Bible Study James 5: 1-20

 

A Commentary of the Book of James

By Dr. Barry L. Jenkins

Text Used: Legacy Standard Bible

Bible Study James 5: 1-20

Text:

Miseries of the Rich

5 Come now, you rich, cry, howling over 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 corrosion will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. You have stored up such treasure in the last days! 4 Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields—that which has been withheld by you—cries out against you; and the outcries of those who did the harvesting have reached the ears of the [a]Lord of [b]Sabaoth. 5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and lived in self-indulgence. You have [c]fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous man; [d]he does not resist you.

Patience and Perseverance

7 Therefore be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the soil, being patient about it, until [e]it receives the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not groan, brothers, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing [f]right at the [g]door. 10 As an example, brothers, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we count those blessed who persevere. You have heard of the [h]perseverance of Job and have seen the [i]outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let [j]your yes be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, [k]anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer [l]offered in faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, [m]they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective [n]prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed [o]earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 Then he prayed again, and the [p]sky gave rain and the earth produced its fruit.

19 My brothers, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, 20 let him know that [q]he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Verse by verse commentary:

Verse 1: “Come now, you rich, cry, howling over your miseries which are coming upon you.”

The Bible does not condemn wealth itself. It condemns greed and covetousness. Sometimes wealth is seen as the blessing of God. However, the wealthy, as a social class, are often guilty of exploiting and taking advantage of the poor. God will bring severe judgment for this. 

Verse 2: “Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten.”

It has been said that it is foolish to try and keep what you can’t in exchange for something you can't lose. James points out the foolishness of hoarding food, expensive clothing, or money, all of which decay and rot, or be lost due to theft, or disaster. Sometimes I will see a person driving an old luxury car that is no longer luxurious and think, in its day that car was a sight to behold. The only true things of value are the things which you can’t lose. What are they? They are your treasures in heaven that will last for all eternity.

Verse 3: “Your gold and your silver have rusted, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. You have stored up such treasure in the last days!”

The “last days” is the period between Christ’s first and second coming. James rebukes the rich for living as if Jesus were never coming back. He is coming back and I believe very soon. What does He find when He comes back for you? What will you have for Him?

Verse 4: “Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields—that which has been withheld by you—cries out against you; and the outcries of those who did the harvesting have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.”

It was a violation of God’s Law to withhold wages when they were due. Wages were not only to be paid, but they were to be paid on time. God has always had a special place in His heart for the poor. Today, we have many working poor. If you are an employer, and call yourself a Christian, you are to treat your employees with respect and do right by them.

Verse 5: “You have lived luxuriously on the earth and lived in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.”

Just like animals are fattened for slaughter without their knowing what was going to happen to them, the rich are unaware of the disaster awaiting them because of how they have treated the poor and lived their lives wasting their wealth on their selfishness and lusts.

Verse 6: “You have condemned and murdered the righteous man; he does not resist you.”

This verse continues revealing the sinful progression of the rich. Refusing to pay laborers led to fraud, which led to self-indulgence. Finally, that overindulgence has consumed the rich to the point that they will do anything to sustain their lifestyle. “Condemned” comes from a word meaning “to sentence.” When courts are biased because of the parties involved, it brings a sense of hopelessness. We need our courts to be based on the law as evenly applied to all parties. James is exposing the power of some wealthy to satisfy their carnal desires.

Verse 7: “Therefore be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the soil, being patient about it, until it receives the early and late rains.”

James is making the point that Christians need to wait patiently for the glorious Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a time that God’s promised vindication of His people will occur. God promises justice to correct and punish  all forms of injustice in this world. As the song goes, “What a day that will be….”

Verse 8: “You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”

To “strengthen your hearts”  is a call for resolute, firm courage and commitment. James encourages those about to collapse under the weight of persecution to strengthen their hearts with the hope of the second coming. He is coming again! Will you be ready?

Verse 9: “Do not groan, brothers, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.”

