Chapter Thirteen: Let Us Pray (James 5:13–20)
“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” (, NIV) The war in the heart is helping to cause the wars in the church! “But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth … For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work” (, ).
The essence of sin is selfishness. Eve disobeyed God because she wanted to eat of the tree and become wise like God. Abraham lied about his wife because he selfishly wanted to save his own life (). Achan caused defeat to Israel because he selfishly took some forbidden loot from the ruins of Jericho (Josh. 7). “We have turned every one to his own way” ().
Often we veil our religious quarrels under the disguise of “spirituality.” We are like Miriam and Aaron who complained about Moses’ wife, but who really were envious of Moses’ authority (Num. 12). Or we imitate James and John who asked for special thrones in the kingdom, when what we really want is recognition today (). In both of these instances, the result of selfish desire was chastening and division among God’s people. Miriam’s sin halted the progress of Israel for a whole week!
Selfish desires are dangerous things. They lead to wrong actions (“ye kill, ye fight and war,” ), and they even lead to wrong praying (“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures,” , NIV). When our praying is wrong, our whole Christian life is wrong. It has well been said that the purpose of prayer is not to get man’s will done in heaven, but to get God’s will done on earth.
“Thou shalt not covet” is the last of God’s Ten Commandments, but its violation can make us break all of the other nine! Covetousness can make a person murder, tell lies, dishonor his parents, commit adultery, and in one way or another violate all of God’s moral law. Selfish living and selfish praying always lead to war. If there is war on the inside, there will ultimately be war on the outside.
People who are at war with themselves because of selfish desires are always unhappy people. They never enjoy life. Instead of being thankful for the blessings they do have, they complain about the blessings they do not have. They cannot get along with other people because they are always envying others for what they have and do. They are always looking for that “magic something” that will change their lives, when the real problem is within their own hearts.
Sometimes we use prayer as a cloak to hide our true desires. “But I prayed about it!” can be one of the biggest excuses a Christian can use. Instead of seeking God’s will, we tell God what He is supposed to do; and we get angry at Him if He does not obey. This anger at God eventually spills over and we get angry at God’s people. More than one church split has been caused by saints who take out their frustrations with God on the members of the church. Many a church or family problem would be solved if people would only look into their own hearts and see the battles raging there.
God made us a unity; mind, emotions, and will should work together. James stated the reason we are at war with ourselves and, consequently, with each other.
The root cause of every war, internal and external, is rebellion against God. At the beginning of Creation, you behold perfect harmony; but sin came into the world, and this led to conflict. Sin is lawlessness (), and lawlessness is rebellion against God.
How does a believer declare war against God? By being friendly with God’s enemies. James names three enemies that we must not fraternize with if we want to be at peace with God.
The world (v. ). By the “world,” James means, of course, human society apart from God. The whole system of things in this society of ours is anti-Christ and anti-God. Abraham was the friend of God (); Lot was the friend of the world. Lot ended up in a war, and Abraham had to rescue him (Gen. 14).
A Christian gets involved with the world gradually, as I pointed out in chapter 4 of this study. First, there is “the friendship of the world” (). This results in being “spotted” by the world () so that areas of our lives meet with the approval of the world. Friendship leads to loving the world (), and this makes it easy to conform to the world (). The sad result is being condemned with the world (), our souls saved “yet as by fire” ().
Friendship with the world is compared to adultery. The believer is “married to Christ” () and ought to be faithful to Him. The Jewish Christians who read this letter would understand this picture of “spiritual adultery” because the Prophets Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Hosea used it when rebuking Judah for her sins (see ; Ezek. 23; Hosea 1–2). By adopting the sinful ways of the other nations, and by worshiping their gods, the nation of Judah committed adultery against her God.
The world is the enemy of God, and whoever wills to be a friend of the world cannot be the friend of God. Neither can he be if he lives for the flesh, for this is the second enemy James named.
The flesh (vv. , ). By “the flesh” is meant the old nature that we inherited from Adam, that is prone to sin. The flesh is not the body. The body is not sinful; the body is neutral. The Spirit may use the body to glorify God, or the flesh may use the body to serve sin. When a sinner yields to Christ, he receives a new nature within, but the old nature is neither removed nor reformed. For this reason, there is a battle within: “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other so that you do not do what you want” (, NIV). This is what James terms “your lusts that are in your members” ().
Living for the flesh means grieving the Holy Spirit of God who lives in us. “Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to live in us longs jealously?” (, NIV, margin) Just as the world is the enemy of God the Father, so the flesh is the enemy of God the Holy Spirit. There is a holy, loving jealousy that a husband and wife have over each other, and rightly so. The Spirit within jealously guards our relationship to God, and the Spirit is grieved when we sin against God’s love.
Living to please the old nature means to declare war against God. “The carnal mind is enmity against God” (). To allow the flesh to control the mind is to lose the blessing of fellowship with God. Abraham had a spiritual mind; he walked with God and enjoyed peace. Lot had a carnal mind; he disobeyed God and experienced war. “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” ().
The devil (vv. ). The world is in conflict with the Father; the flesh fights against the Holy Spirit; and the devil opposes the Son of God. Pride is Satan’s great sin, and it is one of his chief weapons in his warfare against the saint and the Saviour. God wants us to be humble; Satan wants us to be proud. “Ye shall be as God,” Satan promised Eve, and she believed him. A new Christian must not be put into places of spiritual leadership “lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil” ().
God wants us to depend on His grace (“But He giveth more grace”), while the devil wants us to depend on ourselves. Satan is the author of all “do-it-yourself” spiritual enterprises. He enjoys inflating the ego and encouraging the believer to do it his own way. In spite of Jesus’ warnings about Satan’s plans, Peter fell into the snare, pulled out his sword, and tried to accomplish God’s will in his own way. What a mess he made of things!
One of the problems in our churches today is that we have too many celebrities and not enough servants. Christian workers are promoted so much that there is very little place left for God’s glory. Man has nothing to be proud of in himself. There dwells no good thing in us (); but when we trust Christ, He puts that “good thing” in us that makes us His children (, ).
Here, then, are three enemies that want to turn us away from God: the world, the flesh, and the devil. These enemies are left over from our old life of sin (). Christ has delivered us from them, but they still attack us. How can we overcome them? How can we be the friends of God and the enemies of the world, the flesh, and the devil? James gives us three instructions to follow if we would enjoy peace instead of war.
Submit to God (v. ). This word is a military term that means “get into your proper rank.” When a buck private acts like the general, there is going to be trouble! Unconditional surrender is the only way to complete victory. If there is any area of the life kept back from God, there will always be battles. This explains why uncommitted Christians cannot live with themselves or with other people.
“Neither give place to the devil,” cautions Paul in . Satan needs a foothold in our lives if he is going to fight against God; and we give him that foothold. The way to resist the devil is to submit to God.
After King David committed adultery with Bathsheba, and killed her husband, he hid his sins for almost a year. There was war between him and God, and David had declared it. Read Psalms 32 and 51 to discover the high price David paid to be at war with God. When he finally submitted to God, David experienced peace and joy. This too he recorded in Psalms 32 and 51. Submission is an act of the will; it is saying, “Not my will but Thine be done.”
Draw near to God (v. ). How do we do this? By confessing our sins and asking for His cleansing. “Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded.” The Greek word translated purify means “make chaste.” This parallels the idea of “spiritual adultery” in .
