12 “ And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken”.
This is an equation to illustrate strength in numbers, once again establishing that there is no premium in being a loner. If an enemy comes against you then get an ally and you two together will withstand him and if you add one more by mere force of strength you will stand a much better chance at prevailing.
This too is a famous marital verse often quoted by ministers as justification for the benefits of marriage where each member will draw off the strength of the other because two are better than one. However, it further exhorts that the two of them together is not enough; it is the threefold cord that is strongest. The third cord is Christ, honor Him in your home and you will certainly prevail against your adversaries.
Another critical point is that husband and wife need to be pulling in the same direction; if any kingdom is divided against itself it cannot stand. If one spouse is pulling towards the world and the other is pulling towards Christ then all your best the efforts are thwarted. Cry out to God to deal with both partners so there may be unity in the home. As has been pointed out before we can learn a lesson from the triangle, with Christ as the head or the pinnacle of the triangle when the two are drawing closer to Him they are drawing closer to each other, make Christ the head and press into Him.
13 “Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished”.
Solomon could well be talking about himself here, he has fallen a great way since the days of his writings in the Song of Solomon and has violated most of his teachings in Proverbs. He has become foolish even in his wisdom because he knows what is right but lacks the power to perform it "...who will no more be admonished." This is one who will no longer be corrected; this is a condition common to the ones who once walked in the light but now have turned aside.
Paul talks about a state that one can slip into if they are not careful; it is the state of being a "Castaway" (1 Cor 9:27). A castaway, by scriptural definition, is one found "unworthy" or "rejected”. The heartbreaking reality is that many believers will turn aside because they have not guarded their hearts. It is horrible when one comes to the place where they will no longer be admonished by good counsel; one who does not guard their heart diligently keeping their loves in check will certainly go down that path. I implore you dear reader please keep your loves in check, one may do well for a while but eventually these things catch up with everyone and God steers everyone to what they really love and long for. If it is not the right things in the end it can be devastating, let’s determine in our lives it will be Christ that we long for.
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