James–Part 22

Come now, you rich people, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.
James 5:1

Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.
(Jesus) Luke 6:24-25

When compared to the rest of the world, most Americans live in the lap of luxury, so it is not surprising that many of us become uneasy when we read what Jesus and James had to say about rich people. Some of the Lord’s harshest remarks were directed toward the wealthy.

The fifth chapter of the Letter of James echoes the words of Jesus and brings four charges against the rich. But before we look at the indictment James brings, let’s get clear about who is being addressed here. Verse 4 identifies the accused as wealthy landowners, a group that is often condemned in the Old Testament for greed and exploitation. They are not criticized for being wealthy; they are rebuked because they are consumed by avarice, and they are unconcerned about the people who work for them. So the passage is not addressed to all rich people, but to those who will not submit to God. James is speaking about nonbelievers who use their wealth to take advantage of others, and he makes four accusations:

James–Part 21

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that town and stay there a year, doing business and making money.” You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do and doesn’t do it, sins.
James 4:13-17

Psychics, astrologers, palm readers, and others claim to have the ability to see what lies ahead, but the Bible categorically condemns such practices. Does that mean God does not want us to plan for the future? Of course not. The Scriptures encourage us to make plans, but there is a right way and a wrong way to do that. Sadly, most of us choose the wrong way to plan.

The fourth chapter of James tells us how to face the future in a God-honoring way, and uses a hypothetical business discussion to make the point. Imagine yourself seated at a cafe in downtown Jerusalem and overhearing a conversation at the next table between two business partners. One says to the other, “Today or tomorrow we will go to a certain town and stay there a year, doing business and making money.”

James–Part 20

God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves, therefore, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
James 4:6b-10

James wrote to a group of believers who were finding it difficult to get along with one another. I’m thankful for his letter because I live in a world filled with conflicts. And while there is little I can do about national and international conflicts, there is something I can do about the conflicts that rage in my soul.

In verse six, James quotes Proverbs 3:34 to identify both the cause of conflict and its cure: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” The Bible says pride is the source of our relational troubles. It is pride that leads us to conclude we deserve anything we desire. It is pride that says, “If there is someone or something I can possess that will make me feel better, then I deserve to have it, and I will do all I can to get it. After all, I’m worth it.”

James, Part 19

Today’s passage contains one of the most scathing rebukes in the Bible. And it is directed to Christians:

Adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you suppose that it is for nothing that the scripture says, ‘He yearns jealously for the spirit that he has made to dwell in us’? But he gives more grace… ”
James 4:4–6a

James refers to his readers as “adulteresses,” but he is not just speaking to women. He uses the feminine form of the word to remind his readers that God views his people as his bride. “For your Maker is your husband–the Lord Almighty is his name–the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth” (Isaiah 54:5).

What is the significance of God claiming the role of husband? It means that our relationship to God is not distant like that of a king and his subjects, but intimate, like the marriage relationship. And Israel was terribly unfaithful. The passage from Ezekiel below is long, but it provides a dramatic picture of how God feels when his people reject him.