James
5:1-6
This section is a powerful indictment
against those who have amassed great amounts of wealth. Some people say that
the Bible does not say that it is wrong to have a lot of riches. Yes, it does.
It says it right here. Jesus said it too.
In these verses, James says that the rich
will weep and howl and lose everything because they have hoarded wealth in the
last days. This means that they had enough money to live well and they could
have given to help people and they didn’t do it. God says that’s wrong.
One way that the rich hoard money in the
last days is through the exploitation of the worker. They do not pay a living
wage with proper health benefits so that they can have more and more for
themselves. But, God knows what they have done, and there will be a day of
reckoning. They may have lived in abundance on the earth, but their eternity
will be bleak. That is not me judging, that is the revealed word of God.
Jesus said as much. In the parable of the
rich man, the rich man had a great harvest so much so that he was going to tear
down his barns and build bigger barns. God said his soul would be required of
him. Why? He had more than enough and kept if for himself instead of helping
others.
Jesus also gave us the parable of the rich
man and Lazarus. The rich man had enough money to have purple clothing which was
enormously expensive in that day. He bought that instead of helping Lazarus.
The rich man ended up in hell.
James
5:7-12
This is an important discussion on
patience and perseverance in the midst of suffering in this world. What James
is saying to us is that there will be suffering in this world while we wait for
the promised coming of Jesus back to rule and reign in righteousness in this
world.
James gives us three examples of patient
waiting for that which we are in expectation of. First the farmer. The farmer
plants the seed in the field and then has to wait for the seed to sprout, for
the sprout to grow, and then he has to wait for the fruit or grain to ripen.
Eventually, the farmer will reap the harvest.
The second example is the prophets. They
told the people that the Messiah would come. They waited for years, and still,
they did not see it happen in their own lifetimes. However, God kept His word.
Jesus was born. He was the Promised One. The waiting of the prophets came to
fruition in Jesus.
James gives us Job as the third example.
Job really went through a vast amount of suffering. In spite of it all, he
never turned on God or cursed God. He waited for the deliverance of the Lord,
and the Lord came to the aid of Job.
We go through hard times now. Life is
suffering. However, we have the promise that Jesus is coming. We wait and work
for Him until the day we go to be with Him or He comes back to this earth.
James
5:13-15
In these verses, we are given a guideline
for praying for the sick who are members of the church body. A sick person
should ask the church leaders to come and pray for him. They are to come and
anoint the sick person with oil, and they are to pray for the recovery of the
one who is sick.
If the sick person has committed a sin,
that individual is to confess that sin and receive forgiveness. A note on this.
This passage is not saying that all sickness is caused by sin. It is saying
that we are to confess and receive forgiveness. Some sickness may be caused by
living a sinful lifestyle, but by no means is all or most sickness a result of
that.
James
5:16-18
These verses tell us about the power of
prayer. The initial context is on praying for the sick. Prayer for healing is
effective. I have seen the sick prayed for, and they recovered. I believe in
the power of prayer. God does not always answer prayers in the way we want or
expect. However, many people praying can have a great effect.
As an example, James gives us the prophet
Elijah. He was a great prophet of God. He prayed that it would not rain, and
God stopped the rain for years. When he prayed again for the rain to come, it
came back like a torrent. The fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much.
James
5:19-20
James concludes his epistle by telling us
one of the greatest things that we can do as a follower of the Lord Jesus. What
is that? It is to turn sinners from the error of their ways. The Lord gave us
the Great Commission to go and tell. When we tell others about the love and
forgiveness of the Lord we are giving them the greatest gift in the world.
Also, we are to help our fellow believers
to turn back to the Lord when they have gone astray. We don’t do this by
judging or condemning. We do that by being there for them when they need help
and encouragement finding the way that they need to be on and the path that
they need to trod.
Conclusion
This journey through James has been
exciting for me. I love this epistle and its message. I hope you will keep
studying James, and I hope that you will apply the teachings of this book to
your life.
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