James 5:1-6 Bible Teaching

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James 5.6
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May 17th 2015

Okay we are in the last chapter of James – I’m really pleased by this.

There have admittedly been some really great nuggets of truth presented – especially related to humility and the Christian life of submission to the Spirit but the epistle has been cumbersome.

So chapter five.

The design of this chapter seems to be to encourage and strengthen poor and oppressed Christians who apparently have been the recipients of ill treatment by wealthy critics.

James touched on this topic back in chapter two and apparently returns to it here to finish out the epistle.

So after first criticizing the rich James then exhorts those who were suffering under these wrongs to exercise patience.

What is interesting is what he appeals to as a means to encourage them – the hope that the Lord was going to be coming soon.

He appeals to this method of encouragement four or five times in this last chapter, which is fitting since it is the final words he is delivering to them I the epistle.

After this initial approach he reminds the readers that they need to control their tongues – especially in the realm of swearing.

Apparently they were impatiently expressing themselves in a severe manner and even of speaking curses on those who oppressed them and James exhorts them to control their tempers and to confine their conversations to a simple affirmations or denials.

He then speaks to those who are “sick and afflicted” among them, and directs them what to do (in verses 14-18 and then in the close of the chapter and of the epistle he addresses the possibility that some among them might err from the truth and speaks to stepping in and helping to avoid such a thing from happening.

So let’s read beginning at verse one of chapter five:

James 5:1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.

Alright, back to verse one.

James 5:1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.

Of course James is not speaking to all rich men but that class who he has specifically pointed out as being unjust and oppressive.

What does he tell them to do?

“Weep and howl.”

In other words get yourselves ready to really feel some loss and pain in your lives because deep distress is coming their way.

James use of language is intense and shows that the calamities that were about to befall them was going to cause not just “tears” but associated “howling.”

I don’t know about you but I would probably only howl over the loss of people I loved – but James seems to assign their howling to the loss of wealth which clearly suggests they loved their wealth dearly.

Why does he tell them to weep and howl? He adds, “For your miseries that shall come upon you.”

Many Bible expositors believe that this refers to the approaching destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, and to the miseries which would be brought in the siege upon the Jewish people, in which the rich would be the peculiar objects of vengeance.

We know from Josephus that the rich were certainly and particularly exposed to suffering – that their houses were searched and sacked, etc.

But didn’t the poor also suffer in the Siege of Jerusalem? Of course they did.

But it seems that James was writing especially to a situation where rich Jews were picking on the poor Saints, therefore he was speaking to them specifically and the calamity that awaited them.

James adds:

2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.

The word here translated to corrupted in the King James doesn’t occur anywhere else in the New Testament and it means
“to cause to rot,” future tense.

What this suggests then is that the audience James is speaking of here in these first verses had accumulated too much and, like most treasures that are stored up upon themselves, they often end up rotting away in their heaps.

We know from the teachings of Jesus and other references in the word that in the East it was common to hoard or stockpile wealthy and costly goods for a future time.

There was nothing wrong with this.

But something in these peoples approach was lacking – they had hoarded too much, they had neglected the poor, they had put their trust in the quantities they had amassed, and James was telling them to get ready to weep and howl because their stockpiles were about to rot.

When our daughters were young Mary and I rented a house in Southern California after selling our home and had too much to fit in the rental.

We had a sectional couch that we bot new that was not very used and so we decided to store it for later use rather than give it away or sell it at a loss.

I carefully boxed the corners in corrugated board then wrapped it in long sheets of plastic from a roll – over and over again so that it could be preserved.

After a couple of years I decided to clean out the garage and when I reached the couch I put both hands up and lowering it, tilted it toward my face.

Which caused piles and piles of filthy rotting putrid mice straw to come pouring down over my head, into my eyes and mouth and down my shirt.

I was overwhelmed with disgust and teetered to catch my balance. Then I felt them – nine or ten pink mice babies on my neck and down my shirt!

After shock therapy and a gallon of Tequilla I swore that I would never again store up treasures on earth – retaining them until they rot.

In addition to their riches becoming corrupted James adds:

And your garments are moth-eaten.

The same idea substantially is expressed here in another form.

You might remember in 1986 when Philippine socialite Amelda Marcos, fleeing from revolt against her presidential husband left behind some 3000 pair of designer shoes (among other things).

The interesting thing is that in 2012 it was discovered that most of those shoes had rotted by floodwaters and were infested with vermin leaving only 746 pairs intact.

The lesson here – don’t store up in earth what will rot and corrode – but lay your treasures in heaven.

Really throwing down, James continues in verse three, saying:

3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

This is an interesting verse – especially if we take it literally.

He starts by saying, “Your gold and silver is cankered.”

It has become corroded. Here James uses another word (katiwtai) that is not used anywhere else in the New Testament.

It means to rust out or to be corroded with rust.

