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A Study of James - Lesson 14 - James 5:1-11

Chapter 5

Warnings regarding Earthly Wealth (James 5:1-6)
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.

A very common pitfall is the tendency to trust in our possessions rather than in the living God who both gives them to us, and can just as easily take them away.
When we trust in our earthly wealth, position or possessions, we often use our privileges to take advantage of those who have fewer material blessings than we possess. Especially in our modern, affluent society, people make it their life goal to acquire wealth for themselves. Because man's wisdom often exalts this goal as our primary purpose in life, we tend to neglect showing kindness and mercy to others, and instead use those less "fortunate" as stepping-stones on the path to increased material gain. We ought to use our privileges as opportunities to show mercy to those in need, and to promote the spread of the gospel.

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. – It is human nature to regard material riches as a great blessing. However, this "blessing" often becomes a curse to those who become too "comfortable" in their wealth—seeing it as a means to indulge their pleasures rather than as an opportunity to show compassion to those in need—or being obsessed with the desire to increase their wealth. Such attitudes toward wealth will bring greater judgment upon us on that great day when we shall stand before the Lord.

In our modern materialistic society, we are often blinded to the extreme evil of devoting our lives to "getting ahead", seeking "financial independence" or providing for ourselves a "good retirement". Such phrases sound harmless—even full of wisdom—to our ears, and we are quick to approve and embrace them as our life goals. However, we need to stop and consider that these seemingly desirable goals are often merely a facade for greed and covetousness. Are we too busy striving for the "good life" to devote much time or energy to the things of eternal worth? Is it really true that "Life is a game—whoever dies with the most wealth wins"? Or is it not rather the case that "You can't take it with you."? Job said it best…

Job 1:21 – He said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD."
Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. – Again, we see that the epistle of James is much like a commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, or perhaps even the "unabridged" version of the Sermon…
Matthew 6:19-20 –"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is the nature of this sin-cursed world that every material thing fades in glory and excellence. Silver tarnishes, clothes are eaten by moths, food spoils, machinery wears out, investments are consumed by economic "hard times" or by inflation, and thieves break in and steal. Those who hoard such things often find later that their fine things have turned into worthless rust or faded rags. However, this is only a token of the ultimate destruction of this material world that will occur when the Lord judges the world…
2 Peter 3:10-14 – But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless,
Worldly wealth is of fleeting value, but it can have an eternal effect—testifying to the condition of your heart, giving evidence of what you value most in life—when God brings us before His judgment seat. This is why our lives should be lived, not for the fleeting pleasures of this present world, but for the eternal blessedness of the world to come, and for the glory of the eternal God!

It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Perhaps this means that it is foolish, especially now, in the "last days"—when God's judgment day is drawing near—that you should be hoarding earthly treasure! Or, perhaps it means that the true nature of the "treasure" you have stored up will be revealed in the last days, at the final judgment, when it bears witness to your greedy and unmerciful heart.

The Amplified Bible suggests another interpretation… You have heaped together treasure for the last days.

In this case, it would probably mean that you have heaped up treasure for your "retirement years", not considering that you may not live long enough to enjoy your treasure, and, in any case, your life will one day come to an end, and then your earthly treasure will no longer be able to provide you with any comfort or protection.
Or, perhaps the "treasure" he has in mind is the wrath of God that men treasure up through their stubborn unrepentance…

Romans 2:5 – But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. When we devote our lives to obtaining wealth, we often find ourselves engaging in dishonesty or unjust treatment of others. Our compassion toward others is often fettered by our selfish greed.

Notice that James cites two witnesses that will testify against the man who selfishly holds back the wages of his laborers: Not only do the laborers cry out in complaint against him, but the withheld wages also "cry out". We should remember that scripture requires "two or three witnesses" who agree in their testimony, in order to convict a person of a crime…

Deuteronomy 19:15 – A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed.
When you stop to think about it, every sin is multifaceted, and usually involves a number of sins. Sin is any lack of conformity to the law of God. In other words, sin involves putting something out of its proper place. When a man steals a piece of jewelry, the jewelry is missing from its proper place, and is present in the wrong place. You can tell the crime has been committed, either by seeing that the jewelry is missing from where it ought to be, or else by finding it in the possession of someone who has no right to it.

So it is with the laborer who has been defrauded of his wages—his rightful wages wind up in your bank account, and so both he and his lost wages will testify against you. We need to be acutely aware of God's coming judgment, realizing that every act we do will serve as a testimony either to our salvation, or to our lost condition.

reached the ears of the Lord of SabaothLord of Sabaoth means "Lord of hosts". It depicts our Sovereign God as a King who leads a great army, and who can easily defeat all His enemies. Do you dare oppose God and make yourself His enemy? Like the blue-coated cavalry of old, riding swiftly to the defense of a beleaguered pioneer family under attack by Indians, God will rescue those who cry out for the injustice done to them. How do you suppose you will fare when Omnipotent Justice rises up in fierce vengeance against you?

