OUTLINE - James Chapter 5
5:1-6 – Rich vs. Poor
5:7-8 - Poor vs. Rich
5:9-11 – Be patient
5:12 - No Oaths
5:13-15 - Pray for the sick
5:16-18 – Pray for one another
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The basic sin described in this paragraph is greed. The previous passage (4:12-17) seemed to be aimed at the merchant class, or businessmen. This passage is addressed to the landowner class. James is speaking in these two paragraphs (4:12-17 and 5:1-6) to relatively wealthy people. Some commentaries indicated this part of the epistle was not written to believers. That doesn’t make sense since the epistle was addressed to believers (as were all the epistles). There is nothing essentially evil about money.
Big Idea: Wealth is worthless in the face of judgement, esp., wealth gained at the expense of the poor.
It would be real easy to conclude that being rich is a sin and Christians should avoid being rich! I do not think that is what is being taught here. If we look back through scripture, we see several people who were rich. Note that Abraham was quite wealthy, as was Barnabas in the NT. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus may have been wealthy, and there were several wealthy disciples that support Paul in his missionary journeys. We are warned “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.” (1 Tim 6:9-11) (See Note 1)
The problem is not that you own riches, but that the riches own you. Christianity is to be lived in complete dependence on the Lord. This is not a screed against wealth. James is rebuking those people most likely to live independent from God - the rich. Riches can present an additional and significant obstacle the kingdom of God. (See: “ And Jesus said to his disciples, Truly I say to you, It is hard for a man with much money to go into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, It is simpler for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a man with much money to go into the kingdom of God.” Matt 19:23-24).
Wallowing in wealth is wicked. See the woe: Luke 6:24. “But unhappy are you who have wealth: for you have been comforted now.”
James 5:1-6 - Rich People! Wake Up!
1 And now, you rich people, listen to me! Weep and wail over the miseries that are coming upon you!
2 Your riches have rotted away, and your clothes have been eaten by moths.
3 Your gold and silver are covered with rust, and this rust will be a witness against you and will eat up your flesh like fire. You have piled up riches in these last days.
4 You have not paid any wages to those who work in your fields. Listen to their complaints! The cries of those who gather in your crops have reached the ears of God, the Lord Almighty.
5 Your life here on earth has been full of luxury and pleasure. You have made yourselves fat for the day of slaughter
6 You have condemned and murdered innocent people, and they do not resist you. (GNB)
V. 1 - “And now, you rich people, listen to me! Weep and wail over the miseries that are coming upon you!”
“rich people, listen to me!” - There is a great gulf between the rich and poor. We in the United States probably do not understand how blessed we are. I just saw a speech to a college class. The speaker was addressing ‘global warming’, and was making the point that the majority of humans do not care about ‘global warming’. We might wonder how can this be! He made the point that most people on the planet are so poor that staying alive took all of their attention and effort. One of his points: the majority of people do not have indoor plumbing; some don’t have an outhouse either! Are those people are worried about whether the oceans may rise 6”? Who worries about the fate of spotted owls when every waking moment is spent desperately seeking food in order to survive?
That is part of the point being made by James. The rich are focused on riches, with no concern about the needs and desperate situation of the rest of people around them. The poor lived day-to-day, scraping together enough to make it until tomorrow when they would scrape again to meet their needs. Most people did not have multiple sets of clothing - they had enough to cover their backs, period. (Note God warns creditors who take a debtors outer garment as payment for a debt, that the garment had to be given back each evening so the debtor will not freeze at night. Deut 24:12ff).
So whatever concerns a rich man may have, those concerns pale compared to people around them.
“Weep and wail over the miseries that are coming upon you!” - The hyperbole in these six verses is there to grab your attention. You may react with, “Oh. Come on, it can’t be that bad.” Of course nothing James says here applies to us…
The heated language, the stark images, grab you and lead you to consider that your actions may be harmful to others, even though you haven’t sought to harm them. Unintentional sin harms in the same way that being deliberately disobedient harms. God knows that we sin, and has provided salvation from those sins. He also knows we may reject His teachings and instruction, turning our back upon Him and His laws, indicating that we believe His laws do not apply to us. The forgiveness provided by Jesus does not mean we won’t suffer some consequences both here on earth and when we face the Judgment Seat of Christ when He returns.