James pictures Christ as a Judge about to open the doors to the courtroom and start His court. Knowing that the strain of persecution could lead to grumbling, fear, and worry, James warned his readers against that sin, lest they forfeit their full reward. They would not lose their salvation, however.

Verse 10: “As an example, brothers, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.” 

The prophets are an example to us. They suffered, and they were patient. We should follow their example. They were men with the same passions and weaknesses as us today. If they could do it, so must we.

Verse 11: “Behold, we count those blessed who persevere. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.”

Job is the classic case of a man who patiently endured suffering and was blessed by God for his persevering faith at the end. James comforts his readers that God had a purpose for their suffering, just as He did for Job’s. We stand on a foundation that is based on the fact that the “Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.”

Verse 12: “But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your yes be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.

“Above all” is an emphatic exhortation signals a weighty priority for godliness. “Do not swear” is not a prohibition against cursing or the use of vulgarity. It concerns taking oaths by appealing to objects as witnesses. You don’t swear “on your mother’s grave” or use expressions like “I swear to God” in an effort to prove your point. Letting your “yes be yes, and your no, no” means the Christian is expected to be a person whose word can be trusted. If you are living a Godly life, people should respect your word on its own without an appeal to a higher authority. 

Verse 13: “Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.”

The answer to the suffering caused by evil treatment, the world, the devil or persecution either religiously or by the government, is seeking God’s comfort through prayer. When you do, you should become cheerful and that will lead to singing God’s praises.

Verse 14: “Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”

James instructs those who are “sick,” meaning weakened by their suffering, to call for the elders of the church for strength, support, and prayer. Notice there is no reference to any spiritual gifts such as healings or miracles. To “anoint” someone with oil meant to rub the oil on their body. This could be a ceremonial anointing like you see in many churches today or an actual application of medicine to the bodies of those sick. I think the best view is that both could be correct interpretations. 

Verse 15: “And the prayer offered in faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.”

There is no special “prayer of faith” that has healing power. Many Bible versions translate the verse as “prayer of faith.” The Legacy translation correctly interprets the Greek as “offered in faith.” The power of trusting and faithful prayer is the point here; the Christian community should be regularly in intercessory prayer for the sick. Healing and forgiveness while they may be connected are not necessarily connected. Sin and illness are not unrelated. Forgiveness is beneficial to the body as well as to the soul.

Verse 16: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

We do not confess our sins to each other to receive forgiveness. That only comes from God through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, mutual transparency and sharing of struggles will enable believers to uphold each other in spiritual battles. We should be humble enough to admit our shortcomings to others in the body of Christ. Others may be struggling with our same issues and this could lead to mutual encouragement in the Lord. Prayer coming from a righteous person will bring positive results. The consistent, passionate prayers of godly men have the power to accomplish much. Prayer should always be our first response to challenges in life.

Verse 17: “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.”

Elijah provides one of the most effective stories in the Old Testament of the power of prayer. His prayers both initiated and ended a 3-year, 6-month drought. His example should be ever before us as we pray for our country, government, and lost loved ones. There is no problem so vast and challenging that prayer will not help. 

Verse 18: “Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the earth produced its fruit.”

Consider that Elijah for three and a half years he held back the rain. The drought did not end until he prayed. We are the same type of person Elijah was. Elijah wasn’t Superman; he was “a man subject to like passions as we are.” However, he was a man who prayed with passion, and that is the kind of praying we need today.

Verse 19: “My brothers, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back,”

To “strays from the truth” means to stray into sin. James is closing his book with a focus on holy living. He makes clear that we have an affirmative duty to be in the lives of those that claim to be part of the body of Christ. There should be no looking away from those in the church if they began to act in a manner unbecoming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 20: “let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

The care and concern of the souls of the community of faith is a matter of interest of every member, not only church officers or the ministry. Mutual help and encouragement, and sometimes rebuke and correction are required. To “cover” means God’s covering of sins with forgiveness after repentance.