Sunday Scripture

 

 I'm continuing to share from the Made for Community reading plan from Love God Greatly that I worked on back in 2015.  With this study, as I have often done, I used the SOAP method of Bible study.  Just a quick reminder that the S is for Scripture, O is for Observation, A is for Application and P is for Prayer.  As you will see, I went a bit more in-depth with this study. 

The second section is Made for Community with People.  So here we go with the Scripture for the third day of that section. 

S= "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor; 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."  (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)

O= The Open Bible gives some cross-references here, where my usual Bible of choice, the 1967 Scofield Study Bible,  did not list any.  For the phrase "Two are better than one", the cross-reference is Exodus 17:12 -- "But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him; and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun."

I would observe, too, that two are better than one because two people, working together on the same project, can very often accomplish a great deal more and do a better job than people working individually.

For the phrase "but woe to him that is alone when he falleth", a cross-reference of 2 Chronicles 28:15 is given.  This passage speaks of an incident when the king of Israel invaded Judah and took a great many captives.  This displeased the Lord greatly, and His prophet Oded urged the return of the captives, "for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you." Verse 15 details how the captives were clothed, fed, given medical treatment, and the feeble carried upon donkeys to return to their homeland.

For the phrase "he hath not another to help him up", a cross-reference of Psalm 31:11 is given: "I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbors, and a fear to mine acquaintance; they that did see me without fled from me."

{As I considered each of these cross-references, I felt that in retrospect I may have preferred Scofield's approach of not listing any for this passage.  The ones listed in The Open Bible seemed a bit of a stretch, but that might just be me.}

A= Even though we all need alone time and solitude, God did not create us to be solitary beings.  He said it was not good for man to be alone.  He puts believers into His redeemed family.  The local church is His idea.  He tells us to dwell together in unity.  Those are only a few thoughts that come to mind right away, but they are enough to confirm in my mind that God doesn't intend us to be solitary.

These verses present some excellent reasons why community is so important.  Two are definitely better than one.  Very few tasks have to be done only by one person.  Some, perhaps, do have to be done alone, but in those cases, others can lift that person up in prayer.  It's important too to have friends who will lift you up and put you back on the right path when you lag behind spiritually or backslide.  Going in your own solitary way is not recommended in the Christian life; accountability is.

P= "Lord, I thank You so much that You created us to be social beings -- that You planned for us to live in community with You and others.  I'm thankful that Your intent for us is to exhort, edify, and encourage one another and that we have the privilege and responsibility of praying for one another.  Help me to be faithful in carrying out these responsibilities with my church family and with my friends.  Lord, You know that I have friends who are just going their own way.  Show them the need for change, I pray.  I thank You for all You will do, in Jesus' name, Amen."

That's the study for this week!  Hope you found it a blessing.