“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” (James 5:7-11)
MORE OF PATIENCE
The subject of patience was first introduced to us at the beginning of this epistle. (James 3:1-5) There we saw how patience is developed through the trial of our faith. We were encouraged to let patience have her perfect work, bringing us to the fully developed Christian character, lacking nothing.
Now the word before us is, “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord.” And we realize that all he has been saying — the instructions, the warnings, the corrections, the revelations, the reproofs, the teachings — have been to that end. That we would fully develop our Christian character and live in patient trust unto the coming of the Lord.
IMPATIENCE IS DANGEROUS
There is a danger of becoming impatient in tests and trials, but we must not. There is a danger of becoming impatient with God, but we must not. There is a danger of becoming impatient with our neighbor, even our brother, but we must not. There is a danger of becoming impatient with the poor or with the rich, but we must not. And we could become impatient waiting for the fruit of our own labors, or the answer to our prayers, but we must not.
If we become impatient we will say things and do things we will regret later. So let us be patient therefore, brethren!
DEFINITION
Let us look at the meaning of the word patient in our text so that we don’t miss the force of what is being said to us. James used a different Greek word in these verses than in chapter one. While both words speak of patience, each word emphasizes a different element of meaning in their definition. The word James used in chapter one emphasizes the thought of remaining or staying, or endurance. Here the word he used emphasizes the thought of length of time, or longsuffering. It is translated that way in some places, such as Galatians 5:22, describing the fruit of the Spirit. Each time this word is found in the New Testament a time element is implied as being important.
HOW LONG?
Now when ever we are being instructed to do anything for a long time, our human nature immediately wants to ask, “How long?” The Holy Spirit, anticipating this, gives us our answer even before we ask, “Unto the coming of the Lord.” That is how long we are to be patient. That is how long we are to bear with trials and pain without complaining or sinning in some other way. How long? Until our Lord comes!
BEHOLD THE HUSBANDMAN!
As is the wonderful manner of our Lord, he goes on to explain the reason why we must be willing to wait and endure. He does this by means of an illustration. “Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.”
TWO THINGS WE LEARN
There are two very important things that we will come to realize as we contemplate the thinking of the husbandman. First; what he is willing to wait patiently for, is precious. He “waiteth for the precious fruit…, and hath long patience for it.” Second; its value is established only by full development, and full development requires a certain time in which certain required events transpire. “Until he receive the early and latter rain.”
How wonderful of our Lord to give us this understanding of the need and value of those events that take place in our personal span of time. There is night as well as day, cold as well as warm, rain as well as sunshine, cloudy skies as well as clear skies, storms as well as the calms. It is through all this that full and complete development is accomplished, and when it is fully completed, it is precious.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first born among many brethren.” (Rom. 8:28-29)
LIKE THE HUSBANDMAN
Next we are told that we too should be patient — just as the husbandman is — ready to wait out the full season. And we know it is a wait full of promise and hope.
FAITH IS PREPARED TO WAIT
As a matter of preparedness we must also establish our hearts, that is set fast or fix them. It is essential our heart is fixed if we are to exercise true patience. This is no time for uncertainty and doubt to move our hearts. For this reason our Lord has given to us these revelations and understanding so we can answer our questioning heart and it will be not moved by uncertainty.
Psalms 112 describes the blessedness of the man that “feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.” He is further described in verse 7 as one who “shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting the Lord. His heart is established, and he shall not be afraid.” We can become immovable as we embrace the immovable Word with our whole heart. For His Word is forever settled in heaven. Though heaven and earth pass away,His Word shall never pass away.
HOW LONG IS LONG?
Oh, but do I hear someone say, “Until he comes? Isn’t that a long time to be patient? Already it has been nearly 2,000 years since this was written.” Ah, my brother, think again! Don’t think in terms of the whole human race. How long will it be before you personally see your Lord? Isn’t that the more important question? Haven’t we just been shown that our life is but a vapor that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away? In the light of this we must listen again to these words from heaven, “Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”
BE PATIENT WITH YOUR BROTHER TOO
It is not only through our own circumstances and process of development that we must be patient. The process of growth and development is also taking place in the lives of our Christian brothers and sisters. It is our tendency to forget this that makes the next verse so important for us to hear. “Grudge not (murmur not, or complain not) one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned.”
Consider some facts which can help us here. God is equally concerned about the salvation and perfection of our brother as he is about us. We are here to help, not hinder, our weaker brother. We too began as a babe in Christ. It is the grace and mercy of God working through other people that has brought us this far. We have nothing in ourselves in which to glory or boast. Our Lord has been very patient and forgiving to us. Therefore, to be impatient with our brother and to complain against him is to condemn ourselves.
A PARABLE
Jesus set forth a parable to explain this very problem. It was a response to answer Peter’s question when he asked how many times he should forgive his brother. This is the same as asking how much patience I should have with my brother.
The kingdom of heaven, Jesus said, is likened to a certain king, which would take account of his servants. One was brought to him that owed him ten thousand talents. When his Lord demanded payment which he could not make, he fell down and worshiped him and said, “Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay.” His Lord was moved with compassion and forgave him his debt.
That same servant went out and found one of his fellow-servants which owed him an hundred pence and he laid hold on him and demanded full payment. At this his fellow servant fell down and begged him saying, “have patience with me, and I will pay.” He would not, but had him cast into prison.
When his lord heard of it he called him and said, “O thou wicked servant, I forgave you all your debt because you beseeched me. Should you not have had compassion on your fellow-servant, even as I had pity on you?” His lord was wroth and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due him.
The Lord Jesus concluded the lesson by saying: “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”(Matt. 23-35)
LEST WE BE CONDEMNED
The subject of this whole paragraph is patience and in this verse the necessity of it becomes so apparent. Impatience is always expressed, and usually by way of mouth, in the form of complaints and murmurings. It is usually directed at someone. Either directly or indirectly we lay the blame or make charges, and thereby we express our impatience. But always we condemn ourselves. Notice how it is clearly shown.
When James speaks of being patient and establishing our hearts he says, “the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.” But when he speaks of impatience with our brother and murmuring against him, he says, “The judge standeth before the door. The Lord is the Judge and the Judge is the Lord. How He appears to us at His coming will depend upon our spirit and heart relationship to Him.
TAKE THE PROPHETS FOR EXAMPLE
Take the prophets, for example, who have spoken in the name of the Lord. If you want an example of suffering affliction and of patience, you can see it in them. The Old Testament bears the records of these prophets, these men of faith who spoke in the name of the Lord. Recorded are all of the things they suffered and why they suffered. But they were true to their calling and faithful to Him who called. They were patient. Their patience made it beautiful, a testimony of the Spirit that was in them — the Holy Spirit.
We were also given glimpses of moments when some of then sinned in impatience, such as when Moses struck the rock in anger. These records are for our benefit to help us have patience and avoid doing the same sort of things that would require us to repent and seek our Lord’s forgiveness. “Behold, we count then happy which endure.”
AND THE PATIENCE OF JOB
“Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.”
The story of Job is not primarily a story of suffering, although it is that, but rather a story of patient trust in God. Job patiently trusted God before his suffering, through his suffering, and after his suffering. Because he was patient and his heart was fixed, God was able to use those experiences to make of him a better person. At the same time the mouth of the accuser was silenced. Job had to exercise patience with his afflictions, with his friends, and to understand God’s purpose for those particular events.
“The trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord.”