James Episode 13

James 5:1–8

Warning to the Rich

[1] Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. [2] Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. [3] Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. [4] Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. [5] You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. [6] You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

Patience in Suffering

[7] Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. [8] You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. (ESV)

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Transcript

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Chapter 5 

James 5:1–6 

Warning to the Rich 

[1] Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. [2] Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. [3] Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. [4] Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. [5] You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. [6] You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you. (ESV) 

This is clearly a continuation of James thought in the previous chapter; 

James 4:13–17 

[13] Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—[14] yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. [15] Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” [16] As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. [17] So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. (ESV) 

Messiah said in the sermon on the mount, 

Matthew 6:19–20 

[19] “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, [20] but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (ESV) 

I’m going to say this, and I’m saying this without judging anyone else, this is just something that has gone through my own mind from time to time. 

I’ve wondered if the church hasn’t veered off from its original path. We’re taught to believe that without faith it’s impossible to please Him, but most churches, not all, but most churches operate with a vast safety net. They have a rather large bank account that they can always fall back on. There are some that have gotten into financial trouble with building programs and things of that nature that can financially ruin an assembly. But my point it, we’re not told to go create the Taj Ma’hal so people will see our wealth and want to come in. The Messiah said, John 13:35 

[35] By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (ESV) not by your church building or your really nicely dressed congregation. 

I’m not against a nice church, but many people on the road of the truth, feel the need to keep up with the baptists, methodists, catholics and whoever else you want to throw in there, when that is not what we are called to do. We are called to go make disciples. As a side note, many of these churches are using architecture that looks nice, but there are things incorporated into the structure that is perverse. I don’t mean to claim some esoteric knowledge, but once you have seen it you see it everywhere. Jesus didn’t call us to be like Roman Catholics and her daughters. Again, He called us to make disciples. 

If you want to do something that clearly pleases God, go help the poor. An adequate building is enough! 

Back to where we were though, James is speaking on a level of the person, not the church here. 

Asaph says, 

Psalm 73:2–3 

 [2] But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, 

 my steps had nearly slipped. 

 [3] For I was envious of the arrogant 

 when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. (ESV) 

I believe we may have read this verse dealing with chapter 4, but Paul says; 1 Timothy 6:9–10 

[9] But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. [10] For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. (ESV) 

2 Timothy 4:10 

[10] For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. 

We could keep going, but just one more from the apostle John; 

1 John 2:15–17 

[15] Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. [16] For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. [17] And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (ESV) 

James 5:4 

[4] Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. (ESV) 

Remember who James’ original audience was, this would hit home with them that had heard the Torah read aloud in their synagogue over and over in their lifetime, plus according to Deuteronomy 31:10-12 it was to be read during the sabbatical year, every 7 years to all of Israel during the Feast of Tabernacles; anyway, back to 

Leviticus 19:13 

[13] “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. (ESV) 

James 5:7 

[7] Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. (ESV) 

Receives the early and the late rains, 

Egpyt was the Roman empire’s bread basket. The flooding of the Nile river deposited nutrient dense silt in the Nile basin. The farmer depended on the Nile for irrigation. Just as a point of extra knowledge, Rome had to have control of the nations around the Mediterranean sea to assure pirates didn’t hinder the grain shipments from Egypt. 

What James is referring to by the early and late rains is a different type of existence. Agriculture in Judea and Galilee was dependent on those rains falling as they had no reliable source just passing through as the Egyptians did. That’s why the former and the latter rain analogy is used in scripture so often, the agricultural society understood it well. 

Before I go a little further with James here, I would like to point out that even 2000 years ago, the followers of Messiah evidently believed that His coming was imminent. He told them in Acts 1:7 it wasn’t for them to know, now go do what I told you, but they believed He was returning soon. Off the top of my head, the only scripture that comes to mind to the contrary would be Peter, 2 Peter 3:3–4 

[3] knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. [4] They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” (ESV) This gives us an idea that Peter believed maybe it wasn’t so soon. But truthfully, it’s speculation on our part either way. All we have is the appearance. 

James goes on in the analogy; 

James 5:8 

[8] You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. (ESV) 

Be patient as the farmer is patient, 

Mark 4:26–29 

[26] And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. [27] He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. [28] The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. [29] But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” (ESV) 

Waiting for the Kingdom of God to arrive in its fullness is a waiting game. Occupy until I come, He told His disciples. That’s the church’s job! 

Until next time this is brother Jason reminding you, Jesus is not in the godhead! 

For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. (Colossians 2:9 [KJV] 

Until next time, goodbye and God bless!