“Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in the day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.” (James 5:1-6)
STOP IT!
This paragraph too begins with the phrase “go to now,” or as we say “come on now.” Again it is a call to common sense and reason, and again it implies the present practice is unwise and dangerous.
YOU RICH MEN
This time it is addressed to the rich. It is the third time in this epistle that the rich are brought before us, but is the first time the rich are singled out. The other two times they are mentioned with the poor.
In the first the rich and the poor were taught how they should have a proper estimation of themselves now that they were both members of the household of faith. The conclusion was that their social status would neither impress God nor hinder God in His grace toward them. The rich should not be proud of his riches, and the poor should not draw back because of his poverty.
The second time the rich and poor are brought before us is in exhortation to the church. The church, if it has a righteous estimation of the rich man and of the poor man, will not show partiality. The church, like its Lord, will neither be impressed by the rich, nor hindered by the poor in its mission to minister to them both.
TAKE HEED
Now the rich are singled out and addressed directly. The reason, I believe is obvious. The rich man will face dangers that the poor man will never know. The higher a man climbs on any ladder, whether socially, economically, politically, or even spiritually, the more responsible his position. He is in a position to commit wrongs that people beneath him could not commit even if they wanted to. The higher the position the greater opportunity there is to sin and to sin on a higher level that affects a greater number of people.
Remember it took an angel, or more precisely a shining cherub, to become the devil and the father of lies. A lesser being would not have the power. While it is true that a rich man is in a position to do more harm than a poor man, it is also true that he is in a position to do more good. And so greater is he responsibility.
A MESSAGE MARKED URGENT
It is quite understandable then why James uses such strong terms in addressing the rich. It is imperative that they understand their position, an understanding that many, I fear, do not possess. It is important then that we do not pass over these verses too quickly, but that we catch hold of the spirit of urgency that seems to have gripped James as he wrote. Let us consider what he says in light of what we have just seen in the previous lesson. For our life “is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away.” It is what we do in that “little time” that counts, and it counts for eternity.
TO RICH BELIEVERS
I do not see these verses as an outcry against the sins of the rich of this world. While it may be true of them it would be an over simplification and an injustice to the burden that was so surely on the heart of James as he wrote. I believe James is still writing to believers. As we have already seen, there were rich people being saved and were in the church just as there are today. These words are for them and we must be careful not to take away, by misinterpretation or misapplication, these important expressions from the heart of God. This whole epistle is written to believers and we cannot take one small section and say it is to unbelievers just because we do not understand it.
James has dealt with other things prior to this that were present among the members of the church so we should not be surprised when he deals with this. For us to take the view that sees the church trying to require unbelievers to behave the same as a believer is to take a view that says the unbeliever can be saved by good works. We must rather take the view that the church insist that a believer behaves like a believer, for otherwise he will be in danger of committing great sin. It is not ours to blame the night for being dark, but it is ours as children of light to walk in the light as He is in the Light. If we walk in the Light, as He is in the Light, then we have fellowship one with another and know the cleansing from all sin by the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son. (1John 1:5-7)
A VIEW FROM HEAVEN
Let us then look at this message to our rich brethren who must also humble themselves in the sight of the Lord, for God will resist the proud but give grace to the humble. We have already said that the opening words of this paragraph imply that their present practice is both foolish and dangerous. What follows can be divided into four parts. First, what their proper response ought to be in the light of what is about to be revealed to them (verse1). Second, what heaven’s view is of their riches and material possessions under these circumstances (verses 2-3). Third, the seriousness with which heaven views their treatment of the ones who work for time (verse 4). Fourth, a summary of God’s view of what their lives have been until now. (verses 5-6).
IT’S TIME TO WEEP
First, what the proper response ought to be considering what is about to be shown them. In light of the way heaven views their present ways, the only proper thing to do is to weep and howl. Similar counsel is given to all believers who have allowed pride to enter their hearts. (James 4:9) Here an added and stronger term is used to emphasize the awfulness of their conduct. The words weep and howl, indicate a heavy sobbing and wailing with loud voice. Of course it is to God that this expression of remorse should be directed, for it is against Him first that we have sinned.
COUNSEL OF MERCY
While many see these words as simply a verbal chastisement or tongue lashing from God against the rich, I do not. I read these words as a sober warning and loving counsel from the merciful heart of the Heavenly Father. God’s Word to his children is meant to heal not hurt. God has other ways of chastisement. He speaks first, and only if we refuse to obey, will He chastise. We will always find that a stern rebuke from our Lord will be accompanied with loving counsel so that we may know immediately what we should do.