Dr. A.W. Tozer has a profound essay in one of his books, entitled, “Nearness Is Likeness.” The more we are like God, the nearer we are to God. I may be sitting in my living room with my Siamese cat on my lap, and my wife may be twenty feet away in the kitchen; yet I am nearer to my wife than to the cat because the cat is unlike me. We have very little in common.
God graciously draws near to us when we deal with the sin in our lives that keeps Him at a distance. He will not share us with anyone else; He must have complete control. The double-minded Christian can never be close to God. Again, Abraham and Lot come to mind. Abraham “drew near” and talked to God about Sodom (), while Lot moved into Sodom and lost the blessing of God.
Humble yourselves before God (vv. ). It is possible to submit outwardly and yet not be humbled inwardly. God hates the sin of pride (), and He will chasten the proud believer until he is humbled. We have a tendency to treat sin too lightly, even to laugh about it (“let your laughter be turned into mourning”). But sin is serious, and one mark of true humility is facing the seriousness of sin and dealing with our disobedience. “A broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise” ().
Sometimes we hear a believer pray, “O Lord, humble me!” That is a dangerous thing to pray. Far better that we humble ourselves before God, confess our sins, weep over them, and turn from them. “To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My Word” (). “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit” ().
If we obey these three instructions, then God will draw near, cleanse us, and forgive us; and the wars will cease! We will not be at war with God, so we will not be at war with ourselves. This means we will not be at war with others. “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever” ().
Put the government of your life on His shoulders, and let Him become the Prince of Peace in your life ().
James began chapter 4 talking about war with God, and he ends it talking about the will of God. But the two themes are related: when a believer is out of the will of God, he becomes a troublemaker and not a peacemaker.
Lot moved into Sodom and brought trouble to his family. David committed adultery and brought trouble to his family and his kingdom. Jonah disobeyed God and almost sent a shipload of heathen sailors into a watery grave. In each case, there was a wrong attitude toward the will of God.
That God would have a plan for each of our lives is an obvious truth. He is a God of wisdom and knows what ought to happen and when it should occur. And, as a God of love, He must desire the very best for His children. Too many Christians look on the will of God as bitter medicine they must take, instead of seeing it as the gracious evidence of the love of God.
“I would give my life to the Lord, but I’m afraid,” a perplexed teenager told me at a church youth conference.
“What are you afraid of?” I asked.
“I’m afraid God will ask me to do something dangerous!”
“The dangerous life is not in the will of God,” I replied, “but out of the will of God. The safest place in the world is right where God wants you.”
I was going through a difficult time in my own ministry some years ago, questioning the will of God. While on vacation, I was reading the Book of Psalms, asking God to give me some assurance and encouragement. was the answer to that prayer: “The counsel of the Lord standeth forever; the thoughts of His heart to all generations.”
“The will of God comes from the heart of God,” I said to myself. “His will is the expression of His love, so I don’t have to be afraid!” It was a turning point in my life to discover the blessing of loving and living the will of God.
In this section of his letter, James pointed out three attitudes toward the will of God. Of course, only one of them is the correct one, the one that every Christian ought to cultivate.
Perhaps James was addressing the wealthy merchants in the assembly. They might have discussed their business deals and boasted about their plans. There is no evidence that they sought the will of God or prayed about their decisions. They measured success in life by how many times they got their own way and accomplished what they had planned.
But James presented four arguments that revealed the foolishness of ignoring the will of God.
The complexity of life (v. ). Think of all that is involved in life: today, tomorrow, buying, selling, getting gain, losing, going here, going there. Life is made up of people and places, activities and goals, days and years; and each of us must make many crucial decisions day after day.
Apart from the will of God, life is a mystery. When you know Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and seek to do His will, then life starts to make sense. Even the physical world around you takes on new meaning. There is a simplicity and unity to your life that makes for poise and confidence. You are no longer living in a mysterious, threatening universe. You can sing, “This is my Father’s world!”
The uncertainty of life (v. ). This statement is based on —“Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” These businessmen were making plans for a whole year when they could not even see ahead into one day! See how confident they were: “We will go. We will stay a year. We will buy and sell and make a profit.”
Their attitude reminds us of the farmer in the parable of Jesus in . The man had a bumper crop; his barns were too small; so he decided to build bigger barns and have greater security for the future. “And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry’ ” ().
What was God’s reply to this man’s boasting? “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee” (). Life is not uncertain to God, but it is uncertain to us. Only when we are in His will can we be confident of tomorrow, for we know that He is leading us.
The brevity of life (v. ). This is one of the repeated themes of Scripture. To us, life seems long and we measure it in years; but in comparison to eternity, life is but a vapor. James borrowed that figure from the Book of Job where you find many pictures of the brevity of life.
“My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle” (). “The cloud is consumed and vanisheth away” (). “Our days upon earth are a shadow” (). “Now my days are swifter than a post” (), referring to the royal couriers that hastened in their missions. “They are passed away as the swift ships: as the eagle that hasteth to the prey” (). “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not” ().
We count our years at each birthday, but God tells us to number our days (). After all, we live a day at a time, and those days rush by quickly the older we grow.
Since life is so brief, we cannot afford merely to “spend our lives”; and we certainly do not want to “waste our lives.” We must invest our lives in those things that are eternal.
God reveals His will in His Word, and yet most people ignore the Bible. In the Bible, God gives precepts, principles, and promises that can guide us in every area of life. Knowing and obeying the Word of God is the surest way to success (; ).
The frailty of man (v. ). “As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil” (NIV). Man’s boasting only covers up man’s weakness. “Man proposes but God disposes,” wrote Thomas Á Kempis. Solomon said it first: “The lot is cast into the lap: but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord” (). Man cannot control future events. He has neither the wisdom to see the future nor the power to control the future. For him to boast is sin; it is making himself God.
How foolish it is for people to ignore the will of God. It is like going through the dark jungles without a map, or over the stormy seas without a compass. When we visited Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, I was impressed with the maze of tunnels and the dense darkness when the lights were turned off. When we got to the “Pulpit Rock,” the man in charge of the tour gave a five-word sermon from it: “Stay close to your guide.” Good counsel indeed!
These people know the will of God but choose to disobey it. This attitude expresses even more pride than does the first; for the person says to God, “I know what You want me to do, but I prefer not to do it. I really know more about this than You do!” “For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them” ().
Why do people who know the will of God deliberately disobey it? I have already suggested one reason: pride. Man likes to boast that he is the “master of his fate, the captain of his soul.” Man has accomplished so many marvelous things that he thinks he can do anything.
Another reason is man’s ignorance of the nature of God’s will. He acts as though the will of God is something he can accept or reject. In reality, the will of God is not an option; it is an obligation. We cannot “take it or leave it.” Because He is the Creator and we are the creatures, we must obey Him. Because He is the Saviour and Lord, and we are His children and servants, we must obey Him. To treat the will of God lightly is to invite the chastening of God in our lives.
Many people have the mistaken idea that the will of God is a formula for misery. Just the opposite is true! It is disobeying the Lord’s will that leads to misery. The Bible, and human experience, are both witnesses to this truth. And even if a disobedient Christian seems to escape difficulty in this life, what will he say when he faces the Lord? “And that servant which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes” ().
What happens to Christians who deliberately disobey the known will of God? They are chastened by their loving Father until they submit (). If a professed believer is not chastened, it is evidence that he has never truly been born again but is a counterfeit. God’s chastening is an evidence of His love, not His hatred. Just as we earthly fathers spank our children to help them respect our will and obey, so our Heavenly Father chastens His own. Though chastening is hard to take, it has a comforting truth of sonship with it.