There will be consequences. The weeping and wailing may come when our actions towards those in need are compared, and we see what we should have done! Then it is noted that our names are in the Lamb’s Book of Life - we are eternally with the Lord! No more weeping and wailing, because bore the penalty for those sins also. He has taken our punishment upon Himself.
We are told in Revelation there will be no weeping and wailing in heaven when all is completed. (See Note 2, below) But there is a lot of weeping, worrying, and crying by those people who have placed their hopes in their money, their businesses, their wheeling and dealing. They stand far off and wail at what is happening (See: Rev 17-19).
If we compare verse 4:9 to v. 5:1, we see James encouraging self-imposed moderation and concern for the poor, leading to repentance; versus the fear and trembling caused by the horror of judgement for those who reject Christ. No Christian should ever have the fear of judgment because of the way they have failed to live for Christ. Our lives are changed by the Holy Spirit to follow and obey Jesus’ teachings. The “miseries” are the realizations that come from looking realistically at the Day of Judgment.
V. 2 - “Your riches have rotted away, and your clothes have been eaten by moths.” -
Here James posits some of the miseries that will come. What is your greatest fear as a rich person? All your riches are gone. You have nothing to live on. You have no home. Think about the dire warning for those thinking of retiring: have enough put away so you can be independent for as long as you live. You don’t want to run out of retirement funds. Think of the huge business that investment companies and the massive government bureaucracy that supports Social Security (there it is: Security).
Our clothes are part of the costume we assume when we live. What you wear, what you drive, and your home (or homes) all are signs of your ‘wealth’. Watch some TV programs located in early 1900’s, say in London - it is easy to tell if a person is of ‘substance’ with riches and power or is a ‘working stiff’. If a guy steps out of a fancy luxury car, wearing an expensive suit, you immediately form a judgment about his wealth. Certain home addresses are prestigious - signs to us of riches and power (note: you know you can’t afford to live there). The following are verses about clothing and riches: Gen 45:22; Josh 7:21; Jdg 14:12; 2 Kings 5:5; Acts 20:33.
V. 3 - “Your gold and silver are covered with rust, and this rust will be a witness against you and will eat up your flesh like fire. You have piled up riches in these last days.”
“Your gold and silver are covered with rust ” - More hyperbole from James! The picture here is wealth will not get you out of judgement. You cannot buy your way out now. You definitely will not after you die. Your riches are worthless, it will lay there gathering dust and rust but you will still be lost. Rust is a symbol of disuse, and an indication of destruction.
“In a these last days” - James reminded them of their inappropriate efforts to accumulate treasures. They are focusing on ‘getting enough’ without paying attention to what is truly important - their relationship with Jesus.
Although this letter is written to a specific group of people. It’s warning should not be lost on us. We must re-examine our focus and efforts. Are we working to accumulate wealth? Are we using our talents and finances to further God’s work here and around. us?Although this letter is written to a specific group of people. It’s warning should not be lost on us. We must re-examine our focus and efforts. Are we working to accumulate wealth? Are we using our talents and finances to further God’s work here and around. us?
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V. 4 - “You have not paid any wages to those who work in your fields. Listen to their complaints! The cries of those who gather in your crops have reached the ears of God, the Lord Almighty.”
“You have not paid any wages to those who work in your fields” - James is saying the rich in this case are being unjust in dealing with the workers they employ. Did the rich get their wealth by cheating? This does not mean that all rich people cheat those working for them.
“The cries of those who gather in your crops have reached the ears of God, the Lord Almighty” - God gives instructions to the Israelites (See: Lev 19:13; Deut 24:14-15) regarding the payment of wages earned. Note the wages were to be paid to hired workers at the end of each day’s labor (See: Mat 20:8). If they weren’t paid, it was like cheating them, because they may need that money to live on. These people were day laborers, not slaves.
