James 5,1-6

18—Judgment on the Wicked Rich (5:1–6)

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you. (5:1–6)

In Luke 16:13 the Lord Jesus Christ stated an important spiritual principle: “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Because of that, Jesus exhorted, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:19–21).

Nothing more clearly reveals the state of a person’s heart than his view of money and material possessions. Many who profess faith in Christ invalidate their claim to genuine saving faith through their opulent, indulgent, materialistic lifestyles—a clear indication that they serve wealth, not God (Matt. 6:24).

As noted throughout this commentary, James was presenting tests of genuine saving faith, tests which validate or invalidate one’s claim to be a Christian. Building on the teaching of our Lord, as he often does, James presents another such test in chapter 5—that of how one views money. The first six verses of chapter 5 form a strong rebuke—the strongest in the entire epistle. James’s blistering, scathing denunciation condemns those who profess to worship God but in fact worship money. He calls on them to examine the true state of their hearts in light of how they feel about their wealth.

The Bible does not teach that possessing wealth is sinful in and of itself. In fact, everyone possesses wealth and material goods to one degree or another. Moses reminded the Israelites poised to enter the promised land that “the Lord your God … is giving you power to make wealth” (Deut. 8:18), a truth confirmed by Proverbs 10:22: “It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, and He adds no sorrow to it.” What is wrong is to misuse one’s wealth. “The love of money,” wrote Paul in 1 Timothy 6:10, “is a root of all sorts of evil”; but he later wrote that it is God “who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (v. 17). James, like Paul, cautions against the love of money that leads people to misuse the wealth with which God has blessed them for their own selfish, sinful ends.

James’s sharp rebuke of the wicked wealthy is in keeping with the tradition of the Old Testament prophets. Isaiah repeatedly denounced those rich people who misused their wealth or abused the poor. In chapter 3 he warned, “The Lord enters into judgment with the elders and princes of His people, ‘It is you who have devoured the vineyard; the plunder of the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing My people and grinding the face of the poor?’ declares the Lord God of hosts” (vv. 14–15; cf. 5:8–10). In Isaiah 10:1–4 the prophet continued his pronouncement of judgment on Israel’s wicked rich:

Woe to those who enact evil statutes

And to those who constantly record unjust decisions,

So as to deprive the needy of justice

And rob the poor of My people of their rights,

In order that widows may be their spoil

And that they may plunder the orphans.

Now what will you do in the day of punishment,

And in the devastation which will come from afar?

To whom will you flee for help?

And where will you leave your wealth?

Nothing remains but to crouch among the captives

Or fall among the slain.

In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away

And His hand is still stretched out.

The prophet Amos graphically depicted the wicked rich of his day as fattened cattle, ripe for the devastating slaughter of God’s judgment:

Hear this word, you cows of Bashan who are on the mountain of Samaria,

Who oppress the poor, who crush the needy,

Who say to your husbands, “Bring now, that we may drink!”

The Lord God has sworn by His holiness,

“Behold, the days are coming upon you

When they will take you away with meat hooks,

And the last of you with fish hooks.

You will go out through breaches in the walls,

Each one straight before her,

And you will be cast to Harmon,” declares the Lord. (Amos 4:1–3)

In Amos 8:4–10 the prophet continued his prophecy of doom on the wicked rich:

Hear this, you who trample the needy, to do away with the humble of the land, saying,

“When will the new moon be over,

So that we may sell grain,

And the sabbath, that we may open the wheat market,

To make the bushel smaller and the shekel bigger,

And to cheat with dishonest scales,

So as to buy the helpless for money

And the needy for a pair of sandals,

And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?”

The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob,

“Indeed, I will never forget any of their deeds.

Because of this will not the land quake

And everyone who dwells in it mourn?

Indeed, all of it will rise up like the Nile,

And it will be tossed about

And subside like the Nile of Egypt.

It will come about in that day,” declares the Lord God,

“That I shall make the sun go down at noon

And make the earth dark in broad daylight.

Then I shall turn your festivals into mourning

And all your songs into lamentation;

And I will bring sackcloth on everyone’s loins

And baldness on every head.

And I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son,

And the end of it will be like a bitter day.”

Job (Job 24:2–4), Jeremiah (Jer. 5:27–29), Micah (Mic. 2:1–5), and Malachi (Mal. 3:5) also condemned the wicked rich.

So strong is James’s rebuke that some have argued that he had in mind those outside the church. But James’s address of his readers in the second person indicates he was speaking to those who would hear his letter read in the churches. James, then, aimed his rebuke at people who were in some way associated with the church. He was wise enough to realize that, as in any church, some in the churches to which he wrote claimed to be Christians, but were not. Though they may have outwardly professed faith in Christ, their focus on earthly treasure betrayed the falsity of that profession (Matt. 6:21; cf. 13:22; 19:21–22). Sadly, many in the church today are accepted as Christians because they talk about Jesus and claim a superficial allegiance to Him. Yet an examination of their lifestyle reveals that they do not walk in obedience to His commandments. Their lust for money and possessions betrays their true allegiance (Matt. 6:24; cf. James 4:4; 1 John 2:15–17).

Though primarily addressed to those rich fakers in the church who professed allegiance to Christ but actually pursued riches, James’s warning is a timely one for Christians as well. Believers must be wary of falling into the same sins that characterize unbelievers. James shows the sin of loving money to all so none will fall into it.

James begins his denunciation with a forceful pronouncement of impending judgment. In light of the inescapable doom that is coming against the wicked wealthy, James warns, come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. As noted in the previous chapter of this commentary, the phrase come now is an insistent call for attention. In our contemporary vernacular it means “Listen up!” or “Get this!” or “Pay attention!” Here it also serves to introduce a new group; in 4:13 it was addressed to those presumptuous fools who planned their lives as if God did not exist.