But there is also the danger of losing heavenly rewards. In , Paul compared the believer to a runner in the Greek races. In order to qualify for a crown, he had to obey the rules of the game. If any contestant was found to have disobeyed the rules, he was disqualified and humiliated. The word “castaway” in does not refer to the loss of salvation, but the loss of reward. “Disqualified” would be a good translation.
Disobeying God’s will today may not seem a serious thing, but it will appear very serious when the Lord returns and examines our works ().
“If the Lord will” is not just a statement on a believer’s lips: it is the constant attitude of his heart. “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work” (). Often in his letters, Paul referred to the will of God as he shared his plans with his friends (; ; ; ). Paul did not consider the will of God a chain that shackled him; rather, it was a key that opened doors and set him free.
Everything in this universe operates according to laws. If we cooperate with these laws and obey them, then the universe works with us. But if we fight these laws and disobey them, the universe will work against us. For example, certain laws govern flight. The engineer who obeys those laws in designing and building the plane, and the pilot who obeys those laws in flying the plane, will both have the joy of seeing the great machine operate perfectly. But if they disobey the basic laws that govern flight, the result will be a crash and the loss of life and money.
God’s will for our lives is comparable to the laws He has built within the universe, with this exception: those laws are general, but the will He has planned for our lives is specifically designed for us. No two lives are planned according to the same pattern.
To be sure, there are some things that must be true of all Christians. It is God’s will that we yield ourselves to Him (). It is God’s will that we avoid sexual immorality (). All Christians should rejoice, pray, and thank God (). Every commandment in the Bible addressed to believers is part of the will of God, and must be obeyed. But God does not call each of us to the same work in life, or to exercise the same gifts and ministry. The will of God is “tailor-made” for each of us!
It is important that we have the right attitude toward the will of God. Some people think God’s will is a cold, impersonal machine. God starts it going and it is up to us to keep it functioning smoothly. If we disobey Him in some way, the machine grinds to a halt, and we are out of God’s will for the rest of our lives.
God’s will is not a cold, impersonal machine. You do not determine God’s will in some mechanical way, like getting a soft drink out of a “pop” machine. The will of God is a living relationship between God and the believer. This relationship is not destroyed when the believer disobeys, for the Father still deals with His child, even if He must chasten.
Rather than looking at the will of God as a cold, impersonal machine, I prefer to see it as a warm, growing, living body. If something goes wrong with my body, I don’t die: the other parts of the body compensate for it until I get that organ working properly again. There is pain; there is also weakness; but there is not necessarily death.
When you and I get out of God’s will, it is not the end of everything. We suffer, to be sure; but when God cannot rule, He overrules. Just as the body compensates for the malfunctioning of one part, so God adjusts things to bring us back into His will. You see this illustrated clearly in the lives of Abraham and Jonah.
The believer’s relationship to the will of God is a growing experience. First, we should know His will (). The will of God is not difficult to discover. If we are willing to obey, He is willing to reveal (). It has been said that “obedience is the organ of spiritual knowledge.” This is true. God does not reveal His will to the curious or the careless, but to those who are ready and willing to obey Him.
But we must not stop with merely knowing some of God’s will. God wants us to be “filled with the knowledge of His will and all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (). It is wrong to want to know God’s will about some matters and ignore His will in other matters. Everything in our lives is important to God, and He has a plan for each detail.
God wants us to understand His will (). This is where spiritual wisdom comes in. A child can know the will of his father, but he may not understand his will. The child knows the “what” but not the “why.” As the “friends” of Jesus Christ, we have the privilege of knowing why God does what He does (). “He made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel” (). The Israelites knew what God was doing, but Moses understood why He was doing it.
We must also prove God’s will (). The Greek verb means “to prove by experience.” We learn to determine the will of God by working at it. The more we obey, the easier it is to discover what God wants us to do. It is something like learning to swim or play a musical instrument. You eventually “get the feel” of what you are doing, and it becomes second nature to you.
People who keep asking, “How do I determine God’s will for my life?” may be announcing to everybody that they have never really tried to do God’s will. You start with the thing you know you ought to do, and you do that. Then God opens the way for the next step. You prove by experience what the will of God is. We learn both from successes and failures. “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me” (). The yoke suggests doing things together, putting into practice what God has taught you.
Finally, we must do God’s will from the heart (). Jonah knew the will of God, and (after a spanking) did the will of God; but he did not do it from his heart. Jonah 4 indicates that the angry prophet did not love the Lord, nor did he love the people of Nineveh. He merely did God’s will to keep from getting another spanking!
What Paul said about giving can also be applied to living: “not grudgingly, or of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver” (). Grudgingly means “reluctantly, painfully.” They get absolutely no joy out of doing God’s will. Of necessity means “under compulsion.” These people obey because they have to, not because they want to. Their heart is not in it.
The secret of a happy life is to delight in duty. When duty becomes delight, then burdens become blessings. “Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage” (). When we love God, then His statutes become songs, and we enjoy serving Him. When we serve God grudgingly, or because we have to, we may accomplish His work but we ourselves will miss the blessing. It will be toil, not ministry. But when we do God’s will from the heart, we are enriched, no matter how difficult the task might have been.
We must never think that a failure in knowing or doing God’s will permanently affects our relationship with the Lord. We can confess our sins and receive His forgiveness (). We can learn from the mistakes. The important thing is a heart that loves God and wants sincerely to do His will and glorify His name.
What are the benefits of doing the will of God? For one thing, you enjoy a deeper fellowship with Jesus Christ (). You have the privilege of knowing God’s truth () and seeing your prayers answered (). There is an eternal quality to the life and works of the one who does the will of God (). Certainly, there is the expectation of reward at the return of Jesus Christ ().
Which of these three attitudes do you have toward the will of God? Do you totally ignore God’s will as you make your daily plans and decisions? Or, do you know God’s will and yet refuse to obey it? Each attitude is wrong and can only bring sorrow and ruin to the life of the person who holds it.
But the Christian who knows, loves, and obeys the will of God will enjoy God’s blessing. His life may not be easier, but it will be holier and happier. His very food will be the will of God (); it will be the joy and delight of his heart ().
If money talks,” said a popular comedian, “all it ever says to me is good-bye!”
But money was not saying “good-bye” to the men James addressed in this section of his letter. These men were rich, and their riches were sinful. They were using their wealth for selfish purposes, and were persecuting the poor in the process.
One of the themes that runs through James 5 is trouble. We meet poor people deprived of their wages (), as well as people who are physically afflicted (), and spiritually backslidden (). A second theme that James introduced is prayer. The poor laborers cry out to God (). The sick and afflicted should pray (). He cited Elijah as an example of one who believed in prayer ().
When you join these two themes, you arrive at the fifth mark of the mature Christian: he is prayerful in troubles. Instead of giving up when troubles come, the mature believer turns to God in prayer and seeks divine help. The immature person trusts in his own experience and skill, or else turns to others for help. While it is true that God often meets our needs through the hands of other people, this aid must be the result of prayer.
James did not say it was a sin to be rich. After all, Abraham was a wealthy man, yet he walked with God, and was greatly used of God to bless the whole world. James was concerned about the selfishness of the rich, and advised them to “weep and howl.” He gave three reasons for his exhortation.
