Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close to one another can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. [Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NLT)]
When I first read this section of Ecclesiastes, I thought it applied beautifully to marriage. But then I got to the words, “Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” How could that relate to marriage? Was Solomon advocating a ménage a trois or bigamy? Personally, if there is supposed to be a third person in my marriage, I’m voting for a maid. It seemed to me that Solomon was simply talking about the importance of friendship and having the support of other people in our lives. Indeed, we certainly need to have friends; we’re not meant to be alone.
As I pondered that third strand, however, I found it can apply to marriage. Could that third strand be God? Certainly, with God in a marriage (or any relationship), there is a triple-braided cord: a cord that “is not easily broken.” Every marriage needs three parties to be successful: husband, wife, and God. It takes only two to be wed, but it takes three to make a strong marriage, one that will not be easily broken.
Devotions of the Heart 