Now gold and silver do not rust or become oxidized and they don’t corrode like iron and steel.

So the word cannot literally mean rust.
But if it’s stored for a long time in a dark damp place they will become dark with a tarnish as if it is corroding with rust.

This seems to be the idea in the mind of James. He speaks of gold and silver as they appear after having been long laid up without use and explains them in terms commonly accepted when describing their condition.

What trips me up is the next line when he says:

“And the rust of them shall be a witness against you and shall eat your flesh as it were fire.”

When he writes the “rust of them,” the word used means “projectile – like venom from a snake spit out – so the rust of the metals will be projected out as a witness against you.

All I can make of this is the witness that the rust produces on the silver and gold will stand out or shoot out as a witness against them proving that they accumulated wealth and riches for their own glory rather than using it to help others.
In other words, the discoloration will prove that they did not use their wealth well.

But it’s the second line that proves we cannot take scripture literally. Here James says:

And it (meaning the corrosion) shall eat your flesh as it were fire.

Sure, it could be the direct effect of the corrosion being present – their flesh will burn as it were fire due to their greed, but just reading the passage literally doesn’t make much sense since the metals don’t rust in the first place and the actual tarnish produced from bad stewardship is probably not what will make their flesh burn with what feels like fire.

We might also read this as saying that the effect of storing up treasures (corrosion) will have the same effect on their flesh at some point as fire.

In other words, just as gold and silver misused will naturally corrode so will the flesh erode in what feels like fire when it has been used improperly.

It think this verse is a great verse to illustrate the fact that there are, in fact, verses that have to be taken literally and those that have to be seen as figurative and we all have the capacity to discern between the two.

He adds:

“Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.”

We have a principle already touched upon here – and taught by Jesus which is:

“we all chose where to place our focus in life – on treasures in heaven which will last into the eternities or treasures that will serve as fuel for our day of judgment.”

Romans 2:5-6 says:

“But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; who will render to every man according to his deeds.”

We have as Christians – in some places and circles – come to believe that we have escaped judgement when we were saved.

I’m not so sure the Bible supports this.

Romans 14:10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

1st Corinthians 3:8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.

1st Corinthians 4:5 says:
“Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”

2nd Corinthians 5:10 says

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”

All of these verses – plus many not cited – illustrate in some way or another the fact that we will have an assessment before God, what I would open call a judgment – a time when our hearts and motives and actions will be accounted for.

James seems to be saying that those who treasure up material wealth will be surprised to discover the mass will work against and not for them in the judgment.

One in how the wealth was obtained,
Two, in what they did with it once it was obtained, and
three what their heart was toward God and others in the presence of all they had accumulated.

Looking at all of this responsibility that comes with affluence most of us ought to probably pray for poverty, right?

James continues now and addresses the unjust practices these rich employed to obtain their wealth and says,

4 Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.

Le 19:13; De 24:15; Job 24:10-11; Jer 22:13; Mal 3:5

In the previous verses the form of the sin James levels at them was that they had hoarded their property to the point that it was corroding.

Now he now states another way that they were guilty – they had treated those who labored for them and cultivated their wealth badly – they had withheld from them.

Because James uses the imagery of farm-workers (or those “who have reaped down your fields,”) does not exclude anyone who has worked or labored for another but has been cheated in some way by their employer.

I personally think the application speaks to the entire spectrum – from slaves working under a master to a CFO laboring under a CEO and everyone and everything in between.

The Greek word here used (aposterew) is rendered “defraud” in some places in scripture.

Essentially it means that someone has worked and is due but another has withheld from them what is owed.

This is an extremely controversial topic – especially in capitalistic societies.

Because I am liberal by nature and have studied Edwin Von Mises (on the virtue of capitalism) and Marx and Engels (on the evils of the same) I could probably talk for no short period of time on the subject and make a pretty sound case for almost all of us being guilty of withholding what is due another – as employers AND employees.

Capitalizing on things is the nature of human nature – even when it appears that we are actually being benevolent. Because of this the subject is complex and would take some time to articulate it properly.

So let’s step away from all the nuance and look to see what scripture says relative to the subject – because, as with most topics – the scripture is full of paradox.

Stripping away Marxist emotion and Capitalistic rationalizations, I think we can sort of grab all the various spokes that lead to the hub on being fair in labor relations and say the following from a biblical perspective:

It’s immoral to take advantage of the desperate situations of a person (especially widows and orphans) as a means to line our pockets.
That what the Bible calls usury is unethical (with usury being defined as imposing unrealistic interest rates on what has been loaned to others).
That dealing fairly with people and avoiding being charged with holding back on them means to offer a competitive wage for the labors being performed and then paying them in a timely manner when the work is done.
I would add to these points that there is nothing wrong with generosity and treating people with more favor and grace then they deserve but this is situational and predicated on the mind of the giver relative to the Spirit.
If a person who employs these practices becomes wealthy in the process that is the benefit of having the capital to own or oversee the business in the first place and they cannot be deemed evil because they are successful.