The Way They Got Their Wealth (, )
The Bible does not discourage the acquiring of wealth. In the Law of Moses, specific rules are laid down for getting and securing wealth. The Jews in Canaan owned their own property, worked it, and benefited from the produce. In several of His parables, Jesus indicated His respect for personal property and private gain. There is nothing in the Epistles that contradicts the right of private ownership and profit.
What the Bible does condemn is acquiring wealth by illegal means or for illegal purposes. The Prophet Amos thundered a message of judgment against the wealthy upper crust who robbed the poor and used their stolen wealth for selfish luxuries. Isaiah and Jeremiah also exposed the selfishness of the rich and warned that judgment was coming. It is in this spirit that James wrote. He gave two illustrations of how the rich acquired their wealth.
Holding back wages (v. ). Laborers were hired and paid by the day and did not have any legal contracts with their employers. The Parable of the Laborers in gives some idea of the system in that day. In the Law, God gave definite instructions concerning the laboring man in order to protect him from the oppressive employer.
“You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your countrymen or one of your aliens who is in your land in your towns. You shall give him his wages on his day before the sun sets, for he is poor and sets his heart on it; so that he may not cry against you to the Lord and it become sin in you” (, NASB).
“You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of a hired man are not to remain with you all night until morning” (, NASB).
“Woe to him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbor’s service without wages, and giveth him not for his work” ().
These rich men had hired the laborers and promised to pay them a specific amount. The men had completed their work but had not been paid. The tense of the verb “kept back” in the original Greek indicates that the laborers never will get their salaries.
“Thou shalt not steal” is still the law of God, and it is a law He will enforce. As Christians, it behooves us to be faithful to pay our bills. As a pastor, I find myself embarrassed when unsaved men tell me about Christians who owe them money and apparently have no intention of paying.
I recall meeting a doctor friend while I was visiting in the hospital. “How are things going?” I asked, and he replied, “Oh, I guess things are OK.”
“I pray for you,” I told him, wanting to be an encouragement.
“I appreciate that,” he replied. “But while you’re at it, pray for all the people who owe me money. It’d help if they would pay up!”
Controlling the courts (v. ). It is often the case that those who have wealth also have political power and can get what they want. “What is the Golden Rule?” asked a character in a comic strip. His friend answered, “Whoever has the gold makes the rules!” James asked, “Do not the rich men oppress you and draw you before the judgment seats?” ()
When the name Watergate is mentioned, nobody thinks of a beautiful hotel. That word reminds us of an ugly episode in American history that led to the revelation of lies and the resignation of the President of the United States. Each side accused the other of obstructing justice and manipulating the laws.
When God established Israel in her land, He gave the people a system of courts (see ). He warned the judges not to be greedy (). They were not to be partial to the rich or the poor (). No judge was to tolerate perjury (). Bribery was condemned by the Lord (; ; ). The Prophet Amos denounced the judges in his day who took bribes and “fixed” cases (, ).
The courts in James’ day were apparently easy to control if you had enough money. The poor workers could not afford expensive lawsuits, so they were beaten down every time. The workers had the just cause, but they were not given justice. Instead, they were abused and ruined. (“Killed” should probably be taken in a figurative way, as in , though it is possible that the rich men could so oppress the poor that the poor would die.) The poor man did not resist the rich man because he had no weapons with which to fight. All he could do was call on the Lord for justice.
The Bible warns us against the securing of wealth by illegal means. God owns all wealth (); He permits us to be stewards of His wealth for His glory. “Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles, but the one who gathers by labor increases it” (, NASB). It is “the hand of the diligent that makes rich” (). “Do not weary yourself to gain wealth” (). We must put God first in our lives, and He will see to it that we always have all that we need ().
The Way the Rich Used Their Wealth ()
It is bad enough to gain wealth in a sinful way, but to use that wealth in sinful ways just makes the sin greater.
They stored it up (v. ). Of course, there is nothing sinful about saving. “For the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children” (). “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel” (). “Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest” (, NASB).
But it is wrong to store up wealth when you owe money to your employees. These rich men were hoarding grain, gold, and garments. They thought that they were rich because they had these possessions. Instead of laying up treasures in heaven by using their wealth for God’s glory (), they were selfishly guarding it for their own security and pleasure. Not more than ten years after James wrote this letter, Jerusalem fell to the Romans, and all this accumulated wealth was taken.
What did Jesus mean by “laying up treasures in heaven”? Did He mean we should “sell everything and give to the poor” as He instructed the rich young ruler? I think not. He spoke that way to the rich ruler because covetousness was the young man’s besetting sin, and Jesus wanted to expose it. To lay up treasures in heaven means to use all that we have as stewards of God’s wealth. You and I may possess many things, but we do not own them. God is the Owner of everything, and we are His stewards.
What we possess and use are merely things, apart from the will of God. When we yield to His will and use what He gives us to serve Him, then things become treasures and we are investing in eternity. What we do on earth is recorded in heaven, and God keeps the books and pays the interest.
What a tragedy it is to see people “heap up treasures for the last days” instead of “laying up treasures in heaven.” The Bible does not discourage saving, or even investing; but it does condemn hoarding.
They kept others from benefiting from it (v. ). By fraudulent means, the rich men robbed the poor. The rich men were not using their own wealth, but they would not pay their laborers and permit them to use the wealth. Perhaps they were waiting for salaries to go down.
Since we are stewards of God’s wealth, we have certain responsibilities toward our Master. We must be faithful to use what He gives us for the good of others and the glory of God. “Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (). Joseph was a faithful steward in Potiphar’s house, and Potiphar prospered. There are ways that we can use God’s wealth to help others.
They lived in luxury (v. ). “You have lived in high style on the earth!” (, literal translation) Luxury is waste, and waste is sin.
A magazine advertisement told of the shopping spree of an oil-rich sultan. He purchased nineteen Cadillacs, one for each of his nineteen wives, and paid extra to have the cars lengthened. He also bought two Porsches, six Mercedes, a $40,000 speedboat and a truck for hauling it. Add to the list sixteen refrigerators, $47,000 worth of women’s luggage, two Florida grapefruit trees, two reclining chairs, and one slot machine. His total bill was $1.5 million, and he had to pay another $194,500 to have everything delivered. Talk about living in luxury!
All of us are grateful for the good things of life, and we would certainly not want to return to primitive conditions. But we recognize the fact that there is a point of diminishing returns. “Tell me what thou dost need,” said the Quaker to his neighbor, “and I will tell thee how to get along without it.” Jesus said, “Beware and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions” (, NASB). These rich men James addressed were feeding themselves on their riches and starving to death. The Greek word pictures cattle being fattened for the slaughter.
There is a great difference between enjoying what God has given us () and living extravagantly on what we have withheld from others. Even if what we have has been earned lawfully and in the will of God, we must not waste it on selfish living. There are too many needs to be met.
Luxury has a way of ruining character. It is a form of self-indulgence. If you match character with wealth, you can produce much good; but if you match self-indulgence with wealth, the result is sin. The rich man Jesus described in would have felt right at home with the rich men James wrote to!
The rich thought they had it made because of their wealth, but God thought otherwise. “Howl for your miseries that shall come upon you” (). James described the consequences of misusing riches.
Riches will vanish (vv. ). Grain will rot (“corrupted” in ); gold will rust; and garments will become moth-eaten. Nothing material in this world will last forever. The seeds of death and decay are found in all of creation.
