THE BOOK OF JAMES
(A Warning to the Rich - July 9, 2023)
Series Big Idea: "Genuine Christian faith is proven true through action"
Sermon Big Idea: “Judgement is coming on those who abuse their wealth"
Key Scripture (James 5:1-6)
(James 5:1-6)
Come now, you rich people! Weep and wail over the miseries that are coming on you. 2 Your wealth is ruined and your clothes are moth-eaten. 3 Your silver and gold are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You stored up treasure in the last days! 4 Look! The pay that you withheld from the workers who reaped your fields cries out, and the outcry of the harvesters has reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts. 5 You have lived luxuriously on the land and have indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned—you have murdered—the righteous man; he does not resist you.
The first words out of the gate in our passage are the same words that are used in the previous section (James 4:13), “come now.” This is a bold statement. James gets right to the point by addressing his readers as “rich people.” Could “rich” be the theme of this section? Possibly. But take note that the Bible nowhere condemns the rich for being rich. It is the abuse of those riches that the Bible addresses. That is the same issue James is focused on here.
Verse 1 is key to understanding this passage. He describes these people in terms of their behavior. Then what follows is a fourfold description of who these “rich” are.
These people should be in a state of fear. Why? Because he says, “weep and wail over the miseries that are coming.” They should be expressing an attitude of sorrow and repentance. “Weeping” carries the idea of sobbing and “wailing” means out loud. “Miseries” is not a general statement, it is specific. Their behavior has been noted by God and there is going to be a day of reckoning. There is a future judgment coming.
In verses 2 and 3 he gets specific about the four characteristics of these rich people. First, they are people who have been hoarding their riches. He says, “Your wealth is ruined, your clothes are moth-eaten, and your silver and gold are corroded.” The corrosion will stand as a “witness” against them on the day of judgment. They “stored up treasure” and this is evidence they have been doing this with temporary things, hoarding resources for selfish reasons and not using their wealth in a compassionate way. Christians are never to be characterized by hoarding resources.
Secondly, James says another characteristic of these people is that they have been defrauding their workers. The “pay,” “workers,” and “harvesters” cries have reached the ears of the “Lord of Hosts.” These cries are heard by the LORD! The LORD has the authority and the resources of heaven at His disposal. We as Christians are never to withhold wages and if it does happen it reaches the ears of the LORD.
Thirdly, these people are characterized as people who delight in self-indulgence. They have “lived luxuriously and have indulged themselves.” They have “fattened their hears,” spending on themselves. All this is a very unattractive picture of self-indulgence.
Lastly, they have gained wealth unjustly. They do this so they can maintain their hoard. When I think of this characteristic, I think about the Old Testament story of King Ahab and Naboth’s vineyard in (1 Kings 21). King Ahab coveted Naboth’s vineyard and desired it at any cost. When he couldn’t have it, his wife Jezebel took it and had Naboth killed. They paid dearly for this sin.
Conclusion:
The application for us as Christians in this passage is, don’t be like these people. We are not to hoard our riches, no matter how wealthy or not wealthy we are. If we manage businesses and people, we are to be fair and not withhold from them what is rightfully theirs. We are not to be consumed with ourselves. We are to think of others.
I feel this passage connects all the way back to (James 1:2-4). 2 Consider it all joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. Could this be a test for us as Christians? Possibly. Because no Christian should ever be characterized by the things James has mentioned. For those of us who have been on the other end of being treated like this, James will discuss what to do when we have been subjected to this.
Pastor Beaver's thoughts and ideas are inspired by:
Holman Christian Standard Bible
English Standard Version Bible
King James Version Bible
Christian Standard Bible
Walvoord, John F., and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.
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Understanding the Gospel. (2019). James 5:1-6 [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved July 6, 2023, from https://youtu.be/34bY18ZY8zE
Smith, Jerome H. The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge: The Most Complete Listing of Cross References Available Anywhere- Every Verse, Every Theme, Every Important Word. Nashville TN: Thomas Nelson, 1992.
Willmington, H. L. The Outline Bible. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1999.
Hughes, Robert B., and J. Carl Laney. Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary. The Tyndale Reference Library. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001.
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