Jam 5:4-6 | KingComments | STEP | . James is addressing the rich people in sharp terms. That was necessary because of their behavior. They reveal themselves as opponents to the poor in whom we can recognize the believing remnant of God’s people. They drag the poor to court ( ). The rich are exerting power over the poor who are dependent on them. When the poor for example were not able to pay the rent of their houses, the rich sued them. Of course they have the judges on their side, for they are corruptible. The rich cling to their wealth, they rely on it. That’s the cause of the separation between them and God. However, what they are trusting in will be taken away from them. They will be struck by the judgment of God. With a view to that James is calling on the rich to become aware of what is waiting for them. That should make them weep and howl as an expression of repentance about the sins they have committed. If they finally repent, this weeping and howling will be of temporal nature. If they do not repent they will weep and howl forever and ever. . James doesn’t address them as ‘brethren’. These rich people are unbelievers who have gained their riches in a crooked way. The riches that they have are corrupted riches and the nice-looking garments they wear ( ) with which they show off, expose traces that they were eaten by moths. Rotten riches are riches that offer no support at all. Moth-eaten garments are garments that do not give any warmth. This rebuke of James in the direction of the rich must have sounded strange to his readers, who belong to the twelve tribes. After all, wealth in the Old Testament is generally an evidence of God’s favor. Didn’t He promise them that He would bless them if they were faithful ( )? But that promise regarded a national blessing that the people would receive as a whole if the people as a whole would obey God. But the people as a whole awfully disobeyed God very much with the low point the rejection of the Lord Jesus. Due to that things turned out differently and therefore the case can be that a faithful believer is poor and an ungodly person rich. That is the situation among the twelve tribes to whom James addresses this letter. . The rich are fooling themselves that their gold and silver can make them to enjoy life without limits. James completely overturned that false security. The glitter of these materials, that are so precious for the rich, has not only faded away, but has changed to rust. James is presenting the ultimate result. Just as corruption and moths can decompose and consume materials, rust is a condition that makes materials totally useless. Rust is a process that ends up in total destruction. Everything that these rich people have gained will testify against them. God will show them the uselessness of the treasures they have gathered. These will deliver the proof of their wicked life. Then they will receive the wages that they deserve in the eternal fire ( ). As an additional reproach, James says that they have been busy gathering treasures “in the last days”. It already is foolish for a person to heap up treasures for himself, but it is even more foolish to do that in the last days. He who lives like that is not only selfish and insensitive for the need of others, but also short-sighted and blind for the threatening judgment that will strike him and his possessions. It applies also as a warning to you as a believer. Don’t let yourself be dragged in the struggle for having more and more. The call of the Christian is not collecting, but giving. A Christian shows Who God is, and God is a Giver. When James speaks about the last days, how much more should that apply to us. It has never been God’s purpose that a Christian should heap up treasures on earth. Just look at the great Example, the Lord Jesus. You read of Him that He, though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor, that we through His poverty might become (spiritually) rich ( ). The servant of Elisha, Gehazi, is a striking example of how it should not be done. Gehazi had been heaping up treasures through lies and deceit. He got to learn that it was not time yet for that ( ). He did not have to send back his wealth to Naaman, but the leprosy of Naaman was added to him. The greed for wealth makes a person to become a leper, meaning that it causes a disease that ends up in death. The rich who lives for his wealth walks with death in his shoes. . How did these rich people gain their treasures? They gained them in a most unfair way. They simply kept back the pay of the laborers whom they hired to work on their fields. They profited from the harvest of the work of the laborers and they also had pleasure in the thought that they kept the wages of their laborers in their own pocket. They thought themselves rich, for they thought to be doubling their profit. James rebukes them by telling them that they were making a miscalculation. They calculate without “the Lord of Sabaoth”. The Lord of Sabaoth is Yahweh of the hosts. It is God in His majestic greatness as the Captain of all heavenly and earthly armies. The rich close their ears to the cry of the poor, the ones who have been disadvantaged by them, but the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth are not closed. His ears hear two things. The wages that the rich have kept back unjustly are crying out to the Lord and also the cries of the mowers are reaching His ears. The wages that were unjustly kept back are testifying in God’s sight against them. By committing these actions they make themselves violators of the law ( ; ) and they will be judged as such. God will vindicate the complainers who have called on Him and also make sure that they will be reimbursed. . The rich have excessively fed themselves with all luxury and wanton pleasure that the earth can possibly offer. They did that to the detriment of the poor. There was nothing in their heart that could stop them from living such a life. They “have fattened” their “hearts”. They wholeheartedly gave themselves to this depraved life. That only proves that they have become totally numb. Their conscience does not function anymore. They gorged like swine. Every day was “a day of slaughter” for them, a day with an abundance of meat. Instead of sharing that with others, they pounced on it and stuffed their fat bodies with it more and more. Their god is their appetite, literally belly ( ). It is also a possibility that James uses the word ‘day of slaughter’ as an allusion to the risk of the judgment looming menacingly over their heads. For an animal, a day of slaughter means the end of its life. These people get to learn that, while the slaughter of the judgment is near, they happily continue to feast. They refuse to consider the judgment. . As the high point, or better said, the nadir, of their selfish life style James accuses the rich for making themselves guilty of the death of righteous compatriots, who did not resist against it. James is able to speak of this accusation, because the spirit of the rich is the same spirit that brought the Lord Jesus to the cross. In a life that puts their own honor and satisfaction in the center there is no room for Him. Wherever He appears in such a life to offer something that really gives joy, He is condemned and murdered, even though He may have done only good. The selfish person does not tolerate kindness, which proves how bad and evil he is. He does not want to be confronted with it and therefore he will try to eliminate everything that tries to do that. He even does that with people who only come to ask him the wages they are entitled to. He cannot stand such righteous people. That especially applies to the true Just. James seems to be thinking primarily of Him. The last phrase, “he does not resist you”, seems to confirm this. The Lord Jesus has not resisted those, who are rich in might and honor and wealth in the expression of all their evil. He did not open His mouth, but let Himself be led to the slaughter like a lamb ( ). He endured all injustice and did not resist at all. He surrendered everything to Him Who judges righteously ( ). He suffered as the Just for the unjust, that He may bring to God anyone who acknowledges that ( ). Toward all evil of man His perfection shines in everything. His example may be an encouragement for you when you have to suffer injustice. Now read James 5:1-6 again. Reflection: Which warning(s) does this portion contain for you?

