James Chapter Five
Commentary by
Pastor
Timothy H. Burdick
Verse 1. "Come now, you rich,
weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.”
Verse 2. "Your riches have rotted and your garments have become
moth-eaten.”
Verse 3. "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!”
Verse 4. "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
Sabbath.”
Verse 5. "You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of
wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.”
Verse 6. "You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does
not resist you.”
Exhortation
Verse 7. "Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord
The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient
about it, until it gets the early and late rains.”
Verse 8. "You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of
the Lord is near.”
Verse 9. "Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you
yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the
door.”
Verse 10. "As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the
prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.”
Verse 11. "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.”
Verse 12. "But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or
by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no,
no, so that you may not fall under judgment.”
Verse 13. "Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray Is anyone
cheerful? He is to sing praises.”
Verse 14. "Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of
the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the
name of the Lord;”
Verse 15. "and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is
sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they
will be forgiven him.”
Verse 16. "Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one
another so that you may be healed The effective prayer of a righteous
man can accomplish much.”
Verse 17. "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed
earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for
three years and six months.”
Verse 18. "Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth
produced its fruit.”
Verse 19. "My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one
turns him back,”
Verse 20. "let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his
way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”
Commentary
In James 5:1, the author is giving a warning to rich people. He says,
“weep and howl” because of the miseries that are coming upon you. The
words “weep” and “howl,” seem to signify repentance, as they did in
Chapter 4, where James said, “let your laughter be turned into
mourning.” Again, I would say that there is nothing wrong with riches in
themselves, They are a neutral commodity. It basically depends on a
person’s heart. Jesus said about this, “Where your treasure is, there
will your heart be also.” So when James talks about sorrows coming upon
people with riches, he's talking about people who trust in or set their
hearts upon riches. Like the foolish rich man in Luke 12:15-21, they
have dismissed any thoughts of God. To find out more about this, read
that section in Luke 12. James goes to say in verses 2 and 3, “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.” The most important thing to
see here is that we are all accountable to God. The author stresses it
again by essentially saying: What you have is actually going to testify
against you. And the fact that James speaks of rottenness and moths,
just says that something can be here today and gone tomorrow.
In Matthew 6:19 Jesus also uses
“moths” as one of the destructive forces that can destroy earthly
riches. James 5:4 tells us that the rich people he is writing about have
gotten their money by exploiting others. I think God has a soft spot in
his heart for people who have been taken advantage of. He says that the
cries of the harvesters have reached His ears. Then James goes on,
"You've lived in luxury and lavish feasting.” Verse 6 goes on to say,
"You have condemned and murdered innocent men.” This could be figurative
or it could be literal. Jesus said that if a person is angry with his
brother without a cause, he is guilty of murder. In Verses 7-8, James
tells us to be patient. Along with telling us that we should possess
that quality, however, he gives us the example of the farmer and the
rain. We should be patient, not just in general, but as far into the
future as the coming of the Lord. It is drawing near. Even when it
doesn't seem like it. James tells us that His coming is really not that
far off.
Cross reference this with 2
Peter 3:8. Here we read, "forget not this one thing, beloved that one
day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one
day." The Apostle Peter is quoting from the Psalmist (Moses) who says
much the same thing in Psalm 90. I don't know if you ever struggle with
patience like I do, but I think all of us have problems with it.
Everything today is so “instant;” and for me instead of the farmer,
since I don't live in an agricultural society, a better example that God
can use to form patience in me is Dial-a-Ride for the disabled.
James goes on in verse 10 to
say, brothers don't grumble against each other, the Judge is standing at
the door. Here, we see the idea of accountability again. He is reminding
us of this over and over, so that we will not take it too lightly that
the fact is: we will ALL answer before our Maker. I really don't think
we realize how destructive grumbling and complaining is. It is a sin,
for God tells that our attitudes should always be of thanksgiving. The
Scripture tells us that when we grumble and complain against each other,
we are really doing it against God. Numbers 14:17 asks us, "How long
shall I bear with this evil generation, that murmurs against Me, I have
heard the murmurings of the children of Israel which they murmur against
Me.”
The writer now talks about
perseverance. This a quality that we don't talk enough about, but it is
taught all throughout Scripture. It means to stick to something until it
is finished. In our case it would mean sticking to the journey that we
are on with Christ. In Verse 10, James tells us that when we think of
perseverance, all we have to do is consider the prophets like Isaiah and
Jeremiah. It is important he says, to think about how they suffered.
Blessed are those who have persevered, or we might say in this day and
age, have “hung in there.” In today’s world, where we have so much at
our fingertips, we think of happiness as something that we can get only
when things are going our way.