It is a great mistake to think there is security in wealth. Paul wrote, “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited, or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches” (). Riches are uncertain. The money market fluctuates from hour to hour, and so does the stock market. Actually, gold does not rust the way iron does; but the idea is the same: the gold is losing its value. Add to this the fact that life is brief, and we cannot take wealth with us, and you can see how foolish it is to live for the things of this world. God said to the rich man, “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” ()
Misused riches erode character (v. ). “Their corrosion … will eat your flesh like fire” (, NIV). This is a present judgment: the poison of wealth has infected them and they are being eaten alive. Of itself, money is not sinful; it is neutral. But “the love of money is the root of all evil” (). “Thou shalt not covet” is the last of the Ten Commandments, but it is the most dangerous. Covetousness will make a person break all the other nine commandments.
Abraham was a rich man, but he maintained his faith and character. When Lot became rich, it ruined his character and ultimately ruined his family. It is good to have riches in your hand provided they do not get into your heart. “If riches increase, set not your heart upon them” (). “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold” ().
Judgment is a certainty (vv. , ). James not only saw a present judgment (their wealth decaying, their character eroding), but also a future judgment before God. Jesus Christ will be the Judge (), and His judgment will be righteous.
Note the witnesses that God will call on that day of judgment. First, the rich men’s wealth will witness against them (). Their rotten grain, rusted gold and silver, and moth-eaten garments will bear witness of the selfishness of their hearts. There is a bit of irony here: the rich men saved their wealth to help them, but their hoarded riches will only testify against them.
The wages they held back will also witness against them in court (). Money talks! These stolen salaries cry out to God for justice and judgment. God heard Abel’s blood cry out from the ground (), and He hears this stolen money cry out too.
The workers will also testify against them (). There will be no opportunities for the rich to bribe the witnesses or the Judge. God hears the cries of His oppressed people and He will judge righteously.
This judgment is a serious thing. The lost will stand before Christ at the Great White Throne (). The saved will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ (; ). God will not judge our sins, because they have already been judged on the cross; but He will judge our works and our ministry. If we have been faithful in serving and glorifying Him, we will receive a reward; if we have been unfaithful, we shall lose our reward but not our salvation ().
The loss of a precious opportunity (v. ). “The last days” indicates that James believed that the coming of the Lord was near (see ). We must “buy up the opportunity” (, literal translation) and work while it is day (). Think of the good that could have been accomplished with that hoarded wealth. There were poor people in that congregation who could have been helped (). There were workers who deserved their wages. Sad to say, in a few years the Jewish nation was defeated and scattered, and Jerusalem destroyed.
It is good to have the things that money can buy, provided you also have the things that money cannot buy. What good is a $500,000 house if there is no home? Or a million-dollar diamond ring if there is no love? James did not condemn riches or rich people; he condemned the wrong use of riches, and rich people who use their wealth as a weapon and not as a tool with which to build.
It is possible to be “poor in this world” () and yet rich in the next world. It is also possible to be “rich in this world” () and poor in the next world. The return of Jesus Christ will make some people poor and others rich, depending on the spiritual condition of their hearts. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” ().
What we keep, we lose. What we give to God, we keep, and He adds interest to it. A famous preacher, known for his long sermons, was asked to give the annual “charity sermon” for the poor. It was suggested that if he preached too long, the congregation might not give as much as they should.
The preacher read his text from —“He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will He pay him again.” His sermon indeed was brief:
“If you like the terms, then put down your money.”
Yes, money talks. What will it say to you at the last judgment?
James was still addressing the suffering saints when he wrote, “Be patient.” This was his counsel at the beginning of his letter (), and his counsel as his letter came to a close. God is not going to right all the wrongs in this world until Jesus Christ returns, and we believers must patiently endure—and expect.
Three times James reminds us of the coming of the Lord (). This is the “blessed hope” of the Christian (). We do not expect to have everything easy and comfortable in this present life. “In the world ye shall have tribulation” (). Paul reminded his converts that “we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (). We must patiently endure hardships and heartaches until Jesus returns.
James used two different words for patience. In , it was the word “long-tempered.” The words “endure” and “patience” in literally mean “to remain under” and speak of endurance under great stress. Patience means “to stay put and stand fast when you’d like to run away.” Many Greek scholars think that “long-suffering” refers to patience with respect to persons, while “endurance” refers to patience with respect to conditions or situations.
But the question we must answer is: How can we as Christians experience this kind of patient endurance as we wait for the Lord to return? To answer that question (and need), James gave three encouraging examples of patient endurance.
If a man is impatient, then he had better not become a farmer. No crop appears overnight (except perhaps a crop of weeds), and no farmer has control over the weather. Too much rain can cause the crop to rot, and too much sun can burn it up. An early frost can kill the crop. How long-suffering the farmer must be with the weather!
He must also have patience with the seed and the crop, for it takes time for plants to grow. Jewish farmers would plow and sow in what to us are the autumn months. The “early rain” would soften the soil. The “latter rain” would come in the early spring (our February–March) and help to mature the harvest. The farmer had to wait many weeks for his seed to produce fruit.
Why did he willingly wait so long? Because the fruit is “precious” (). The harvest is worth waiting for. “In due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (). “For the earth produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come” (, NASB).
James pictured the Christian as a “spiritual farmer” looking for a spiritual harvest. “Be ye also patient, establish your hearts” (). Our hearts are the soil, and the “seed is the Word of God” (). There are seasons to the spiritual life just as there are seasons to the soil. Sometimes, our hearts become cold and “wintry,” and the Lord has to “plow them up” before He can plant the seed (). He sends the sunshine and the rains of His goodness to water and nurture the seeds planted; but we must be patient to wait for the harvest.
Here, then, is a secret of endurance when the going is tough: God is producing a harvest in our lives. He wants the “fruit of the Spirit” to grow (), and the only way He can do it is through trials and troubles. Instead of growing impatient with God and with ourselves, we must yield to the Lord and permit the fruit to grow. We are “spiritual farmers” looking for a harvest.
You can enjoy this kind of a harvest only if your heart is established (). One of the purposes of the spiritual ministry of the local church is to establish the heart (). Paul sent Timothy to Thessalonica to establish the young Christians in their faith (); and Paul also prayed for them that they might be established (). The ministry of the Word of God and prayer are important if the heart is going to be established. A heart that is not established cannot bear fruit.
Keep in mind that the farmer does not stand around doing nothing: he is constantly at work as he looks toward the harvest. James did not tell these suffering believers to put on white robes, climb a hill, and wait for Jesus to return. “Keep working and waiting” was his admonition. “Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when He cometh shall find so doing” ().
Nor does the farmer get into fights with his neighbors. One of the usual marks of farmers is their willingness to help one another. Nobody on the farm has time or energy for disputes with the neighbors. James must have had this in mind when he added, “Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged” (,NIV). Impatience with God often leads to impatience with God’s people, and this is a sin we must avoid. If we start using the sickles on each other, we will miss the harvest!
A Jewish congregation would understand this simple reference that James made to the Old Testament prophets. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus also used the prophets as an example of victory over persecution (). What encouragements do we receive from their example?
For one thing, they were in the will of God, yet they suffered. They were preaching “in the name of the Lord,” yet they were persecuted. Satan tells the faithful Christian that his suffering is the result of sin or unfaithfulness; and yet his suffering might well be because of faithfulness! “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (). We must never think that obedience automatically produces ease and pleasure. Our Lord was obedient, and it led to a cross!
