Hurry Up and Wait!
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Scripture:
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.
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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.
Waiting is a part of the Christian life, as James points out in this passage. The context involves the problem of injustice. In verses 1–6, James dealt with injustice displayed toward believers from businessmen who were mistreating them.
When we’re treated unfairly, we want justice, and now! But James advises patience, telling us we’re to wait with:
1. Patient Determination (vv. 7, 8).
1. Patient Determination (vv. 7, 8).
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.
Patience means holding one’s spirit in check, controlling one’s temperament, not allowing people to drive us to rage. It could be translated “long-tempered,” the opposite of a short fuse. (See Prov. 14:29 and 29:11.)
He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding:
But he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.
A fool uttereth all his mind:
But a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.
One commentator said, “Patience is the self-restraint which does not hastily retaliate against a wrong.”
James uses farmers as an illustration (v. 7).
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.
If you’re impatient, don’t take up farming. It takes time after sowing for the harvest. And farmers are dependent on rain.
The “early rain” helps soften the soil and give needed moisture; the latter rains help bring the harvest to maturity. Impatience does farmers no good. Likewise we must be patient, awaiting harvest time, waiting for God’s vindication. James sums up this point in verse 8, telling us to “establish” our hearts.
Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
This verb carries the idea of making something secure. We must deliberately fix our hearts on the Lord’s Coming; that focus gives us stability in the face of difficult circumstances.
Lord, please show me every day
As you’re teaching me your way
That you’ll do just what you say
In your time.
2. A Positive Disposition (v. 9).
James 5:9
Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.
Grumbling and complaining are common human traits, especially when things are difficult. Trials can cause us to lash out at others.
The word “grumble” here conveys the idea of “groaning,” and the implication is more internal than external. To phrase it differently, it’s possible to grumble against another person without saying anything. We can grumble or groan against them in our heart. James warns that grumbling against others is a reflection of the spirit of judgmentalism already condemned in 4:11–12.
Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?
If we would keep Christ’s return in view, we would not complain and criticize so much. Few of us take grumbling against others very seriously, but God does.
3. Persevering Dependence (vv. 10, 11).
3. Persevering Dependence (vv. 10, 11).
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 proceeds to give us two examples of those who persevered through difficulty.
A. The Ancient Prophets.
A. The Ancient Prophets.
Take Jeremiah, for example. God called him as a teenager in a small town. After he preached his first sermon, his family attacked him. After preaching in Jerusalem, the religious establishment persecuted him. He was beaten, thrown into prison, and dumped into a muddy cistern to die. Yet Jeremiah endured. The prophets weren’t some race of super-men. They were human, yet they learned to accept suffering with a persevering dependence. (See Rom. 15:4.)
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
B. Job.
B. Job.
Job suffered mentally, materially, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. But he persevered. Satan predicted that Job would grow impatient with God and abandon his faith, but that didn’t happen. (See Job 13:15.)
Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:
But I will maintain mine own ways before him.
Not all suffering is caused by sin. Sometimes suffering is caused by doing right, by living a godly life; but we must persevere.
Conclusion: There is much injustice in the world today. The Bible tells us that God will not settle all wrongs in the world till Christ returns. Therefore we’re to patiently endure.
To do that, we must:
• Meditate on the sovereignty of God.
• Meditate on the sovereignty of God.
Impatience is an implicit denial of the sovereignty of God.
• Meditate on the certainty of Christ’s return.
• Meditate on the certainty of Christ’s return.
• Reflect on the consequences of impatience.
• Reflect on the consequences of impatience.
• If it involves another person, remember that you’re of like nature. Reflect on your own weakness; it will make your ability to be patient more effective.