The spirit of capitalism has the tendency to capitalize on others but this is not the definition of capitalism. Capitalism is defined by the individual who puts up the capital then reaping the benefits of profits once the service or labors are supplied.

Conversely, the spirit of modern communism has a tendency to demand payment for labors not performed but this is not the working definition of communism. Marx’s thought was all means of production are shared by all involved rather than just individuals at the top.

Within Christianity, there is evidence to support both approaches.

For example, the early church certainly practiced communal living. All things were sold and put into the common till for all involved.

Not sure this was the Lord leading but the spirit of it was apostolically directed.

On the other hand Jesus teaches a parable that is wholly capitalistic – remember?

In Matthew 20 He teaches a parable about laborers being hired to work.

The teaching is NOT about labor practices but has spiritual application to people going to heaven.

But listen to the tenor of the message – its enough to make any Marxist rise up in rage:

1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.
8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,
12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.
15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

James seems to be telling a different story than the parable told here.

He speaks to a man who owned a vineyard and went out and preyed upon the desperate, agreeing to pay them a penny a day but only gave them half once the work was done or paid them a penny but six months later after their work was performed.

Then he retired to his home where piles of money sat corroding in the dark.

Those who were victims of such rich men, James said, “Crieth, and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.”

Throughout the world and since the beginning of time the oppressed, having no other recourse under the sun, have plead with God for justice, help, and support.

He hears them all.

Exodus 22:23-24 says:

“If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; and my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.”

These words are not abstractly tied to just any cry. In the same chapter (just three verses later we read)

Exodus 22:25 If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.
26 If thou at all take thy neighbour’s raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down:
27 For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.

The phrase “Lord of sabaoth,” means the “Lord of hosts,” meaning the Lord of Heaven and Earth is able to vindicate them.

As stated the cry of the oppressed and the wronged is going up constantly from all parts of the earth, and is always heard by God.

In his own time he will come forth to vindicate the oppressed, and to punish the oppressor – He is Just.

James continues:

5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.

Three accusations –

You have lived in pleasure
And been wanton, and
nourished your hearts as in the day of slaughter.

James is an interesting writer because he uses words that aren’t used anywhere else in the New Testament.

We have another example of this in his use of the word pleasure – trufao – it means to live in luxury.

There are derivative words that mean to live in riotous living – but this word simply means in luxury.

It presents us with a difficult topic but one we have to address – is it unchristian-like to live in luxury?

First of all we have to ask what does it mean to live in luxury. Relative to the rest of the world most Americans live in luxury by comparison.

The word used here does not mean to live in decadence but means to live surrounded by ease, luxury, and delicacy.

The contextual implication here is that while such a person is bathed in ease they have no problem letting those who labor for them struggle to exist.

Jesus gives us a stark parable in Lu 16 beginning at verse 19.

Listen closely to the way He describes the rich man. He does not assign Him any evil other than living sumptuously and says:

19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

By comparison Jesus introduces then another character, saying:

20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

This is all he presents – a picture of two men who apparently knew of each other – a rich man living sumptuously and a poor man laying at his gate (placed there by others) full of sores and just wanting the crumbs that fell from the rich mans table.

For some reason Jesus adds in that the dogs came and licked Lazarus’s sores.

That’s all we get about the two characters. Then Jesus says:

22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I a tormented in this flame.”
25 But Abraham said, “Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.”

The purpose of the parable remains vague as Jesus goes on describes how the rich man was not blessed either with a drop of water nor the ability to visit or send visitors to warn his brothers.

From it, however, it appears – at least – that the attitude of luxury and ease that does not transfer to those is need is enough to condemn a man.

All I will say is it seems that this approach and attitude toward life and living is inconsistent with the Christian ethic of selflessness, serving those less fortunate and perhaps most importantly, walking by faith.

When we lay up treasures in the earth we are in a way suggesting that we do not trust God to care for us.

Listen again to the words of Jesus in Luke 12 beginning at verse 16:

16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

These are the words of Jesus Christ – whose name we assign to the title Christian.

I don’t honestly know how to tease them apart from the approach most of us have to living life in the world today.

Are we kidding ourselves?

Are we rationalizing our straddling the world and heaven and justifying God and Mammon in our lives?

Or is it all a matter of motivation, priorities and the heart?

Somehow we have to make it clear that God has for every one of His children important duties to perform with their lives and time.

We will be accountable for the focus we placed on things. Our hearts will be flayed open proving our motives.

I suppose we can conclude with the statement that it is NOT what we have but what we give and then it’s not what we give or how we live but why we give and live the way we do.

I’m gonna finish the other two elements next week that are included here in verse 5.

Q and A