The prophets encourage us by reminding us that God cares for us when we go through sufferings for His sake. Elijah announced to wicked King Ahab that there would be a drought in the land for three and one half years; and Elijah himself had to suffer in that drought. But God cared for him, and God gave him victory over the evil priests of Baal. It has been said, “The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you.”
Many of the prophets had to endure great trials and sufferings, not only at the hands of unbelievers, but at the hands of professed believers. Jeremiah was arrested as a traitor and even thrown into an abandoned well to die. God fed Jeremiah and protected him throughout that terrible siege of Jerusalem, even though at times it looked as though the prophet was going to be killed. Both Ezekiel and Daniel had their share of hardships, but the Lord delivered them. And even those who were not delivered, who died for the faith, received that special reward for those who are true to Him.
Why is it that those who “speak in the name of the Lord” often must endure difficult trials? It is so that their lives might back up their messages. The impact of a faithful, godly life carries much power. We need to remind ourselves that our patience in times of suffering is a testimony to others around us.
But have not many faithful Christians suffered and died without any notice or recognition? Yes, but when Jesus returns, these “obscure heroes” will receive their rewards. The prophets were killed and buried, but today their names are honored. When our Lord comes again, He will bring His reward with Him ().
This example that James used from the Old Testament prophets ought to encourage us to spend more time in the Bible, getting acquainted with these heroes of faith. “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (, NIV). The better we know the Bible, the more God can encourage us in the difficult experiences of life. The important thing is that, like the farmer, we keep working, and, like the prophets, we keep witnessing, no matter how trying the circumstances may be.
“As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered” (, NIV). But you cannot persevere unless there is a trial in your life. There can be no victories without battles; there can be no peaks without valleys. If you want the blessing, you must be prepared to carry the burden and fight the battle.
I once heard a young Christian pray, “O Lord, please teach me the deep truths of Thy Word! I want to be lifted up to the heavens to hear and see the wonderful things that are there!” It was a sincere prayer, but the young man did not realize what he was praying. Paul went to the third heaven and learned things too marvelous for words; and as a result, God had to give Paul a thorn in the flesh to keep him humble (). God has to balance privileges with responsibilities, blessings with burdens, or else you and I will become spoiled, pampered children.
When do “blessings” come? In the midst of trials we may experience God’s blessings, as did the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace (Dan. 3); but James taught that there is a blessing after we have endured. His example was Job.
The Book of Job is a long book, and the chapters are filled with speeches that, to the Western mind, seem long and tedious. In the first three chapters you have Job’s distress: he loses his wealth, his family (except for his wife, and she told him to commit suicide), and his health. In Job 4–31 we read Job’s defense, as he debates with his three friends and answers their false accusations. Job 38–42 present Job’s deliverance: first God humbles Job, and then He honors Job and gives him twice as much as he had before.
In studying the experience of Job, it is important to remember that Job did not know what was going on “behind the scenes” between God and Satan. Job’s friends accused him of being a sinner and a hypocrite. “There must be some terrible sin in your life,” they argued, “or God would never have permitted this suffering.” Job disagreed with them and maintained his innocence (but not perfection) during the entire conversation. The friends were wrong: God had no cause against Job (), and in the end, God rebuked the friends for telling lies about Job ().
It is difficult to find a greater example of suffering than Job. Circumstances were against him, for he lost his wealth and his health. He also lost his beloved children. His wife was against him, for she said, “Curse God and die” (). His friends were against him, for they accused him of being a hypocrite, deserving of the judgment of God. And it seemed like God was against him! When Job cried out for answers to his questions, there was no reply from heaven.
Yet, Job endured. Satan predicted that Job would get impatient with God and abandon his faith, but that did not happen. It is true that Job questioned God’s will, but Job did not forsake his faith in the Lord. “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless, I will argue my ways before Him” (, NASB). Job was so sure of God’s perfections that he persisted in arguing with Him, even though he did not understand all that God was doing. That is endurance.
God made a covenant with Israel that He would bless them if they would obey His Laws (see Deut. 11). This led to the idea that, if you were wealthy and comfortable, you were blessed of God; but if you were suffering and poor, you were cursed of God. Sad to say, many people have that same erroneous idea today. When Jesus said it was difficult for a rich man to enter heaven, the disciples were shocked. “Who then can be saved?” they asked (). “The rich are especially blessed of God,” they were saying. “If they can’t make it, nobody can!”
The Book of Job refutes that idea; for Job was a righteous man, and yet he suffered. God found no evil in him, and even Satan could not find any. Job’s friends could not prove their accusations. Job teaches us that God has higher purposes in suffering than the punishing of sin. Job’s experience paved the way for Jesus, the perfect Son of God who suffered, not for His own sins, but for the sins of the world.
In Job’s case, what was “the end [purpose] of the Lord”? To reveal Himself as full of pity and tender mercy. Certainly, there were other results from Job’s experience, for God never wastes the sufferings of His saints. Job met God in a new and deeper way (), and, after that, Job received greater blessings from the Lord.
“But if God is so merciful,” someone may argue, “why didn’t He protect Job from all that suffering to begin with?” To be sure, there are mysteries to God’s working that our finite minds cannot fathom; but this we know: God was glorified and Job was purified through this difficult experience. If there is nothing to endure, you cannot learn endurance.
What did Job’s story mean to the believers James wrote to, and what does it mean to us today? It means that some of the trials of life are caused directly by satanic opposition. God permits Satan to try His children, but He always limits the extent of the enemy’s power (; ). When you find yourself in the fire, remember that God keeps His gracious hand on the thermostat! “But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” ().
Satan wants us to get impatient with God, for an impatient Christian is a powerful weapon in the devil’s hands. You will recall from our study of James 1 that Moses’ impatience robbed him of a trip to the Holy Land; Abraham’s impatience led to the birth of Ishmael, the enemy of the Jews; and Peter’s impatience almost made him a murderer. When Satan attacks us, it is easy for us to get impatient and run ahead of God and lose God’s blessing as a result.
What is the answer? “My grace is sufficient for thee!” () Paul’s thorn in the flesh was a “messenger of Satan.” Paul could have fought it, given up under it, or tried to deny that the thorn existed; but he did not. Instead, he trusted God for the grace he needed; and he turned Satan’s weapon into a tool for the building up of his own spiritual life.
When you find yourself in the furnace, go to the throne of grace and receive from the Lord all the grace you need to endure (). Remind yourself that the Lord has a gracious purpose in all of this suffering, and that He will work out His purposes in His time and for His glory. You are not a robot caught in the jaws of fate. You are a loving child of God, privileged to be a part of a wonderful plan. There is a difference!
The exhortation in seems out of place; for what does “speaking oaths” have to do with the problem of suffering? If you have ever suffered, you know the answer: it is easy to say things you do not mean, and even make bargains with God, when you are going through difficulties. Go back to Job for an example. The patriarch said, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly” (). Job did curse the day he was born (), but he never cursed God or spoke with a foolish oath. Neither did he try to bargain with God.
Surely James is reminding us of our Lord’s teaching in the Sermon on the Mount (). The Jews were great ones for using various oaths to back up their statements. They were careful, however, not to use the name of God in their oaths, lest they blaspheme God. So, they would swear by heaven, or earth, or Jerusalem, or even by their own heads! But Jesus taught that it is impossible to avoid God in such oaths. Heaven is His throne, earth is His footstool, and Jerusalem is the “city of the great King.” As for swearing by your head, what good is it? “Thou canst not make one hair black or white” ()—or even keep one hair on your head.
