The Book of James: REVISITED Putting Faith to Work! (Chapter 5: Verses 1-6

Hello Friends!

This week we’ll continue to work our way through this serious “study” series solemnly surveying the powerful book of James in considering the TRUE calling of the “Christian” life as directed throughout this excellent Epistle – “Putting Faith to Work!”

The Book of James: Putting Faith to Work! (Chapter 5: Verses 1-6)

¹ Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. ² Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. ³ 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. ⁴ 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. ⁵ Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. ⁶ Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you – James 5:1-6

OPENING POINTS TO PONDER: Available all throughout this excellent epistle, “James” willfully “writes” to a group of Jewish beloved “brethren” within a local “assembly” as he intentionally instructs them to eagerly EVALUATE the vehement validity of their “faith” firmly FOUNDED upon “Jesus Christ” through a series of true TESTS given. And this passage is certainly of NO exception! Such are those professing certain “Christians” of whom “James” carefully CALLS to a serious self-examination surmised. Therefore, here “we” too will further “learn” and deeply “discern” in deciphering HOW a person handles “wealth” is yet another applicable trying TEST of their loving – LOYALTY unto the Lord!

How “we” manage money and material possessions will rightly “reveal” the sure SPIRITUAL state of “our” own “heart” held condition. And as “we” have diligently discussed, the acquisition of “wealth” in and of itself is NOT sordidly “sinful” nor is it so to personally possess “money” as a recognized BLESSING received from our great “God” given. All of “us” have varying measures of “wealth” to mindfully MANAGE faithfully from person to person by His Divine design. In fact, “God” does indeed beautifully BLESS His particular “people” in many different ways by graciously “giving” some of “us” much MORE and some of “us” much LESS in terms of monetary “money” or tangible “treasure” received. And as “we” too will “learn” here, it is NOT wily wrong to possess “wealth” in and of itself. However, it IS woefully wrong if indeed IT personally – Possesses YOU!

Incidentally, “James” is merely echoing this very same telling TEST of the “heart” regarding earthly temporary “treasures” of which our “Lord Jesus Christ” outwardly originated within His Sermon on the Mount discourse…

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also – Matthew 6:19-21

Here too “Jesus” Himself intently INSTRUCTS each of “us” to lovingly “lay up” our tremendous “treasures in heaven” from an eternal perspective – Halleluiah!

Similarly, “James” is aptly ADDRESSING the ranking “rich men” piously parading within the amiable “assembly” of whom on the outside affirmed a flimsy “faith” floundering in “Jesus Christ” and a looming “love” for the “God” of heaven. However, it is quite obvious that “they” actually have an UNHOLY lauded “love” lived out FOR tritely tainted “treasures” rather than FOR our great “God” Himself. And their “life” is totally controlled by their incessant “love” for the WICKED world system. Therefore, their spiritual state is rightly REVEALED in their rank – Relationship TO Riches!

The Wealthy WICKED!

“James” boldly begins this poignant passage with a woeful WARNING wielded to the “rich men” as yet another telling true TEST of the sure state of their heinous “heart” by issuing them a very STRONG announcement of “their” justified “judgment” to come:

Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you – James 5:1

This stern statement “Go to now” is a clear clarion CALL of apt attention to pin-point the inescapable DOOM that swiftly “shall come upon” these torrid unbelieving ravenous “rich men” and their maniacal “miseries” of which will mightily MANIFEST through much “weeping” and “howling” heralded – Just JUDGMENT!

HISTORICAL HINTS: The MORE we each “have” the even greater potential for PROSTITUTING its intended proper use. And when our “heart” is piously PERVERTED the lethargic “love of money” will completely control us as the “root of all evil” enslaved, just as the “Apostle Paul” had himself willfully WARNED the young pastor Timothy of these “foolish” foes in kind…

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows – 1 Timothy 6:9-10

These “rich” ruffians represent the unbelievers within the “assembly” who mostly MISUSE the sound “stewardship” of their discretionary income. Therefore, he is eagerly EXPOSING the ranking “rich men” whose lying “lives” display a continual ABUSE of their financial resources – The Wealthy WICKED!

SINS of the Rich!

“James” eagerly expresses this most CONDEMNING denunciation within his entire epistle by providing the THREE slothful “sins” of these “unbelieving” financially “rich men” embedded within the “assembly” amassed – They FORGOT God!

The FIRST slothful “sin” of the “rich” is a heinous ~ HORDING!

They have “heaped treasure together” in the stock piling of their “worldly” wealth:

Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. 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 – James 5:2-3

You might ask: "Is it WRONG to lay UP treasure?" In this context, YES it is! WHY? Because with these “rich men” it was to the EXCLUSION of its proper use aptly ACCORDING to the contingent “will of God” considered. Therefore, their “riches are corrupted” and their “garments are motheaten” along with their “gold and silver” being corruptly “cankered” of which WILL be a final woe-filled “witness” set appropriately “against” them in the “last days” as an eternal damning “fire” fiasco – HORDING!

THEOLOGICAL THOUGHTS: The Greek word "riches" uses here is “Ploutos“ and is demonically derived from the name of an ancient pagan god of mythology named Ploutos meaning the ”Abundant yielding of the earth” This fickle FALSE god was said to have been the satanic son of Demetra the goddess of the “earth“ itself. Therefore, this maniacal mythology encompassed what the “earth“ produces such as vegetables, grain and meats of which are “heaped together” in kind, This is synonymous with the idolatrous pagan “Gaia“ worship of today’s pantheistic “All-is-One” mantra of the “Mother Earth“ goddess touting through the wicked environmentalism movement – Mythological MADNESS!