BLESSED ARE YE THAT WEEP NOW
Now we have before us what I consider to be a very wonderful scriptural truth that I believe many have missed. Here is a biblical principle that can be applied in many circumstances. It could be stated this way: In the light of a knowledge of guilt and impending judgment, we can mourn and weep before the fact (i.e. of judgment) while there is still hope, rather than after the fact when hope is past. Or to say it differently, there is a time when mourning can be of some real value, but after that time is past, mourning can accomplish nothing.
Take for example King David when his child by Bathsheba became very ill. The customary way would be to wait and watch and pray, but not morn until after the child died. Not so, however, with this man of faith. He had already learned from the prophet of the Lord that the illness and impending death was a result of his own sin. David mourned and fasted while the child yet lived, while he believed there was still hope. When the child died he recognized God’s will had been done, so he arose from his mourning and went to the house of the Lord and worshiped.
His servants asked, “What thing is this that thou has done? Thou didst fast and weep for the child while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread. And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast?” (2Sam. 12:13-23)
The word of our text is calling for the guilty to weep and howl now while they can still find repentance and forgiveness of sins. Our Lord Jesus taught saying: “blessed are ye that weep now; for ye shall laugh.” (Luke 6:21) Again, he said: “Woe unto you that laugh now! For ye shall mourn and weep.” (Luke 6:25) This in essence is what James is saying to these rich men. Now is the time to realize how you have been living and weep and howl for the miseries that shall come upon you. After these miseries have come, it will be too late to change anything. Weeping will be of no avail then. Every believer can reveal in this truth. For this is the privilege of the believer, to weep and repent before judgment unto blessing rather than after judgment unto remorse. “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” (Matt. 5:4)
THOSE UNHOLY GAINS WILL WITNESS AGAINST YOU
Second, verses 2 and 3 show how heaven views their riches and material goods. It is good for us to realize that God sees things as they shall be as though they already are that way. God does not exist in time as we do. Things that will corrupt are seen as already corrupt. Material things and earthly riches that are not dedicated to God are corrupted, moth-eaten, and rusted for so shall be their end. The worthless remains of these earthly riches will be a witness against you that will torment like a burning fire.
Note the change in verse 3 to the future tense as in verse 1, indicating the torment that shall be unless we repent and change our ways. It is all summed up in the statement at the end of verse 3. “Ye have heaped treasure together to (or in, ASV) the last days.” Heaven views it as already finished, and as it will remain so unless we repent and find forgiveness. What a privilege to have the Word of God to show us now, while there is still time to repent.
THE CRIES OF THOSE YOU’VE HURT WILL NOT GO UNHEARD
Third, we see heaven’s view of your treatment of those who have worked for you. “Behold, the hire (wages) of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.”
There are cries from two distinct sources that are reaching the ears of the Lord. The wages which have been kept back and the employees to whom those wages belong both cry out. These cries, which have not been stilled, will also be part of that treasure which has been amassed in the last days and will witness against us.
It is important that we note the title used for the Lord in connection with this truth – “the Lord of Sabaoth” or “the Lord of Hosts”. This is the only New Testament use of this title and is very significant. It refers to the judgment power of Jehovah. The name is used extensively by the Old Testament prophets and usually in connection with the promise of judgment and the availability of God’s help for the oppressed. It is into the ears of the lord of heaven’s armies that the cries of kept- back wages and oppressed workers will enter, a two-fold witness of your sin.
Success and prosperity at the hurt or abuse of others are obviously not success and prosperity at all, but an accumulation of guilt recorded in the books of heaven.
UNRIGHTEOUS PRACTICES GRAPHICALLY PORTRAYED
Fourth, heaven’s summary of the whole matter will stand unless there is repentance and forgiveness. “Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton (self indulgent); ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.” Are the terms too strong? No they are not. They are a revelation of God’s viewpoint. An unrighteous attitude of the privileged toward the underprivileged has always aroused the anger of God. The use of money which should rightfully go to those who have helped you have what you have, and be what you are, is likened to gorging ourselves on the spoils of an unfair war where we have slaughtered the innocent and helpless.
THE RECOURSE OF THE JUST
“The just doth not resist you.” Our Lord Jesus described the reason for this in the Matthew 5:38-48. This often serves to make it easy for the rich to take advantage, and in God’s sight it is great wickedness. The just will not resist you, but from his secret closet of prayer his cries will ascend to heaven and will reach the ears of the Lord of Hosts. Moreover he will be praying for you.
HEAR AND LIVE
We must close this message to rich men with the joyous reminder that its intent is to lead to repentance and forgiveness. That we treat righteously to both brother and neighbor. And that we humble ourselves in the sight of God so that He might lift us up. It is a hard message but it is born of the mercy and goodness of the Lord and spoken in love.
“Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? but, after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; who will render to every man according to his deeds: to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil.” (Rom. 2:4-9)