November
18th James
5
Condemnation of oppression
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.
D.
Suffering for Christ Patience and holiness in suffering
7:
Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold,
the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath
long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8:
Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord
draweth nigh. 9: Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be
condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. 10: Take, my
brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for
an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. 11: Behold, we
count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job,
and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and
of tender mercy. 12: But above all things, my brethren, swear not,
neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath:
but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into
condemnation. 13: Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any
merry? let him sing psalms. 14: Is any sick among you? let him call
for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing
him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15: And the prayer of faith
shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have
committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 16: Confess your faults
one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The
effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 17: Elias
was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly
that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space
of three years and six months. 18: And he prayed again, and the
heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. 19:
Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
20: Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error
of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude
of sins.
James
lastly rails against the rich who oppress the poor. He speaks of
their fraud and corruption and tells them of the sure judgment of
God. He is particularly vehement against those who use their wealth
and power to persecute the righteous. He speaks of the armies of God
who will bring vengeance on the evil doers. He reminds them of the
patience of Job and of Gods blessing on him in the end. And he warns
them to not use oaths as a cover for lies. In true Jewish fashion, to
gives instruction for the various situations of life. To those who
are afflicted – pray. To those who are merry – singing, and to
those who are sick – Let them call the elders of the synagogue to
pray and anoint with oil (Symbol of the spiritual life) and those who
have sinned will be forgiven. (This is the judgment of God that comes
on the Jewish believers as a form of apostolic discipline. 1Cor
11v29-31) James encourages the believers to confess their faults one
to another. What honesty and humility this will bring. James gives
the example of the judgment of God on Israel at the hand of Elijah
who prayed that God might discipline Israel with drought and who
after three years was the instrument of deliverance. Lastly he
encourages those who are Pastors to restore the believers who go
astray. They save sinning believers from the discipline of the LORD
and cover a multitude of sins. Such was the judgment of God in the
apostolic days.
- What does James say about the rich who use their power to oppress the poor? And what will God do to avenge the poor?
- Why are these Jews sick?
- What is the means of their cure?
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