“A Faith that works: When Suffering Unfairly/Treated Unjustly” (James 5:1-12)
I. See the spiritual condition of your persecutors (vs. 1-6)
1. “come now”- 4:13, “you rich”- context calls for unbelieving wealthy landowners (no “brethren” &
warning of imminent judgment). For the most part they would not have been in the church services, but
this was a powerful warning to them and to the poor believers to not be envious or put their trust in
wealth. “weep/howl”- weep audibly, 2nd term onomatopoeic & a more passionate expression of grief.
2. Four evils:
a) hoarded wealth v2-3: so much that they don’t know what to do with it. Their riches/wealth were in the
process of rotting- crops & other earthly goods; their clothing was moth-eaten (from storage); their gold
& silver had become tarnished or corroded in storage (Moo on rust “a traditional way of designating the
temporality of even the most precious metals.”) They who had successfully abused the poor in court
would have this rust as a witness against them in the future judgment. “consume/devour your flesh like
fire”- corroding in this life & destined for hell for their un-forgiven selfish sins. “last days”- (Acts 2:17,
I John 2:18) unaware of this they have stored up their treasures in the wrong place (Matt. 6:19-21).
b) unpaid wages v4: Before 70 AD there was an increasing concentration of land in the hand of such
wealthy men. They hired poorer men, who need daily wages to purchase food, to do their work (Deut.
24:14,15). Some took the land of others through the courts and accumulated more wealth by not paying
agreed upon wages. The outcry (Gen. 4:10, Ex. 2:23) over this injustice reached the Lord of Sabaoth in
heaven: He is over all forces & armies earthly & heavenly & can bring justice to these poor Christians.
c) Self-centered living v5: “lived luxuriously”, “wanton pleasure”- give yourself completely satisfy your
pleasures, no concern for others. “fattened”- like cattle/sheep grazing until the time they are slaughtered
(Jer. 12:3). This could come with an untimely death & then the judgment beyond that (Luke 12:16-21).
This is a challenge for us living in a culture oriented towards leisure.
d) Murder v6: “condemned” indicates some sort of unrighteous legal proceedings (maybe to take their
land). This poor man did not oppose or resist them. Stripped of his land & killed or throne in prison to
die would make the whole family vulnerable.
3. The suffering righteous need to see the spiritual condition of these unjust non-Christians will be that of
judgment without mercy (2:13).
II. Patiently wait for the Lord’s coming (vs. 7-9)
1. James exhorted them to “patience” (4X vs. 7-10). Be long-suffering, slow to anger while they endure
such unjust treatment. He calls them to be like the farmer who waits patiently for the early & late rains.
Seeds were sown in the fall, flowed by early rains (Oct/Nov) which led to germination. Then they
waited for the spring rains (March-May) which helped the crops mature before harvesting.
2. In the same way, they needed to be patient & strengthen their hearts with the 2 nd Coming of the Lord
being imminent (“is at hand” pf.).
3. “Do not/stop complain”- to sigh, groan (Rom. 8:23, 2 Cor. 5:2,4) in this case against one another in the
church. When things are going bad, it is tempting to find someone blame or vent your anger on innocent
Christians. When you groan/murmur, you are not waiting patiently & will be judged for such verbal sin.
4. ‘the Judge/standing at the door”- pf. as though His hand is on the doorknob. Let His coming be one of
pure joy rather than some shame for complaining against fellow believers.
III. Be inspired by others example (vs. 10-11)
1. James pointed to the prophets like Jeremiah who suffered persecution and patiently endured. On
reflection, Christians count them blessed (one under God’s approval & favor) who endured such
treatment (though it didn’t feel like it to Jeremiah).
2. Job is proverbial for enduring through much suffering. The outcome of the Lord’s dealing with him
showed that the Lord was full of compassion & mercy. Job 42:10-13 He gave a double blessing after his
severe trial.
IV. Don’t resort to careless oaths (vs. 12, Lev. 19:12)
1. “Above all”- very important practice to avoid (context when suffering unjustly). “Stop/Do not swear…”
This is not foul language as we think of it, nor against all oaths (Heb. 6:17, 2 Cor. 1:23) but a rash or
careless oath that is taken in the midst of suffering. They Jews took many oaths. They thought that an
oath tied with God’s Name was binding, but one sworn by heaven or earth was not binding. Matt. 5:3337- One misses the point by trying to split hairs in this way. We need to consider carefully any kind of
oath/promise made lest we be judged for taking the Lord’s Name in vain by our bad testimony.
2. Be a person of your word where your “yes” means “yes” and your “no” means “no”. Our reputation
should be such that no one would ever feel they need an oath from us.