You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. We must avoid the tendency to use our wealth to live as prodigals—seeking merely to satisfy our fleshly appetites. Such behavior is like the Thanksgiving turkey that gorges himself, not realizing that his greedy indulgence is simply making him more desirable for the dinner table. In the same way, as we gratify our sinful greed, each passing day "fattens" us up and makes us more fit for judgment.

You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you. When you take unfair advantage of those over whom you have power, you are like an unjust judge who condemns and sentences and innocent man. You deprive him of his livelihood just as surely as a judge can sentence a man to prison or to death. In certain extreme cases, you may be depriving him of the income he requires to provide his family with basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter.

By calling him a "righteous man" and affirming that "he does not resist you", James teaches us that the man has done nothing to deserve the treatment he has received from your hand. Truly, it is an act of great injustice when we deprive the worker of his wages—especially when he has been faithful in carrying out his duties, and has harbored no ill-will toward us, and does not even resist when we mistreat him by withholding his wages from him.


Patient Endurance in Godliness (James 5:7-11)
Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not complain, brethren, against one another, that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

In these verses, James sums up his teaching by urging us on to patient perseverance in good works. He likens the Christian to a farmer who patiently tends his crops until the harvest. He cites the example of Job, who was faithful through good times and bad, enduring great suffering, receiving a double measure of God's blessings in the end.

Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. The farmer gives us a good example of patient perseverance. He knows what he must do, and that the outcome at harvest time depends in great measure on his faithfulness in the meantime. He cannot hurry the process, but must wait patiently for nature to run its course. Yet, he knows how long it takes, so he does not become discouraged or give up, just because the harvest does not come as soon as he might wish. He succeeds simply because he has a proper sense of priorities and expectations, and because he knows what is required for crops to bear abundantly at harvest time.

The Christian, likewise, needs to be motivated by the "harvest" of God's approval, and of the rewards God will give to those who are faithful to Him. He needs to recognize the connection that his present obedience has to his future rewards. He needs to have the proper expectations as to what may be expected of him, and for how long, and when he will receive his rewards. Then, like the farmer, he can expect a bountiful crop if he remains faithful.

You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Just as the farmer patiently seeks to "strengthen" the crops he has planted, we should seek to strengthen our hearts—becoming strong in faith, obedience and endurance, looking to the time of harvest—"the coming of the Lord"—which is "at hand". The "sap" that makes our hearts vigorous and strong is the love—for God, and for man—that the Holy Spirit creates and energizes within in us. This love is nurtured and increases through Bible study, prayer, confession, worship, evangelism, faithful giving and godly living—the "means of grace" that God has given to us.

Do not complain, brethren, against one another, that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. Complaints betray our impatience and dissatisfaction with things as they presently are. Rather than submitting to God's sovereign Providence in our lives, we often complain against our brothers when things do not go well for us. Remember how the Israelites constantly complained against Moses for bringing them into the wilderness! Instead, we should learn the blessedness of godly contentment.

As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. If anyone displayed patience in the midst of suffering, it had to be the prophets. Think of how Jeremiah was called to prophesy judgment and suffering upon his countrymen, and how they persecuted him for it! Think of how isolated and persecuted Elijah felt (Romans 11:3; 1 Kings 18:13). We should never suppose that our case is worse than theirs, but should instead be encouraged by their faithful patience.

Behold, we count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful. Isn't it true that we regard the prophets "blessed"—in spite of the fact that they were so persecuted throughout their lives? If we wish to share in their blessing, let us follow their example of patient obedience. Job suffered in every earthly way imaginable, yet remained faithful through it all. When you think you have it bad, think about Job. Remember in particular how much God blessed Job in the end, and let this inspire your hope!
 
 
 

Application
1.  Recognize the dangers of loving or trusting earthly treasures. Beware of the demonic wisdom that would have us believe that our primary purpose in life is to acquire wealth.
2.  Do not be enamored with earthly treasures. Remember that such treasures are soon destroyed by moth, rust or thieves, and that death will soon part them from us. Seek instead heavenly treasure that will last for eternity.
3.  If your wealth was obtained (or maintained) by fraud, deceit or injustice, then do not rejoice in your wealth, but mourn over it, for it will testify against you on the day of judgment. 
4.  Do not live in this world to satisfy your own pleasures. Use your wealth to help those in need, and to spread the gospel of Christ. Like the missionaries who leave the comforts of home, be willing to suffer deprivation for the cause of Christ.
5.  Live your lives in patient obedience. Remember the farmer who patiently tends his crops, looking for the harvest. Have the proper expectations so that you will not become discouraged.
6.  Avoid complaining against God or against others. Recognize God's sovereign hand of providence in all of life—including the uncomfortable times—and learn to be content.
7.  Remember the example of the prophets and Job, who patiently obeyed even during times of extreme suffering—and follow their example. Be encouraged by the outcome of Job's patience, knowing that our merciful Lord is full of compassion.

 
  
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