But James is talking about an
altogether different kind of happiness. To describe this happiness,
think with me about the marriage relationship. For two people to
experience ultimate happiness together, they must make a commitment.
They must stick together through thick and thin, for better or for
worse. In other words, they must endure. Do you have this quality? From
what we said above, how can you develop this? I sometimes fall flat on
my face because perseverance is a first cousin to patience, which is
sorely lacking in this world.
This verse is important because
we are reminded that that Lord is full of compassion. Do you ever feel
like you have to do everything yourself? I think we all feel that way
when we go through hard times. The truth is that the Lord is always with
us and wants to help. 1 Peter 5:7, talks about “casting our cares on
Him, because he cares for us.” How can we experience God’s concern and
care in a new way? You may want to think about this question, especially
if you are going through any kind of loss or grief in your life.
Remember, so many times in the gospels we see that Jesus had compassion.
It is the same today, you don't have to live the Christian life on your
own; Jesus has compassion for you.
James talks about being a person
of your word in 5:12. This is a quality that for the most part has been
lost. I heard a speaker that said he went into a bank. His father lived
in a time where he would have had to sign once, whereas this man had to
sign four or more times. It is no longer a time when a man’s word is
good. Are you a person of your word? How does being this kind of a
person affect your relationship with Christ? Again, Jesus tells us to
let our “yes be yes, and our no be no.” Cross reference all this with
Matthew 5:34-37.
In James 5:13-15, the author
breaks things down into three categories. The first of these is prayer.
Initially, he asks if any one of us is in trouble. Then he says, “let
him pray.” I believe that James is suggesting that God allows many
things in our lives because He wants us to come to Him. Prayer is a lost
art, at least the kind that James is talking about. He is not discussing
a five second blessing as a form of prayer; rather he is talking about
the tough quality of prayer that will hang in there when there seems to
be little hope. We think that prayer is asking God for what I want, when
first and foremost, prayer should be a tool to discern God’s will.
Finally, we must see “sin” for
what it is. David asked God to “search” him, as recorded in Psalm
139:23. In the same way, we must do this. We must remember, however,
that God says “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John
1:9).
Let me go over this Scripture
with you, because I think that many times it is misunderstood. First of
all, we have the word “confess,” which contains the idea of repentance.
This involves making a 365 degree turn from the sin you have confessed.
It is not just saying a feeble, “I'm sorry,” and then going back to
doing the same thing. Next, look at the two words, “faithful and just.”
In other words, the minute we confess our sins, God is there as a loyal
friend. The Book of Proverbs says that “a friend is one that sticks
closer then a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). Next God is just. He will deal
with us according to our sin. While the world isn’t fair, God is.
The idea of God’s justice is
comforting in an unfair world. Justice not only deserves a penalty for
sin, for God has gone beyond that promise of justice by paying the
penalty in Jesus Christ. Forgiveness, when I come to God and really mean
it, is the sweetest concept in the Bible. If you come to God and mean
it, but later find yourself in the same sin, don't hesitate to ask Him
for forgiveness again.
Satan is called in the Word, the
“accuser of the brethren.” This simply means that he likes to lie by
telling us that we have gone too far for God to forgive us. That my
friend, is impossible! The Bible is full of examples where men failed
and had to ask for forgiveness again and again. Think of the life of
King David for example. Satan wants you to feel like you are all washed
up, but nothing could be further from the truth.
In contrast, James tells us in
Verse 13, “if anyone is happy let him sing songs” (or praises). Paul
talked about singing in your heart, and making melody to the Lord. Who
is the happiest? It is a person who has his or her sins forgiven. We
should have a song on our lips continually. Note that this does not mean
we have to sing out loud. Some of us would not want to and other people
would not want us to do it. It simply means as Paul said, that we should
carry around this melody in our hearts. We’re finding out more and more
about music therapy and the value of a merry heart, although the Bible
has told us about this for centuries! The writer of Proverbs says that
“a merry heart does good like a medicine.” This can be found in Proverbs
15:15.
Then, dealing with sickness,
James gives us this word: "Is any of you sick, let him call for the
elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing with oil”
(James 5:14). We are told that the prayer of faith will make the sick
person well (Verse 15). The Lord will raise him up, and if he has
committed any sins, they will be forgiven. You and I both know that God
doesn't always choose to make a sick person well, and we can compare
this statement in James with other passages in the Bible to can see that
this promise is not for all of us, all of the time. What does this
Scripture mean to you?
Secondly I understand the
“raising up” that is being discussed as a spiritual fact. In Colossians
3:1, Paul makes it clear that we are already risen together with Christ.
Thirdly, this Verse tells us that if the person has committed sins they
will be forgiven. Since we all come before God individually, and He
deals with us on that basis, James seems to be talking about the fact
that the Holy God cannot and will not dwell in the presence of sin.
