James Chapter 5: Wealth, Patience, and Prayer

Passage

James 5 ESV

1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you. 7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. 12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation. 13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. 19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

The three things

James talks about three things in chapter 5

Wealth

Patience

Prayer

Wealth

James is not condemning wealth here. He is rebuking self-reliance and self-indulgence. These men have abused their power and built a fortune on the backs of underpaid workers and overdue bills. While others in the early church are suffering, these men have worried only about their own comforts. The application to prosperous Americans is clear, but it isn't that our neighbors need to pay more, as we often talk. God is calling us to consider our business practices and home finances.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 5:1

The rich people, so often the object of envy, were the object of James’ scorn and condemnation. He put down those who placed their arrogant trust in things which were doomed to decay. Weep and wail, could be elaborated as “burst into tears” (klausate; also in 4:9) and “howl with grief” (ololyzontes, an onomatopoeic verb used only here in the NT). Money brings merriment only temporarily; wealth eventually results in misery

Typically we all want the rags to riches story, but in Vs. 2-3 James is telling us how the rich are going from riches to rags as all things on earth, even the silver and gold will be destroyed

James isn’t telling us that being rich, or having wealth is inherently evil, it is the way you receive your wealth, and what you do with it that is evil

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 5:4–5

The life of luxury (etryphēsate, “to lead a soft life,” used only here in the NT) and self-indulgence (espatalēsate, “to live voluptuously or wantonly,” used only here and in 1 Tim. 5:6), is like so much fat for the slaughter. The sarcastic illustration was vivid for Jewish believers who had seen many fattened sheep and oxen meet their fates in sacrifice

Vs 6 shows us that the rich were using their power and money to condemn people in court, even causing them to allow innocent people to be put to death

Patience

The Bible Knowledge Commentary B. Share in Patience (5:7–3)

From the rich, James turned to the restless. For these he again used the friendly address, “brothers.” The tone turns from stark condemnation to sensitive consolation. James excoriated the rich but encouraged the receptive. He appealed to his brethren to be patient. He defined the essence of patience, gave some examples of patience, and indicated an evidence of patience.

In VS 7 James tells us to be patient. This is a motif for all of life, we so often want to rush through life, find only the good things, but James is telling us to be patient, see the finish line, and prepare

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 5:7

“Be patient” (makrothymēsate) comes from a compound of “long” (makros) and “temper” (thymos). The idea is to set the timer of one’s temper for a long run. Think long. Focus on the final lap in the race of life. Have a long fuse.

In VS. 8-9 James again tells us to be patient, and warns us to put off what he said in chapter 4 (quarrels and fights) - that is because the Judge is standing at the door. The judge being Jesus who is described as at the door.

This should give the imagery of school, where the students know the teacher is about to walk in the room, expecting to be on the best behavior

In VS. 10-11 James reminds the readers (who were mostly Jewish) about the prophets who endured in patience and were considered blessed. Then reminds them of Job, the most famous example of being patient in times of trouble

He closes out this section by telling them not to swear/take oaths. Not that oaths are bad, but that your character and word should be firm because of the Lord. If you say yes you should mean it, if you say no you should mean it. You shouldn’t need to take an oath, make a promise or anything else.

Prayer

The Bible Knowledge Commentary C. Share in Prayer (5:13–20)

A fitting climax to James’ letter is his emphasis on prayer. The greatest assistance any believer can offer another is faithful prayer. Prayer is clear evidence of care. Prayer is the “hotline” to the One who can provide for any need no matter how complex or impossible it may seem. To share in prayer, a believer must have a sensitivity to someone’s needs, engage in diligent supplication for those needs, and recognize the significance of those needs.

VS. 13 sets the stage for the final part of James’ letter by showing us that no matter what you are going through seek Jesus

VS. 14-15 clearly sets up one of the biggest problems in the chapter. Who are the sick that James is referring to

Is he referring to the physically sick, bedridden people

Is he referring to the spiritually sick and weak?

Listen to the Greek words

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 5:14–15

The heart of the problem lies in just what James meant when he referred to the “sick.” Actually there is no reason to consider “sick” as referring exclusively to physical illness. The word asthenei literally means “to be weak.” Though it is used in the Gospels for physical maladies, it is generally used in Acts and the Epistles to refer to a weak faith or a weak conscience (cf. Acts 20:35; Rom. 6:19; 14:1; 1 Cor. 8:9–12). That it should be considered “weak” in this verse is clear in that another Greek word (kamnonta) in James 5:15, translated sick person, literally means “to be weary.” The only other use in the New Testament (Heb. 12:3) of that word clearly emphasizes this same meaning.

Acts 20:35 “35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ””

Romans 6:19 “19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.”

Romans 14:1 “1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.”

1 Corinthians 8:9-12 “9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12 Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.”

Heb. 12:3 “3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”

Based solely off the Greek words, it seems most likely that James is talking about the Spiritually weak and weary, that they should call on the elders of the church to pray for them

This however, doesn’t mean that if you are sick you shouldn’t also call and ask for prayer - but here in James 5 he seems to more likely be referring to someone who is weak spiritually

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 5:16

5:16. The conclusion is clear: therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other. A mutual concern for one another is the way to combat discouragement and downfall. The cure is in personal confession and prayerful concern. The healing (that you may be healed) is not bodily healing but healing of the soul (iathēte; cf. Matt. 13:15; Heb. 12:13; 1 Peter 2:24). It is the powerful and effective … prayer of a righteous person that brings the needed cure from God. This of course relates to the closing two verses of James’ letter. If James 5:14–16 refer to physical healing, then those verses seem disjointed with the verses before and after them

Just like earlier, in VS 17-18 James refers to a figure that the Jewish readers would know, Elijah. He had our nature, namely that he was suffering and often weak spiritually needing to rely on the Lord. But that he prayed fervently and powerfully and the Lord held off the rain, then the Lord sent the rain.

Showing us that when we pray it needs to be earnest and consistent prayer, not halfhearted prayers

VS. 19-20 James finishes the book by showing that if anyone is in sin, bring them back to the Lord. Seek for redemption in their lives. Just as the lost sheep was hunted by the shepherd in Matthew 16 so we should seek out our brother

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 5:19–20

A believer should be what God wants him to be, do what God wants him to do, say what God wants him to say, sense what God wants him to sense, and share what God wants him to share. Spiritual maturity involves every aspect of life.

Questions

I want to hear your closing thoughts! What chapters impacted/challenged you the most? What next steps have you taken as a result of the text?

Jesus said it was really hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. That illustration is mainly about reliance and dependence on God. Wealth can create a false sense in our lives that we have no “needs” that can’t be met by our own means. So how does a wealthy person rely humbly on the Lord?

How does a consideration for the poor influence your decisions? Are you person that waits for someone to ask you to help, are you looking for needs around you, or are you proactively giving/saving so that when a need arises it can be met immediately?

People give based on a few things: personal excess, need, guilt/emotion/manipulation, obedience, etc. What type of financial giver are you, and what type of givers is God looking for?

In James 5:7, although James uses the word "wait," farmers still have a job to do while they are waiting for their crops to come in. Tilling, planting, weeding, watering, etc. While we are waiting for the return of Jesus, what are our tasks to be completing and working on?

In verses 13-15, and James 1:5, James gives us 5 instances in life where we should pray. What are they? When you are in those situations, is prayer your first call or your last resort? Why?

James also instructs us to pray for each other. Read Colossians 1:9-10, Ephesians 1:16-18, and 1 Timothy 2:1-4. What else does the Bible say about the power of praying for each other?