‏ James 5:4-6

Warning For the Rich

Jam 5:1. James is addressing the rich people in sharp terms. That was necessary because of their behavior. They reveal themselves as opponents to the poor in whom we can recognize the believing remnant of God’s people. They drag the poor to court (Jam 2:6). The rich are exerting power over the poor who are dependent on them. When the poor for example were not able to pay the rent of their houses, the rich sued them. Of course they have the judges on their side, for they are corruptible.

The rich cling to their wealth, they rely on it. That’s the cause of the separation between them and God. However, what they are trusting in will be taken away from them. They will be struck by the judgment of God. With a view to that James is calling on the rich to become aware of what is waiting for them. That should make them weep and howl as an expression of repentance about the sins they have committed. If they finally repent, this weeping and howling will be of temporal nature. If they do not repent they will weep and howl forever and ever.

Jam 5:2. James doesn’t address them as ‘brethren’. These rich people are unbelievers who have gained their riches in a crooked way. The riches that they have are corrupted riches and the nice-looking garments they wear (Jam 2:2) with which they show off, expose traces that they were eaten by moths. Rotten riches are riches that offer no support at all. Moth-eaten garments are garments that do not give any warmth.

This rebuke of James in the direction of the rich must have sounded strange to his readers, who belong to the twelve tribes. After all, wealth in the Old Testament is generally an evidence of God’s favor. Didn’t He promise them that He would bless them if they were faithful (Deu 28:1-14)? But that promise regarded a national blessing that the people would receive as a whole if the people as a whole would obey God. But the people as a whole awfully disobeyed God very much with the low point the rejection of the Lord Jesus. Due to that things turned out differently and therefore the case can be that a faithful believer is poor and an ungodly person rich. That is the situation among the twelve tribes to whom James addresses this letter.

Jam 5:3. The rich are fooling themselves that their gold and silver can make them to enjoy life without limits. James completely overturned that false security. The glitter of these materials, that are so precious for the rich, has not only faded away, but has changed to rust. James is presenting the ultimate result. Just as corruption and moths can decompose and consume materials, rust is a condition that makes materials totally useless. Rust is a process that ends up in total destruction. Everything that these rich people have gained will testify against them. God will show them the uselessness of the treasures they have gathered. These will deliver the proof of their wicked life. Then they will receive the wages that they deserve in the eternal fire (Rev 20:11-15).

