story. Do you believe that this may also be part of our story, in our time? All passages are taken from the NIV.
Ecc.4: “I saw the tears of the oppressed-and they have no comforter”
Ecc.4 Ecclesiastes is a difficult book, and there are different ways to deal with it. One way is to look at the plain meaning of the text. Often the material is a foil to what is good and to what is meaningful. The “teacher” talks about oppression, about toil, friendlessness and yes, meaninglessness, the theme throughout the book.
Vs.1-3 “I saw the tears of the oppressed…” There is oppression in every country, there are different kinds of oppressions; disease, racism, economic inadequacy, lack of infrastructure as in the third world. We can go on, in some countries there are no comforters but in most countries there those who comfort, those with compassion, those who want to help where God uses people to comfort. Thank God! But those countries and institutions that oppress, and offer no help, no compassion, you know who the are, those who are oppressed by them are better off dead, better yet, “is the one who has never been born.”
Vs.4-6 “And I saw that all toil and all achievement springs from one person’s envy of another.” The verse says “all” twice. Are all people envious? Do all achievements rise out of envy? No, very few. Toil and achievement is what God created us for. V.5 Laziness, belies the envy premise V.6 asks for restraint in gaining goods, too much is “chasing after the wind.”
Vs.7-8 expands on v.6. Obsession with gain is “a miserable business.”
Vs.9-12 “Two are better than one,” the benefits; easier labor, pick each other up, help each other, keep each other warm, and defend each other. “Pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.” “A cord of three strands is not easily broken” often quoted at weddings, but applies to all Christian families. Christ is in the mix.
Vs.13-16 Wisdom exceeds foolishness, moving from poverty to kingship he is followed not by advancement to kingship but because of his wisdom. Wisdom or foolishness, there are always those who are displeased, that is a lack of wisdom, “a chasing after the wind.” Thanks be to God!
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