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James 5:1–3
“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you” (v. 1).
The Apostle James has been reminding us that we should take God into account as we plan for the future. His words apply to all our plans, but he has focused especially on the plans of those who are engaged in commerce and seek to make a profit (James 4:13–17). James’ teaching is part of his overall concern with poverty and wealth, one of the three main themes of his epistle. His discussion of wealth continues in today’s passage.
James’ tone takes a sharp turn in 5:1–3 as he issues a prophetic judgment on the rich that has much in common with the oracles of woe pronounced by the old covenant prophets. The difficulty here is in determining whether James is addressing believers or unbelievers. While there are good arguments to be made that James has wealthy believers in view, the evidence favors wealthy unbelievers as the target of his critique. The sudden shift in James’ tone and lack of an explicit reference to the possibility of repentance makes it more likely that he has in view wealthy non-Christians who have been mistreating believers (see vv. 4–6). It might seem odd that James would direct his words to unbelievers in a letter meant to be read in the church, but it makes sense when we think about it. Christians who have little might be tempted to envy non-Christians who have great wealth, and James’ calling for judgment on rich oppressors reminds believers that in the end, wealth will not save them, helping us not to envy. His words also remind us that God will avenge those who mistreat believers, helping us develop patience as we await that day (see vv. 7–11). Importantly, we remember also that the Old Testament prophets included oracles of judgment against the nations in their books even though their audience was primarily made up of old covenant believers (see Jer. 46–51).
As we will see in our next study, James is condemning not wealth in and of itself but rather the misuse of wealth. Those who engage in such misuse are apt to trust in that wealth to save them and to solve all their problems. Consequently, James stresses the impermanence of wealth. The fancy garments of rich oppressors are already rotted and moth-eaten (James 5:2). Of course, they were not really wearing clothes in such poor shape; James’ description conveys the certainty of their eventual destruction, for decay comes to all things. He makes similar comments about gold and silver, which will not rescue them on judgment day (v. 3).
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Where do we place our ultimate trust? Because of the remaining presence of sin, we can fall into the trap of thinking that our riches provide some kind of ultimate security. We must avoid such thinking, for only the Lord is our shelter.
For further study
- Proverbs 11:4
- Ecclesiastes 6:1–2
- Matthew 6:19–21
- Luke 12:13–21
The bible in a year
- Deuteronomy 32–33
- Luke 1:1–38