As an additional reproach, James says that they have been busy gathering treasures “in the last days”. It already is foolish for a person to heap up treasures for himself, but it is even more foolish to do that in the last days. He who lives like that is not only selfish and insensitive for the need of others, but also short-sighted and blind for the threatening judgment that will strike him and his possessions.

It applies also as a warning to you as a believer. Don’t let yourself be dragged in the struggle for having more and more. The call of the Christian is not collecting, but giving. A Christian shows Who God is, and God is a Giver.

When James speaks about the last days, how much more should that apply to us. It has never been God’s purpose that a Christian should heap up treasures on earth. Just look at the great Example, the Lord Jesus. You read of Him that He, though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor, that we through His poverty might become (spiritually) rich (2Cor 8:9).

The servant of Elisha, Gehazi, is a striking example of how it should not be done. Gehazi had been heaping up treasures through lies and deceit. He got to learn that it was not time yet for that (2Kgs 5:26). He did not have to send back his wealth to Naaman, but the leprosy of Naaman was added to him. The greed for wealth makes a person to become a leper, meaning that it causes a disease that ends up in death. The rich who lives for his wealth walks with death in his shoes.

Jam 5:4. How did these rich people gain their treasures? They gained them in a most unfair way. They simply kept back the pay of the laborers whom they hired to work on their fields. They profited from the harvest of the work of the laborers and they also had pleasure in the thought that they kept the wages of their laborers in their own pocket. They thought themselves rich, for they thought to be doubling their profit.

James rebukes them by telling them that they were making a miscalculation. They calculate without “the Lord of Sabaoth”. The Lord of Sabaoth is Yahweh of the hosts. It is God in His majestic greatness as the Captain of all heavenly and earthly armies.

The rich close their ears to the cry of the poor, the ones who have been disadvantaged by them, but the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth are not closed. His ears hear two things. The wages that the rich have kept back unjustly are crying out to the Lord and also the cries of the mowers are reaching His ears. The wages that were unjustly kept back are testifying in God’s sight against them. By committing these actions they make themselves violators of the law (Lev 19:13; Deu 24:14-15) and they will be judged as such. God will vindicate the complainers who have called on Him and also make sure that they will be reimbursed.

Jam 5:5. The rich have excessively fed themselves with all luxury and wanton pleasure that the earth can possibly offer. They did that to the detriment of the poor. There was nothing in their heart that could stop them from living such a life. They “have fattened” their “hearts”. They wholeheartedly gave themselves to this depraved life. That only proves that they have become totally numb. Their conscience does not function anymore.

They gorged like swine. Every day was “a day of slaughter” for them, a day with an abundance of meat. Instead of sharing that with others, they pounced on it and stuffed their fat bodies with it more and more. Their god is their appetite, literally belly (Phil 3:19).

It is also a possibility that James uses the word ‘day of slaughter’ as an allusion to the risk of the judgment looming menacingly over their heads. For an animal, a day of slaughter means the end of its life. These people get to learn that, while the slaughter of the judgment is near, they happily continue to feast. They refuse to consider the judgment.

Jam 5:6. As the high point, or better said, the nadir, of their selfish life style James accuses the rich for making themselves guilty of the death of righteous compatriots, who did not resist against it. James is able to speak of this accusation, because the spirit of the rich is the same spirit that brought the Lord Jesus to the cross. In a life that puts their own honor and satisfaction in the center there is no room for Him. Wherever He appears in such a life to offer something that really gives joy, He is condemned and murdered, even though He may have done only good.

The selfish person does not tolerate kindness, which proves how bad and evil he is. He does not want to be confronted with it and therefore he will try to eliminate everything that tries to do that. He even does that with people who only come to ask him the wages they are entitled to. He cannot stand such righteous people.

That especially applies to the true Just. James seems to be thinking primarily of Him. The last phrase, “he does not resist you”, seems to confirm this. The Lord Jesus has not resisted those, who are rich in might and honor and wealth in the expression of all their evil. He did not open His mouth, but let Himself be led to the slaughter like a lamb (Isa 53:7). He endured all injustice and did not resist at all. He surrendered everything to Him Who judges righteously (1Pet 2:23). He suffered as the Just for the unjust, that He may bring to God anyone who acknowledges that (1Pet 3:18). Toward all evil of man His perfection shines in everything. His example may be an encouragement for you when you have to suffer injustice.

Now read James 5:1-6 again.

Reflection: Which warning(s) does this portion contain for you?