The SECOND slothful “sin” of the “rich” is a redescent ~ ROBBERY!

The “riches” of their wicked wealth were unjustly ROBBED from the intended income of those languished “labourers” who had rightly “reaped” it honestly:

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 – James 5:4

BIBLICAL BACKGROUND: Rather than being GENEROUS with the poor’s rightful wages earned, these wicked “rich men” wrongly exploited them. Instead of giving the “labourers” languishing in the “fields” their proper DAILY pay provisions provided on time for their hard WORK well rendered, these sinisterly shrewd sorts “kept back by fraud” in outwardly REFUSING to properly pay what was RIGHTLY due! However, these “reapers” hard-earned “wages” will coarsely “crieth” on their behalf unto the “Lord of sabaoth” as previously prophesied in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy as such…

At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee – Deuteronomy 24:15

This cursing “cry” from the defrauded wages of the pitiful “poor” payable on “his day” who has “setteth his heart” on these much needed DAILY provisions have reached the ears of the “Lord” and they continue to echo as sordid “sin” within His ears – ROBBERY!

The THIRD slothful “sin” of the “rich” is a sadistic ~ SELFISHNESS!

These wretched “rich men” had also SELFISHLY lavished in a lethargic life “lived” upon their own plentiful “pleasure on the earth” in full fancy:

Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter – James 5:5

After intentionally increasing their torrid “treasure” attained through rampant ROBBERY and then wholly HORDING it all away, these wretched “rich men” now use it for their own indulgence leading to negligent “nourished your hearts” for a DOOMING direly dictated “day of slaughter” through God’s righteous judgment. Incidentally, a willfully “wanton” life full of rank “riches” without a sure self-denial is one that will soon run out of CONTROL in every area. People who are completely CONSUMED with pitiful “pleasure” and lazy “luxury” are unable to rightly restrain themselves through a life “lived in pleasure” as nimble narcissistic and highly hedonistic self-gratification – SELFISHNESS!

Civil, Financial & Religious PERSECUTION!

Lastly, “James” culminates this purposeful passage with a “condemned” capturing of these redescent “rich men” for their ruthless acquisition of rank “riches” in such a WICKED manner:

Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you – James 5:6

These ruthless “rich men” have carelessly “condemned and killed” the jaded “just” people of “God” Almighty. Their heinous HORDING led to redescent ROBBERY which led to sadistic SELFISHNESS and this senseless “sinful” process becomes so completely consuming that these ravaging ROGUES will absolutely do anything to solely SUSTAIN their woefully WICKED wonton life style. The intense implication here is that these wretched “rich men” have done such unrighteous practices utilizing the legal COURT system of this waning WORLD to aptly attain – What THEY Want!

However, “James” also says “he doth not resist you” at all. And the “he” that is addressed here is the true “believer” living in the GRACE justified by “Jesus Christ” of whom can NOT fully fight back against this great INJUSTICE bestowed upon them by these UNGODLY wretched “rich men” in full. And “God” Himself WILL finally vindicate them – For HIS Glory!

REMNANT REMINDER: This poignant passage is reminiscent of pastor “James’” earlier intense INDICTMENT drawn from chapter 2 when he aptly addressed the sordid “sin” of direly “despised” and ECONOMICALLY weakly “poor” people of “God” themselves:

But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? – James 2:6-7

In other words, these very SAME wretched “rich men” overtly “oppress” and drag the “poor” before the civil and religious corrupt “courts” of man. And not only did these “rich” rabble deeply DEPRECIATE  human value, they also DESPISED true found “faith” fixed upon “Jesus Christ” alone. Incidentally, heralded world HISTORY practically proves that the growing GODLESS gradation of ranking “rich men” manically manifested within this WICKED waning “world” have indeed always outwardly “oppressed” the precious “people of God” in kind – Civil, Financial & Religious PERSECUTION!

In closing:

The book of Luke provides for “us” yet in another occasion of which our “Lord Jesus Christ” Himself spoke to a similar SINFUL issue of “true riches” verses “unrighteous mammon” in His powerful Parable of the unjust steward:

If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? – Luke 16:11-12

In other words, “Jesus” surely says: “Do you think God will trust YOU with the TRUE riches of His ETERNAL Kingdom if you have NOT demonstrated a PROPER handling of WORLDLY wealth?” Will “God” Himself actually “give” you what is TRULY valuable if you do NOT properly “steward” that which is worldly in nature? And if you have NOT been fully “faithful” in that which belongs directly to “another man” in kind, then “who shall give you” something that “is your own?” Therefore, “Jesus Christ” Himself said that if “ye” are NOT fully “faithful” with the earthly enticing “riches” that is a sure “stewardship” sent from “God” Almighty, then WHY would He “give” you the heavenly held “riches” of His beautiful BLESSINGS beheld? The constantly correct answer is He in fact – Will NOT!

Then “Jesus” sums up His quizzing questions with this telling TRUTH be told:

No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon – Luke 16:13

The pious Pharisees of whom “Jesus” aptly addressed here were very “covetous” and when HEARING these woeful “words” from the lips of our “Lord” Himself, they DESPISED Him even more! These poisonous prelates were indeed quite RELIGIOUS but the sordid state of their heinous “hearts” were rightly REVEALED in their cancerous “covetousness” for the maniacally manifested “mammon” made of man – Money MADNESS!

Beloved, how do YOU relate to the “riches” wrought of this present waning “wicked” world? Each of “us” have been “given” so much wielded “wealth” given by “our” glorious “God” in full. Therefore, let’s seek to USE it to courageously CARE for the precious “people” He has “given” to each of “us” accordingly. However, let’s NOT seek to wholly – HOARD It!

We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

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Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

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