It is a basic principle that true Christian character requires few words. The person who must use many words (including oaths) to convince us has something wrong with his character and must bolster this weakness by using words. If you are a true Christian, with integrity, then all you have to say is yes or no and people will believe you. Jesus warns us that anything more than this is from the evil one.
One of the purposes of suffering is the building of character. Certainly Job was a better man for having gone through the furnace. (James explained this process to us, .) If words are a test of character, then oaths would indicate that there is yet work to be done. When Peter poured out those oaths in the courtyard (), he was giving evidence that his character was still in need of a transformation.
As you review this section, you can see the practicality of it. James wanted to encourage us to be patient in times of suffering. Like the farmer, we are waiting for a spiritual harvest, for fruit that will glorify God. Like the prophets, we look for opportunities for witness, to share the truth of God. And, like Job, we wait for the Lord to fulfill His loving purpose, knowing that He will never cause His children to suffer needlessly. And, like Job, we shall have a clearer vision of the Lord and come to know Him better for having been in the furnace of affliction.
“Be patient, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh!”
The gift of speech is a marvelous blessing, if it is used to the glory of God. As we have seen, James had a great deal to say about the tongue; and this chapter is no exception. He mentioned some of the lowest uses of the tongue: complaining () and swearing (). But he also named some of the highest uses of the tongue: proclaiming God’s Word () and praying and praising God ().
Prayer is certainly a high and holy privilege. To think that, as God’s children, we can come freely and boldly to His throne and share with Him our needs! Seven times in this section James mentioned prayer. The mature Christian is prayerful in the troubles of life. Instead of complaining about his situation, he talks to God about it; and God hears and answers his prayers. “Taking it to the Lord in prayer” is certainly a mark of spiritual maturity.
In this section, James encourages us to pray by describing four situations in which God answers prayer.
The word afflicted means “suffering in difficult circumstances.” The phrase “in trouble” is a good translation. Paul used this word to describe the circumstances he was in as he suffered for the Gospel’s sake (). As God’s people go through life, they often must endure difficulties that are not the results of sin or the chastening of God.
What should we do when we find ourselves in such trying circumstances? We must not grumble and criticize the saints who are having an easier time of it (); nor should we blame the Lord. We should pray, asking God for the wisdom we need to understand the situation and use it to His glory ().
Prayer can remove affliction, if that is God’s will. But prayer can also give us the grace we need to endure troubles and use them to accomplish God’s perfect will. God can transform troubles into triumphs. “He giveth more grace” (). Paul prayed that God might change his circumstances, but instead, God gave Paul the grace he needed to turn his weakness into strength (). Our Lord prayed in Gethsemane that the cup might be removed, and it was not; yet the Father gave Him the strength He needed to go to the cross and die for our sins.
James indicated that everybody does not go through troubles at the same time: “Is any merry? Let him sing psalms” (). God balances our lives and gives us hours of suffering and days of singing. The mature Christian knows how to sing while he is suffering. (Anybody can sing after the trouble has passed.) God is able to give “songs in the night” (). He did this for Paul and Silas when they were suffering in that Philippian jail. “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God” ().
Praying and singing were important elements in worship in the early church, and they should be important to us. Our singing ought to be an expression of our inner spiritual life. The believer’s praise should be intelligent () and not just the mouthing of words or ideas that mean nothing to him. It should come from the heart () and be motivated by the Holy Spirit (). Christian singing must be based on the Word of God () and not simply on the clever ideas of men. If a song is not biblical, it is not acceptable to God.
I do not think that James gave us a blanket formula for healing the sick. In the churches I have pastored, the elders and I have prayed for the sick, and sometimes God has given healing. But other times, He has not seen fit to heal the person. I recall two cases within one week of each other: the one lady was restored in an almost miraculous way, but the other one had to enter the hospital for surgery, and eventually the Lord called her home.
What are the special characteristics of this case that James is describing?
The person is sick because of sin (vv. ). The Greek text says, “If he has been constantly sinning.” This parallels , “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep” (have died). James has described a church member who is sick because he is being disciplined by God. This explains why the elders of the assembly are called: the man cannot go to church to confess his sins, so he asks the spiritual leaders to come to him. The leaders would be in charge of the discipline of the congregation.
The person confesses his sins (v. ). In the early church, the believers practiced church discipline. First Corinthians 5 is a good example. Paul told the believers at Corinth to dismiss the sinning member from the assembly until he repented of his sins and made things right. The little word “therefore” belongs in —“Confess your sins therefore to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (literal translation). The word faults in the Authorized Version gives the impression that the man’s deeds were not too evil; they were only faults. But it is the word hamartia that James used, and this word means “sin.” It is the same word used in , where the subject is definitely sin.
The person is healed by “the prayer of faith” (v. ). It is not the anointing that heals, but the praying. The Greek word translated “anointing” is a medicinal term; it could be translated “massaging.” This may be an indication that James suggests using available means for healing along with asking the Lord for His divine touch. God can heal with or without means; in each case, it is God who does the healing.
But what is “the prayer of faith” that heals the sick? The answer is in —“And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us: and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” The “prayer of faith” is a prayer offered when you know the will of God. The elders would seek the mind of God in the matter, and then pray according to His will.
As I visit the sick among my congregation, I do not always know how to pray for them. (Paul had the same problem; read .) Is it God’s will to heal? Is God planning to call His child home? I do not know; therefore, I must pray, “If it is Your will, heal Your child.” Those who claim that God heals every case, and that it is not His will for His children to be sick, are denying both Scripture and experience. But where we have the inner conviction from the Word and the Spirit that it is God’s will to heal, then we can pray “the prayer of faith” and expect God to work.
Keep in mind that it is not one individual who is praying: it is the body of elders—spiritual men of God—who seek God’s will and pray. James does not instruct the believer to send for a faith healer. The matter is in the hands of the leaders of the local church.
There are some practical lessons from this section that we must not overlook. For one thing, disobedience to God can lead to sickness. This was David’s experience when he tried to hide his sins (Ps. 32). Second, sin affects the whole church. We can never sin alone, for sin has a way of growing and infecting others. This man had to confess his sins to the church because he had sinned against the church. Third, there is healing (physical and spiritual) when sin is dealt with. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall find mercy” (). James wrote, “Make it a habit to confess your sins to each other” (literal translation). Do not hide sin or delay confession.
The “confessing” that James wrote about is done among the saints. He was not suggesting confessing our sins to a preacher or priest. We confess our sins first of all to the Lord (), but we must also confess them to those who have been affected by them. We must never confess sin beyond the circle of that sin’s influence. Private sin requires private confession; public sin requires public confession. It is wrong for Christians to “hang dirty wash in public,” for such “confessing” might do more harm than the original sin.
James cited Elijah as an example of a “righteous man” whose prayers released power. “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (, NIV).
The background of this incident is found in 1 Kings 17–18. Wicked King Ahab and Jezebel, his queen, had led Israel away from the Lord and into the worship of Baal. God punished the nation by holding back the rain that they needed (see , ). For three and one half years, the heavens were as brass and the earth unable to produce the crops so necessary for life.