David said that if the person regards sin in his heart, the Lord will
not hear him. David goes on to say about this in Psalm 51:17, "The
sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart O
God, Thou will not despise."
We are told in James 5:16 to
“confess our faults one to another, and pray for each other that we
might be healed." The New International Version (NIV) renders this word
“sins” instead of “faults.” But to be forgiven by God, we don't confess
our sins to anyone but Him. This verse has three parts in it. Have you
ever felt good by just confessing a fault to a brother? Sometimes that
feels like a huge load is lifted, and you’re not traveling alone - we
all need to listen more. Notice the outward response of that person is
not what is important. They “say” the most when they really LISTEN.
Notice also, that James is talking about “faults” plural. Both of the
people, the one who asks and the one who forgives, can honestly share in
this.
In verse 16, James tells us to
confess our faults to one another. He goes on to say that you are to
PRAY that you might be healed. In the New International Version (NIV),
the same verse renders the word used in the King James Version to be
“sins.” The Bible teaches that we are to confess our sins to God. We
confess our faults, our shortcomings and pray for each other in order
that we might be strengthened. Most are familiar with 1 John1:9 in that
context. But it bears repeating: “if we confess our sins, He (God) is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.” It is good to confess our faults to another person,
but the forgiveness we really need comes from God. For a picture of
this, think of the marriage relationship, where two can bear their
inner-most thoughts and feelings to one another. The Bible talks about
this kind of relationship in Ecclesiastes, when it says, "two are better
then one, because they have a good reward for their labor.” Solomon goes
on to say, “for if he falls, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to
him that is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up"
(Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).
On the tail end of verse 16,
James says the “effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails
much.” Then he goes on, giving the example of the prophet Elijah;
talking about how it didn't rain for three years after he prayed. Then
James observes that Elijah prayed again and it did rain. I think it is
important that we understand the kind of prayer that James mentions.
What do the terms that he uses to describe prayer really mean? For
prayer to be effectual or effective, we have to think of what James has
already said in regards to our motives. Jeremiah said that “our hearts
are deceitful and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9), and David asked
God in Psalm 139:23 to search his heart to see if there was any wicked
way in it. When we look at the example of Elijah we need to be careful
that we don't get caught up in the sensational. I say this because the
answer to Elijah’s prayer was so dramatic, that we might be tempted to
say that God isn't moving if he doesn't answer us in the same way. The
confession and the prayer are what is important for us; the result after
those actions is up to God.
While God is a God of the
supernatural, that doesn’t mean that He has to perform signs and wonders
to fit OUR expectations. Prayer in and of itself is a miracle. Hebrews
4:16 says, “Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of
grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in the time
of need.” When you think about the religious system in the Old
Testament, it is a miracle that we can stand before God in the way that
we enjoy today.
Enjoying this freedom brings to
us the confidence, fervency and persistence in prayer that James is
talking about. Jesus had this to say: "ask and it shall be given you;
seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew
7:7). Most of us tend to ask God for something once, and if we don't get
it, we behave like spoiled children and stop knocking, seeking and
asking. Jesus was describing the same kind of fervency in prayer that
James is talking about. I can say that because the Greek here is talking
about a continual cry to God. James 5:19-20 tells us that when one
person wanders away and another finds him, that person has saved him
from death and a multitude of sins. The Bible says that we all have
sinned and these sins lead to spiritual death. I believe that James is
summing up everything he has said in this Book, by letting us know
important personal evangelism is. I don't think James wants to lose
sight of the fact that our lives have to match our words. It is his way
of telling us again in conclusion what he has said throughout this whole
epistle (letter).
Notes and Quotes
My outline of James Chapter 5 is as follows: Verses1-3 are a discussion
about riches. Verses 4-7 speak about exploitation and selfishness.
Verses 7-11 are about patience; 5-11 describes human behavior, and 5:12
urges us to speak the truth. Verses 13-18 describe our attitude in
prayer, and 19-20 discuss the believer’s relationship to evangelism.
Concerning the overall epistle,
Norma Becker says, "The letter was written to exhort the early believers
to Christian maturity and holiness of life. It also holds very true
today. James told his readers to achieve spiritual maturity through a
confident stand, compassionate service, careful speech, contrite
submission, and concerned sharing. He dealt with every area of a
Christian’s life, including what he is, what he does, what he says, what
he feels, and what he has in this world." James shows how Christian
conduct, conversation and lifestyle should work together.
Timothy H. Burdick, Associate Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
PO Box 92131
Long Beach, CA
90809-2131 USA
www.fridaystudy.org
TSBurdick@msn.com
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