Creatures of Community

God never intended for us to be isolated individuals; we were created for community. In the beginning, we were made by God to be like God so that we could have fellowship and communion with God. Shortly after the beginning, God saw that it was no good for man to be alone, so He created woman and blessed them to be together forever, becoming one flesh and filling the earth with others like them, who would in turn be like Him. We were made to be together, and yet the malady of our day is loneliness.

Solomon had something to say about isolation and community in Proverbs 18.

A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire;

he rages against all wise judgment. (v. 1)

It is not good for man to be alone. First of all, if we are only listening to ourselves, we develop a very narrow perspective on life and the pursuits of living. Our worldview is as small the sphere that is our world. If we don't hear other voices, we may never know that some with gifts and talents different from our own may have something beneficial to contribute to our lives. If we don't share our heart in community, we may never discover that some of our ideas aren't so good, or that some of our actions would best be left undone. We need the perspective of community, but one who remains individualistic and isolationist seeks only his own good and rages against any wisdom except his own.

He who finds a wife finds a good thing,

and obtains favor from the Lord. (v. 22)

It is not good for man to be alone. God made woman to be the comparable and equal partner to man in all things. Woman and man, they complement each other, they fit together, they two can become one in body, mind, soul and strength, one in heart. So when a man finds the woman who wants to be his comparable and equal partner in all things, when he allows his wife be his comparable and equal partner in all things, he obtains the favor and blessings of the Lord. It's not about each man finding just any woman, it's about the right man finding the right woman, and thereby finding God's favor.

A man who has friends must himself be friendly,

but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (v. 24)

It is not good for man to be alone. But if someone wants companions and fellowship, they must first be companionable. If someone wants friends, they must themselves be friendly. When we isolate ourselves and concentrate on feelings of loneliness, our tendency is often to withdraw ever further from community, draw even further away from other people. Instead, God wants us to make an effort toward other people. And in spite of the old adage "blood is thicker than water", there is nothing better in this world than a friend on whom you can depend!

We are creatures of community, and that's how God wants us to be.