James 5:1-11

Before you start your time with God today, take a moment to pray to your God. Ask God to "open the eyes of your understanding" to the wisdom of His Word, the hope of your calling, and the greatness of His power (Eph. 1:17-19)! Then read the passage slowly, taking notes on what God is teaching you through His Word, and answer the questions.


As you read this week's passage, look for these words or phrases: riches, weep, Lord of Sabaoth, patient, farmer, prophets, and Job.


Passage for the week: James 5:1-11 (NASB)

1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.
2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten.
3 Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!
4 Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
6 You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.
7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.
8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.
10 As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
11 We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.


DIGGING DEEPER:


MONDAY


· List 5 specific things that you noticed about the passage.




· List characteristics of God that you find in the passage (what God is like, His attributes).



· How does this passage connect with the rest of the book of James? Where else does James talk about the rich people who were abusing the poor?



TUESDAY

· Why would the riches of those in verses 1-3 be “rotted”, garments “moth-eaten”, and gold “rusted”? How will the rust of the gold be a witness against them and consume their flesh like fire? What does James mean here?




· When will the judgment of verses 2-3 come? Is James speaking of the present or the future? Explain your answer.




· James notes that the rich have stored their treasure in the last days. Compare and contrast Jesus’ parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:13-21 to James 5:3. Are you laying up treasure in Heaven or on earth? Remember, where your treasure is, that’s where your heart is too!



WEDNESDAY

· The laborers in this passage are the field workers for the rich. What have they done to “reach the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth”?




· In verse 4, James uses the highest name for God in the Hebrew mind. Be careful - the text says, “The Lord of Sabaoth” and not “the Lord of the Sabbath.” What does the Lord of Sabaoth mean? What is the significance of James using it here?



· In verse 5, James condemns the rich for having “fattened [their] hearts in the day of slaughter.” What is this “day of slaughter”? What is James referring to?



THURSDAY

· What is a life of “wanton pleasure”? What does that look like? Is the term “pleasure” used anywhere else by James?




· What does James mean in verse 9 by the “Judge is standing right at the door”? Why would that keep them or you from complaining against each other? Why would you complain if you were in this situation?



· Why do you think they would kill a righteous man? Why doesn’t the righteous man resist?



FRIDAY


· James mentions Job as an example of endurance. Why does he choose Job? Why is he such a great example of endurance? Read Job 42:10-17. How did God bless Job for his endurance?



· Pick a verse or two from this passage that has really challenged you and memorize it.


Chew on this:

James now turns to the wealthy outside the church. These people are not only failing the test of having wealth, but they are also the source of some of the pressure on the church as they take advantage of poor Christians. James does not waste any time telling them that they should be weeping over their sin and that their wealth will be the end of them. James takes the rich people on a trip into the future. He shows them what their great stores of possessions will look like – rotted or corroded! The “corrosion” of their wealth is evidence that they did not need it as bad as they think.

Just like the rich in this passage, our wealth is not the most important thing in our lives. James even shocks us in this verse by telling us that the riches that we believe will bring us happiness will actually eat your flesh like fire! This reminds me of the rich man in Jesus’ parable in Luke 12:13-21. The end of the world is coming, and it is time to put treasure in heaven, not store it on earth.

Far from giving, these people have done even worse in that they have failed to pay the workmen who harvested their fields. What made it worse is that no one would hear the cries of the workers. The workers, however, appealed to heaven, and the Lord Sabaoth heard their cry. The term Lord Sabaoth is the term means “Lord of Hosts or armies.” God Almighty does not hear and then do nothing as people are living luxuriously, robbing the poor, and even condemning those less fortunate; He hears and acts with awesome power. Instead of a day of harvest for the rich, it will be a day of slaughter with God’s judgment behind it! In fact, God is already standing at the door – His judgment may come sooner than we think! In the midst of all these things, however, we should be sure to not complain or grow impatient, but to trust God to make things right in His timing when He returns. Just as the farmer waits patiently from the planting of his seeds (early rain) to the harvesting of his crops (latter rain), so we should wait patiently for the Lord’s return.

James concludes by telling how we can strengthen our hearts as we persevere. We are told to remember the suffering of the Old Testament prophets who suffered as they spoke in the name of the Lord. Men like Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel all went through incredible hardship, but remained faithful to the God they served so well. What is interesting to me is that the example of Job, not a prophet, but a righteous man, is tacked on to this. Even though we may not be able to relate to the Old Testament prophets, we can certainly all connect with Job. He was not always perfect, and even questioned God and doubted His promises. However, God had not forgotten him. In fact, one of the main lessons we learn from Job’s life is not his suffering, but God’s unlimited compassion and mercy!

The point of all of this is not to condemn people who have wealth. It is those who “desire to be rich” that will face ruin and destruction (1Timothy 6:9-10). Life is not about ownership, but stewardship! We have to remember that God is the source of everything we have and that He expects us to use it for His glory by investing it in what will count for eternity. James also encourages us to focus on the promises and compassion of the Lord. We can trust Him to be the righteous Judge and to be a gracious and merciful God!


For His Name,

Pastor Stephen