Then Elijah challenged the priests of Baal on Mt. Carmel. All day long the priests cried out to their god, but no answer came. At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah repaired the altar and prepared the sacrifice. He prayed but once, and fire came from heaven to consume the sacrifice. He had proven that Jehovah was the true God.
But the nation still needed rain. Elijah went to the top of Carmel and fell down before the Lord in prayer. He prayed and sent his servant seven times to see if there was evidence of rain; and the seventh time his servant saw a little cloud. Before long, there was a great rain, and the nation was saved.
Do we need “showers of blessing” today? We certainly do!
“But Elijah was a special prophet of God,” we might argue. “We can expect God to answer his prayers in a wonderful way.”
“Elijah was a man just like us,” stated James (, NIV). He was not perfect; in fact, right after his victory on Mt. Carmel, Elijah became afraid and discouraged and ran away. But he was a “righteous man,” that is, obedient to the Lord and trusting Him. God’s promises of answered prayer are for all His children, not just for ones we may call the spiritual elite.
Elijah prayed in faith, for God told him He would send the rain (). “Prayer,” said Robert Law, “is not getting man’s will done in heaven. It’s getting God’s will done on earth.” You cannot separate the Word of God and prayer, for in His Word He gives us the promises that we claim when we pray.
Elijah was not only believing in his praying, but he was persistent. “He prayed … and he prayed again” (). On Mt. Carmel, Elijah continued to pray for rain until his servant reported “a cloud the size of a man’s hand.” Too many times we fail to get what God promises because we stop praying. It is true that we are not heard “for our much praying” (); but there is a difference between vain repetitions and true believing persistence in prayer. Our Lord prayed three times in the Garden, and Paul prayed three times that his thorn in the flesh might be taken from him.
Elijah was determined and concerned in his praying. “He prayed earnestly” (, NIV). The literal Greek reads “and he prayed in prayer.” Many people do not pray in their prayers. They just lazily say religious words, and their hearts are not in their prayers.
A church member was “praying around the world” in a prayer meeting, and one of the men present was growing tired of the speech. Finally the man cried out, “Ask Him something!” That is what prayer is all about: “Ask Him something!”
Prayer power is the greatest power in the world today. “Tremendous power is made available through a good man’s earnest prayer” (, PH). History shows how mankind has progressed from manpower to horsepower, and then to dynamite and TNT, and now to atomic power.
But greater than atomic power is prayer power. Elijah prayed for his nation, and God answered prayer. We need to pray for our nation today, that God will bring conviction and revival, and that “showers of blessing” will come to the land. One of the first responsibilities of the local church is to pray for government leaders ().
While James did not specifically name prayer in these verses, the implication is there. If we pray for the afflicted and the sick, surely we must pray for the brother who wanders from the truth.
These verses deal with our ministry to a fellow believer who strays from the truth and gets into sin. The verb err means “to wander,” and suggests a gradual moving away from the will of God. The Old Testament term for this is “backsliding.” Sad to say, we see this tragedy occurring in our churches regularly. Sometimes a brother is “overtaken in a fault” (); but usually the sin is the result of slow, gradual spiritual decline.
Such a condition is, of course, very dangerous. It is dangerous to the offender because he may be disciplined by the Lord (Heb. 12). He also faces the danger of committing “sin unto death” (). God disciplined the sinning members of the Corinthian church, even to the point of taking some of them to heaven ().
But this backsliding is also dangerous to the church. A wandering offender can influence others and lead them astray. “One sinner destroys much good” (, NASB). This is why the spiritual members of the church must step in and help the man who has wandered away.
The origin of this problem is found in the statement “wander from the truth” (). The truth means, of course, the Word of God. “Thy Word is truth” (). Unless the believer stays close to the truth, he will start to drift away. “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it” (, NASB). Jesus warned Peter that Satan was at hand to tempt him, and Peter refused to believe the Word. He even argued with the Lord! When he should have been praying, Peter was sleeping. No wonder he denied three times.
The outcome of this wandering is “sin” and possible “death” (). The sinner here is a believer, not an unbeliever; and sin in the life of a Christian is worse than sin in the life of an unbeliever. We expect unsaved people to sin, but God expects His children to obey His Word.
What are we to do when we see a fellow believer wandering from the truth? We should pray for him, to be sure; but we must also seek to help him. He needs to be “converted”—turned back into the right path again. Do believers need to be converted? Yes, they do! Jesus said to Peter, “When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” ().
It is important that we seek to win the lost, but it is also important to win the saved. If a brother has sinned against us, we should talk to him privately and seek to settle the matter. If he listens, then we have gained our brother (). That word gained means “won.” It is the same word translated “get gain” in . It is important to win the saved as well as the lost.
If we are going to help an erring brother, we must have an attitude of love, for “love shall cover the multitude of sins” (). Both James and Peter learned this principle from —“Hate stirreth up strife: but love covereth all sins.”
This does not mean that love “sweeps the dirt under the carpet.” Where there is love, there must also be truth (“speaking the truth in love” says Paul in ); and where there is truth, there is honest confession of sin and cleansing from God. Love not only helps the offender to face his sins and deal with them, but love also assures the offender that those sins, once forgiven, are remembered no more.
While the basic interpretation of these verses is as I have explained, the application can be made to the lost sinner. After all, if a straying brother needs to be restored, how much more does a lost sinner need to be brought to the Saviour. If the wandering believer loses his life, he at least goes to heaven; but the lost sinner is condemned to an eternal hell.
“Seeking the lost” is a common Bible picture of soul-winning. In Luke 15, Jesus pictures the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son, all of whom needed to be found and brought back to where they belonged. Our Lord also compared winning souls to catching fish (). Peter caught one fish individually with his hook (), but he also worked with his helpers and used the nets to catch many fish at one time. There is a place for both personal and collective evangelism.
compares evangelism to hunting: “He that catcheth souls is wise” (literal translation). Sin is out to catch and kill (), but we ought to be out to catch and make alive.
The soul winner is also an ambassador of peace (). God has not declared war on this world; He has declared peace! One day He will declare war, and judgment will fall.
Both and picture the soul winner as a fireman, pulling brands out of the burning. John Wesley applied to himself, for when he was but a child, he was pulled from a burning house when it looked as though it was too late. Sometimes we must take risks of love to snatch people from the fires of judgment.
Jesus compared evangelism to sowing and reaping () and Paul used the same illustration (). There are seasons of sowing and seasons of reaping; and many people are needed for the work. We are “laborers together with God” (). Both the sower and the reaper will receive their rewards, for there is no competition in the Lord’s fields.
This brings us to the end of our study of James. His emphasis has been spiritual maturity. This would be a good time for us to examine our own hearts to see how mature we really are. Here are a few questions to assist you:
1. Am I becoming more and more patient in the testings of life?
2. Do I play with temptation or resist it from the start?
3. Do I find joy in obeying the Word of God, or do I merely study it and learn it?
4. Are there any prejudices that shackle me?
5. Am I able to control my tongue?
6. Am I a peacemaker rather than a troublemaker? Do people come to me for spiritual wisdom?
7. Am I a friend of God or a friend of the world?
8. Do I make plans without considering the will of God?
9. Am I selfish when it comes to money? Am I unfaithful in the paying of my bills?
10. Do I naturally depend on prayer when I find myself in some kind of trouble?
11. Am I the kind of person others seek for prayer support?
12. What is my attitude toward the wandering brother? Do I criticize and gossip, or do I seek to restore him in love?
Don’t just grow old—grow up!