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Alan Jackson came out with a song in 1994 titled “Livin’ on Love.” The chorus to that song goes like this:

Livin’ on love, buyin’ on time
Without somebody nothing ain’t worth a dime
Just like an old fashion story book rhyme
Livin’ on love
It sounds simple, that’s what you’re thinkin’
But love can walk through fire without blinkin’
It doesn’t take much when you get enough
Livin’ on love

Think of that line: “Without somebody nothing ain’t worth a dime” (the message, not the grammar). Friendships. I had a best friend in junior high school named Daren King. He aggravated me more than anyone else but we were also close. We were only friends for a few years before my dad was hired to preach in a different state. I lost contact with him until I was able to visit the area, speaking at the homecoming in the congregation where I was baptized at ten years old. By that time, Daren had earned his PhD in applied mathematics from UGA and was teaching at the high school close to where we worshipped.

Friendships can make life meaningful. In Ecclesiastes 4, Solomon writes about interpersonal relationships. He begins by acknowledging the fact that there is a lot of oppression in the world. That word is found three times, in some form, in verses 1-3. In verse 4, Solomon acknowledges there is “rivalry” in the world.

But then Solomon writes that with a “dependent, son or brother,” there is no pleasure in his labor. “This too is vanity and it is a grievous task” (vs 8).

So, Solomon meditates on the value of friendships: “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.”

In Solomon’s mind, having a companion is better than being alone because there is greater: profit, support, emotional assistance, and protection. Just like a three-fold strand is not quickly broken, an individual who has a friend can withstand much of the negativity life throws at us.

Finally, in Solomon’s chapter on interpersonal relationships, he gives a little parable contrasting a lad and a king. The lad is “wise” and is better than the king who is “foolish,” the difference being that the lad knows “how to receive instruction” (vs 13).

Not only can life be more meaningful for us if we have friends but Solomon also shows us how to be a friend to others. That is, we should work at providing for others through increasing their productivity, supporting them when they need it, giving them emotional assistance when it is required, and protecting them from harm.

In Jackson’s words, “Without somebody nothing ain’t worth a dime.”

Paul Holland