Warning to the Rich

James 5:1–6 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.

James has some really harsh words here

The tone of this is quite similar to some of the prophetic writings in the Old Testament

Many people believe that this is not addressed to the church but that James switches his focus to the unbeliever

Why do you think that James would shift his focus to unbelievers in a letter that was clearly meant for believers?

The same as the prophets in the OT did, to point people to the justice of God that was coming

But just because these verses were directed at unbelievers, this does not mean that we as Christians should ignore it

There is benefit to this for us.

Earlier, James had to address the church for how they were treating the rich compared to the poor, so clearly we have things we need to work on as well.

James 5:1 ESV

1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.

Weeping and wailing were typical ways that evil people would react to the day of judgment as described in scripture

Isaiah 13:6 “6 Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come!”

Amos 8:3 “3 The songs of the temple shall become wailings in that day,” declares the Lord God. “So many dead bodies!” “They are thrown everywhere!” “Silence!””

In essence, James is saying that these rich people will suffer condemnation for their sins

The bible often uses the picture of a rich person and a poor person to represent wicked and righteous people.

I think this is a good time for us to see that in what James is saying here.

James gives us 4 sins that these wealthy people commit over the next few verses

1. They have hoarded their wealth

James 5:2–3 “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.”

Their riches have rotted and corroded

They have laid up their treasure in the last days

What are some modern day equivalents to this?

What are ways that we personally might do this?

preparing financially for the future is not evil

difference in hoarding and saving for needs

2. They failed to pay their laborers

James 5:4 “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.”

They have people working in the fields for them

They kept back these peoples wages

Has anyone ever worked for this kind of person?

Maybe it is someone who is making bookoos of money but they pay their people under what they deserve

Are there ways that we as Christians may be guilty of something like this?

3. They lived a self-indulgent lifestyle

James 5:5 “5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.”

What is the difference in luxury and simplicity(not even poverty)?

As believers, we are commanded to die to ourselves. Romans 6:6 “6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.”

Being self-indulgent is still being a slave to ourselves, our fleshly desires, so therefore we are slaved to sin.

He says that they have fattened hearts in a day of slaughter

The picture of a fattened heart ready to be slaughtered is them storing up wrath for themselves for the day of judgment.

They continue to do the evil and sinful things that they do

They are building up for themselves this earthly wealth at the expense of others and on the day of judgment, they will be slaughtered

Should a disciple of Jesus live a luxurious lifestyle?

Should they live in poverty?

How do we live self-indulgent lifestyles today?

4. They murdered men with their influence

James 5:6 “6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.”

Could this be about Jesus? Yes

Likely James was referring to the wrongful treatment of the Christians at the hands of the wealthy

I know that this is about the unbeliever, but could this be us?

Are there ways where we have been like this?

Do we in essence do this to others?

Summary

So what should we get from this passage?

God will judge

God will punish the evil and exalt the righteous

This life and this world should not be what drives our actions

Lay up riches in heaven and not on earth