V. 5 - “Your life here on earth has been full of luxury and pleasure. You have made yourselves fat for the day of slaughter"
“Your life here on earth has been full of luxury and pleasure.” - The lifestyle of the ‘rich and famous’ is so vastly different than the day laborer. There is no worrying about if you will eat today, or if you will have a bed to sleep in tonight. For a dose of reality, the lifestyle of the average U. S. American citizen is vastly different than most people in the world (note: “most people” do not live in England or Europe - most of those are not in the ‘lap of luxury’. But we in western countries have indoor plumbing; we can go to stores with food on the shelves, we are not required to walk everywhere, we live in heated homes, or with air conditioning).
“Made yourselves fat for the day of slaughter” - The rich live only for themselves, having indulged selves up to the limit. They have taken no notice of the plight of the poor all around them.
V. 6 - “You have condemned and murdered innocent people, and they do not resist you” -
Basically, James is referring to the rich who have used their wealth to oppress the less fortunate. The poor do no resist. What can they do, since what has been done appears to be legal. Some societies had ‘debtor prisons’, or ‘poor houses’, in order to beat it out of you, force your wife, or relatives to come up with the payment. (Does this make any sense: throwing someone in ‘jail’ until they cough up the cash?)
In some ways we might consider that James is reminding these believers the way they used to live that is before they accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. There are consequences that come from the way we live. Eternally, those costs have been paid by Jesus’ death on the cross. His sacrifice was fully accepted by God, as evidenced in Jesus’ resurrection and glorification! But, while we are here on earth, we (the rich) may be reviled, even persecuted for having too much stuff.
Conclusion: James has exposed some of the sins related to wealth (as if we didn’t know them already):
- Covetousness, (vs. 2-3) - we want what they have, and will do anything to get it;
- Oppression, (v. 4) - we want to keep what we have, and will harm others to keep it;
- Sensuality and voluptuousness, (v. 5) - Luxury makes people wanton (See Hos. 13:6 - “When I gave them food they were full, and their hearts were full of pride, and they did not keep me in mind.”), we like what we have, and want more of it;
- Persecution, (v.6) - going after others to keep them from having what we have.
James also helps us see some of the problems caused by amassing wealth, and can be seenalso in the following scriptures: The worries of the world intrude (Mt 13:22; Mk 4:19): we can become self-satisfied; and not rich toward God (Lk 18:14, 12:21);and, the rich are tempted by riches, and can desire more than is needed to live on (1Tim 6:9). This is a small list, but it gets us thinking…
Which brings us to the question: Is it a sin to be wealthy? Most definitely not (note the previous comment that several Biblical saints were very wealthy). God reminded the Jews, that their riches are from God, to confirm the covenant (Deut 8:17-18); that God provides all you need, working hard adds nothing (Pro 10:22); and He provides a warning - Woe! To those who have gained by cheating (Isa 10:1-4).
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In summary, here are some examples of James uses and warnings about being rich:
Jam. 1:10-11 - The riches you have now are not permanent, “You can’t take it with you.”
Jam. 2:3-6 - Showing favor to the rich over all others.
Jam. 5:1-6 - Depending on your riches will fail when you face judgement day.
Note 1: Guy H. King; “A Belief That Behaves”; etc.
Note 2: We are also told in Revelation, that believers will face Christ and receive 'rewards' based on our living for Christ here on earth. Some will receive crowns; others will get in by the skin of their teeth.
Historical Background: I believe that each family of each tribe received a plot of land on which to grow crops and animals (See Lev.-Joshua). A large family received a larger plot than an small family. If a family had to sell their plot due to financial stress, the sale was not permanent - the property returned to the family on the Sabbath Year. There may have been instances when a family tragedy wiped them all out, in which case the ‘new owner’ would have no one to whom to return the land. It is also likely that hugger-mugger was afoot at times, and families would be cheated out of land, enriching the cheater. If you had more land than needed to feed your family, you could make money selling your crops and herds to those in need. If you owed money you could not pay, then you could go to work for that person to pay your debt. The property was ‘his’ until the debt was paid; the property reverted back to you when the debt was cancelled.
(Note: There was an instance of some women who were single (unmarried or widowed). They and their plot were assigned to tribe member (not family, but tribe) until such time as the women bore a male child. The plot was then assigned to that male child so as to retain the plot in the family (See Lev/Deut).
