WRATH UPON THE WICKED

JAMES 5:1–6

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you

(James 5:1).

James 5 begins on an ominous note as an excoriating rebuke is pronounced upon the unbelieving rich who oppress the church. We can surmise that this rebuke is directed toward those outside the church because James earlier focused comments toward the wealthy who were abusing and persecuting believers (see 2:6–8). Calvin indicated this weeping would not come from a wounded heart full of contrition. Rather, these smug, guilty rich, when they meet the summons of God, would scream in agony at the prospect of their coming misery.

These verses are close to the admonishments of Jesus when He warned us to not put our trust in material wealth or things that fade, corrode, and rot. The wealth of people addressed by James was primarily in the area of produce. They had hoarded their resources in order to drive up market value, and in so doing over a long period of time, their produce was rotting in the barns, a testimony against their selfishness when many people went hungry.

Likewise, when most first-century people were fortunate to have more than one cloak, these rich had so many that moths began to destroy their hoarded stock of garments. Even the most prized property—gold and silver—would corrode and become worthless when God judged their wickedness. It is not the possessing of such things that James condemns, only the hoarding of them.

Verse three drips with irony because with Paul, James says that while these people thought they were storing up treasure for the future, in fact they were storing up ever increasing wrath on Judgment Day. Contrary to popular thought today, this teaching affirms there is graduated punishment. Such people heap up greater amounts of punishment due to their misplaced trust.

But further, in verses 4–6, we see that they not only hoarded goods, they defrauded the poor and the weak. The sin was not low wages (although in many instances they may have underpaid their workers). The sin is that they agreed to pay laborers certain rates. But they simply did not pay, knowing that these people had no power to contest such treatment. This sort of abuse continues to be practiced by the powerful in many parts of the world today.

CORAM DEO

Hebrews 8–10

Someone has said wisely that if we hold with clenched fists to material things, we cannot open our hands to receive blessing from God. Do you need to adjust your stewardship of what God has given you? Are you hoarding things destined to fade? Ask God for courage to loosen your grip on passing things.

For further study: Isa. 50:4–11 • Jer. 9:23–24 • Heb. 13:5–6

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