Next, the Teacher turns his attention to understand the way of the oppressor (Ecclesiastes 4:7), who takes unfair advantage of the labor of others (Ecclesiastes 4:4). The oppressor is as a man without a second or helper (Ecclesiastes 4:8). He is like a king who will not be corrected (Ecclesiastes 4:13). He lives as though he had no heir, neither son nor brother, because his labor is to amass wealth for wealth’s own sake. He even deprives himself of the joy success should bring a man. Instead of enjoying the work of his hands, he labors as though he would be the first in a dynasty. He is so attached to the idea of wealth that he cannot bear to part with it. The idea of possessing it is addictive, even at the expense of enjoying family and friends. He will not be deterred even for his own joy’s sake, which is to enjoy the fulfillment of his own labor. Instead, he lives as a man possessed by an idea. He is as much a slave to it, as he would desire to make any man he oppresses.
Thus, we see what the Teacher understands as the Lord’s judgment upon the wicked (Ecclesiastes 3:17; cp. 4:7-8). While it seems their wickedness goes unchecked, because they are permitted to continue to amass such great wealth at the expense of the common laborer, the fact of the matter is: a good reward for one’s labor is the joy the Lord gives (Ecclesiastes 3:13). If the man has no joy in the work he does, he has no peace, no contentment in his life, no satisfaction that he has done good or that his labor has any purpose (Ecclesiastes 5:10-11). Therefore, the Lord shows himself to be the advocate of the righteous under oppression (cp. Ecclesiastes 4:1). Nevertheless, how is the punishment of the wicked justice for the righteous (cp. Ecclesiastes 3:17)? Where is the tangible benefit for the oppressed? I believe that kind of reward comes out of the Lord’s judgment in favor of the cooperative effort of the righteous to stand against their oppressor (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).
We need to keep in mind that the Teacher isn’t giving us a list of do’s and don’ts, or a kind of glossary of good and wrong paths to take in life. Rather, he continues to speak of the same things, always coming back to the general theme of his thesis, the unprofitability of life (Ecclesiastes 1:3). In other words, we come into the world naked, and when we leave, we are unable to carry anything away (Ecclesiastes 5:15). Currently, the Teacher is involved in unveiling to his reader how the Lord judges both the wicked and the righteous (Ecclesiastes 3:17). Instead of simply restoring to the common folk what the oppressor has taken away, he wants the people to labor to take back what was taken from them. The covenant between God and man was a covenant of law. Folks break the law, when they oppress their brethren, and they need to be confronted by the righteous. Oppression needs to be exposed for the wickedness it is.
When Christ came to replace the Old Covenant with the New, it was required that folks who believed Christ stand up and confront unbelievers, telling them what the Lord demanded of mankind. He sent his disciples out, saying wherever two or three are gathered in my name, **there** I am among them (Matthew 18:20). It is not a matter of whether the wicked repent; they probably won’t (Isaiah 26:10). What matters is that folks believe God and demonstrate their faith by confronting the unrighteous. Will persecution increase? Probably, success will come through pain; it certainly did when Jesus sent out those who trusted him in the first century AD, but he was with them in the things they did (Matthew 28:19-20).
Therefore, according to the text, when two stand against the oppressor, harm may come, but truth will eventually prosper. If the one slips, the second would be there to help him (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10; cp. Proverbs 28:4). There is warmth and comfort between folks, when they work together against evil (Ecclesiastes 4:11). Nevertheless, who will help the oppressor who stands alone, without God (cp. Ecclesiastes 4:8)? Where would he find comfort, when trouble strikes (Ecclesiastes 4:11)? So, even the slightest success of the laborer against his oppressor would attract the attention and the help of a third (Ecclesiastes 4:12; Proverbs 14:28) and more etc.
Therefore, at the end of the day. it is better to be poor and wise, than to be a fool who reigns as supreme and is unable to change (Ecclesiastes 4:13). Eventually, there would be a wise ‘second’ to reign in his stead, arising out of the prison of oppression (Ecclesiastes 4:14-15; cp. Genesis 39:21-22; 41:14-15; 44-45). Nevertheless, although such a one may enjoy the initial popularity of the masses, neither his effort nor his memory will endure (cp. Genesis 40:23; Exodus 1:8). Therefore, when placed within the context of the vast scheme of the cycles of life (Ecclesiastes 3:1-9), it makes no difference whether wickedness or righteousness reign. Neither is able to endure the test of time, both will fail to accomplish its ends, and both will prove to be unprofitable, because neither is able to endure forever (Ecclesiastes 4:16).
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