5 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.
- Verses 1-6 are a heavy reminder that people are more important than pennies. That we are to focus more on building our faith, than our finances. It is important to remember that the Bible does not discourage wise planning, but does denounce selfish, greedy living as we discuss these verses.
- “rich” – This is more a general warning to the wealthy in James’ society, not necessarily (and we pray not) wealthy believers. These men were probably also mentioned in James 2:6-7. Apparently wealthy landowners were using their position in society to take advantage of those who depended upon them for their livelihood. Instead of being a source of blessing to others, they were using their position for selfish means.
- “weep and howl” – represents the emotional outburst of those who ignore God’s demands and are overwhelmed when they recognize what they will lose and suffer at God’s final judgment. The same Greek verb appears in 4:9, calling sinful believers to repentance. Here the rich are not called to repent. Too late for that. They must cry out in fear and pain in view of the end. – Thomas D. Lea, Hebrews, James, vol. 10, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 340.
- “miseries” – Literally, “difficult times.” The difficult times they were causing others would come to visit them.
- “that are coming upon you” –It is Pay Day Someday. The justice of God ensures it.
- If you have ever been wronged, remember, vengeance is the Lord’s. The justice of God ensures it. Faithfully follow and pray.
- If you have ever wronged someone, remember, vengeance is the Lord’s. The justice of God ensures it. Seek forgiveness and cling to grace.
2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten.
- Wealth took 3 primary forms in the ancient world: food, clothing, and precious metal.
- Their food ROTS.
- Their clothing is EATEN.
- Their precious metals are CONTAMINATED.
3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.
- “you have laid up treasure” – Their lives indicate that their trust was in themselves
- “last days” – This may refer to: 1) the final days of their lives, or 2) the final days when they face eternal judgment.
4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
- The OT demands that wages for laborers were to be paid daily. They depended upon them for daily provision.
5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
- Just as a cow is allowed to gorge themselves, not knowing their impending future, so too, the rich man in this instance has made himself fat with the consequences of being unloving and greedy.
6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.
- “He does not resist you” – The rich man James addresses, by his selfish greed, demonstrated his independence and trust in self. The poor man, by his lack of retaliation, demonstrates a faith in God and a dependence upon God to provide.
7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.
- “patient” -Meaning: Be patient in the midst of difficulty.
- APP: From. 7-11, Patience in difficulty means that i should…
- Never give up v8
- Complain less 9
- Live without retaliation v9
- Trust God is at work v10,11
- “brothers” – In contrast to the rich addressed above, James now turns his attention to believers. These are mostlikely those experiencing the mistreatment and persecution mention in verses 1-6.
- “See how the farmer” – an illustration of trust and patience.
8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
- “Establish your hearts” – Meaning to “make stronger” or “more firm.”
- “hearts” -referring to one’s thoughts or will. Here referring to mental fortitude and resolve.
- “is at hand” – The truth of Jesus’ impending return should be a great encouragement for us to persevere in our faith.
9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.
- “grumble” – Meaning excessive or intense complaining.
10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
- another illustration of patience.
11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
“the purpose of the Lord” – Just as we can look back upon the life of Job and say, “Ah. I see it. God was doing something here.” We too have the assurance that God has and is working out His purpose in our lives as well.
12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.
- APP: God’s name is too wonderful to use in a flippant way.
- “by heaven or by earth” – “If a person swore by the name of God, his oath was binding. If he swore by another object such as heaven or earth, his oath was not binding. Jesus condemned such false actions. He wanted the words of his followers to be so patently honest that they needed no additional confirmation.” – Thomas D. Lea, Hebrews, James, vol. 10, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 346.
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.
- These verses tells us that no matter the phase of life we find ourselves in, we should always reflect it back to God. Are you in a time of difficulty? Pray and ask God to work. Is life going well? Praise God for it. Are you ill? Ask others to pray for you.
- “Let him pray” – Opposed to giving up and complaining, the believer should face hardship with faith.
14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
- “sick” – The word means to be weak or incapacitated, thus it isn’t limited to physical illness, and can include anything physical, mental, spiritual. This can be seen in the context which follows.
- “anointing him with oil” – most likely a reference to olive oil. There is no healing property within the oil itself, but this process was to remind the elders to pray fervently and remind the ill that they we’re, in fact, covered in prayer by the church leadership.
15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
- “sick” – literally worn out or wasted away.
- “raise him up” – to restore health and or energy.
- “sins” – The broader understanding of “sick” in verse 14 allows for better contextual flow. The individual receiving prayer may be spiritually incapacitated because of sin. It is not necessarily because the person has sinned that they are experiencing physical sickness. That being said, it may indeed be the case, that sin may have resulted in physical sickness.
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
- “confess” – Meaning to agree with or “call it what it is“.
- “to one another” – Notice it says “to one another” not “everybody”.
- circle of offense
- gossip
- “prayer of a righteous person” – We learn two features of effective prayer in this verse. First, prayer must come from righteous people. A person must have a living faith shown by an obedient life. Second, effective prayer must have energy or persistence. Effective prayer comes from the heart of a believer whose passion is to see the will of God worked out in life.
17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.
18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back,
- James concludes his epistle with one of the greatest purposes of the church. We are to help each other walk in persevering, genuine faith.
- “wanders” –A serious error or spiritual lapse
- doctrinally
- morally
20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
- “save his soul” – THEO: Those who claim the title Christian, but walk in continual disobedience and sin prove by their actions that their claim is false. Eternal life, once given, can never be returned.
- “multitude of sins” – When someone is returned to faith
- Much sin is forgiven
- Much sin is avoided
Further discussion:
How does excessive grumbling interfere with our ability to persevere and have hope? What does it reveal about ourselves?
What is it exactly about sin that makes it so difficult to confess to one another?
How do we employ verses 19-20 in our lives?