James 5:1 - 6 (Danger! Danger! Danger!

 October 8, 2021 (Friday)

 

It is tempting to equate wealth with injustice and being irredeemable (not able to be saved). The theory is that wealth corrupts an individual. The trouble is the Bible never states this is so. Wealth does expand our opportunities to stray into selfish, self-serving, and self-indulgent sin.

 

James seems to condemn the wealthy, “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.” [James 5:1 ESV] The image of weeping, mourning, and wailing has already been used in James 4:9 as a general course of action in aiding us to submitting to God and resisting the devil. This gives us a heads up that James is about to deal with something specific.

 

James warns, “Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 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.” [James 5:2 – 3 ESV] Notice this is a threat with images of wealth rotting, rusting, and revealing our true nature. Wealth exposes our loves, goals, and priorities. Seriously, do you want your goodies now or do you want to lay up treasures in Heaven (see Matthew 6:19 – 21)?

 

I think “wealth” is relative, dependent on context. What James is addressing the opportunity wealth exposes, “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.” [James 5:4 ESV] Generally, how we use our resources reflects on how we view others. Specifically, James (as well as God) is siding with the worker against an unjust employer or slave owner. Notice James uses the title “Lord of hosts,” meaning Lord of armies. In other words, God has more than enough power to make good on His threats.

 

You might think you have little (relative) wealth, but how do you treat (tip) the people who wait on you at a restaurant. I know there are places in the world that pay wait staff a living wage, but that’s not so in America. How about the store that makes record profits yet pays “starvation wages” to its employees. Shopping there aids the injustice and subjects us to God’s justice (wrath).

 

James continues the accusation, “You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.” [James 5:6 ESV] Earlier, James warned us not to show favoritism because the rich (in his context) was creating a lot of problems for believers. Now he accuses the rich of imprisoning and murdering the righteous.

 

I believe those who follow Jesus will be at least minimally generous to embarrassingly generous. This is not because we are projecting superiority. It is because we genuinely love Jesus and others. It is, to quote Jesus, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” [Matthew 7:12 ESV]

 

Let’s be clear, wealth is a dangerous thing. Like a car, it must be used wisely and under control. However, wealth does not necessarily corrupt, it exposes what is already in the heart. Understanding this Paul issued this statement, “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.” [1 Timothy 6:10 ESV] SPOILER ALERT: The gold (image of wealth) we value in this life is only pavement in Heaven (see Revelation 21:21).

 

Some fear persecution. The real test is prosperity.