James commanded the wicked rich to weep and howl. Weep is from klaiō, which means “to sob out loud,” or “to lament.” It was used to describe the wailing that took place when someone died (e.g., Mark 5:38–39; Luke 7:13; 8:52; John 11:31, 33; 20:11; Acts 9:39). It also depicted the outward reaction that sometimes accompanied intense shame and guilt (e.g., Matt. 26:75; Luke 7:38). James used it in 4:9 to describe the sorrow that accompanies repentance. But where there is no lament of repentance there is no grace of forgiveness, so James adds another word, howl. Ololuzō (howl) appears only here in the New Testament. This onomatopoetic word goes beyond mere lamenting and refers to shrieking or screaming. Taken together, weep and howl picture an intense outburst of despairing, violent, uncontrollable grief. The Old Testament prophets frequently described such wailing over the effects of sin (e.g., Isa. 13:6; 15:3; 16:7; 23:1; Jer. 48:20; Ezek. 21:12; Amos 8:3; Zech. 11:2; cf. Matt. 5:4).

James then gave the reason the rich are to respond with such overwhelming grief: their miseries which are coming upon them. Talaipōria (miseries) appears only here and in Romans 3:16 in the New Testament. It describes overwhelming hardship, trouble, suffering, or distress. Overwhelming trouble will be visited upon the wicked rich when they stand before the Lord in judgment. In Luke 6:24–25, Jesus warned them, “Woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.”

Later in Luke, Jesus told a shocking story that graphically illustrates the terrible judgment to be visited on the wicked wealthy:

Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.” But Abraham said, “Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.” (Luke 16:19–25; cf. Zeph. 1:18)

James notes four sins that precipitate the severe judgment pronounced on the wicked rich. They are condemned because their wealth was uselessly hoarded, unjustly gained, self-indulgently spent, and ruthlessly acquired.

Their Wealth Was Uselessly Hoarded

Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! (5:2–3)

Hoarding, tragically, is one of the most widespread sins of our time. God entrusts believers with material goods so they may use them for His glory. Obviously, Christians are to provide for their families (1 Tim. 5:8). But beyond that, Christians’ resources are to be used to advance God’s kingdom (cf. 1 Chron. 29:3; Mark 12:42–44; Luke 6:38; 1 Cor. 16:2–3; 2 Cor. 8:2; 9:6–7). Specifically, believers are to use their wealth to win the lost (Luke 16:9), care for those in need (Gal. 2:10; 1 John 3:16–18), and support those in ministry (1 Cor. 9:4–14; Gal. 6:6). Those who name the name of Christ are not to amass a fortune that is uselessly stashed away without regard for God’s will (cf. Job 27:13–17; Ps. 39:6; Eccl. 5:10–11, 13).

In his condemnation of hoarding, James described the three main ways wealth was valued in his day (apart from land and houses). Ploutos (riches) may refer to wealth in general (cf. Matt. 13:22; 1 Tim. 6:17). But James’s use of rotted suggests a more narrow reference to foodstuffs. Sēpō (the verb from which rotted derives) appears only here in the New Testament. In extrabiblical Greek, sēpō was used to describe rotten wood, decayed flesh, and rotten fruit. James indicts the wicked rich for uselessly hoarding food (meat, grains, fruit, etc.) that would inevitably rot. Like the rich fool in our Lord’s parable (Luke 12:16–21), they believed their hoarded food would allow them to “take [their] ease, eat, drink and be merry” (Luke 12:19) for years to come. But in the end, it would only rot and be of no use to anyone.

Wealth in biblical times was also measured in terms of garments (cf. Gen. 45:22; Josh. 7:21; Judg. 14:12; 2 Kings 5:5, 22; Acts 20:33; 1 Tim. 2:9; 1 Pet. 3:3). Himitia (garments) referred to outer garments, such as robes, mantles, or cloaks. Often richly embroidered (Judg. 5:30; Ps. 45:14; Ezek. 16:10, 13, 18; 26:16; 27:16, 24) and embellished with jewels, such garments were frequently handed down as heirlooms. But hoarding them was as foolish and useless as hoarding food, since such garments were in danger of becoming moth-eaten (Job 13:28; Isa. 50:9; 51:8; Matt. 6:19–20). “James sees all this [hoarding] as senseless—what is the point of feeding moths?” (J. A. Motyer, The Message of James [Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1985], 165).

Finally, wealth in James’s day could be measured in precious metals, chiefly gold and … silver. Even such seemingly indestructible commodities, James noted, can become rusted. The verb translated rusted (katioō) is a compound word; the added preposition intensifies the force of the verb. It thus means “to thoroughly and completely rust or corrode.” James may have meant that the gold and silver could literally become rusted; some evidence suggests the coinage of his day was not pure but contained alloys and could rust under conducive circumstances. Or James may have been speaking figuratively, declaring that in the day of God’s judgment, gold and silver will be as useless as if they were rusted. The utter inability of riches to deliver individuals from God’s judgment is a frequent theme in Scripture (e.g., Prov. 11:4; Isa. 2:20–21; Ezek. 7:19; Zeph. 1:18; Matt. 16:26).

Hoarding one’s possessions—whether food, clothing, or money —is foolish. All such earthly treasures are fleeting and transitory. “Do not weary yourself to gain wealth,” cautioned Solomon. “Cease from your consideration of it. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings like an eagle that flies toward the heavens” (Prov. 23:4–5). Those who dedicate their lives to such a futile pursuit cannot and do not worship God.

Having exposed the sinful futility of hoarding wealth, James then described the judgment pronounced on the hoarders. Personifying the rust that depicts the futility of hoarding riches, James declared that it will be a witness for the prosecution against the wicked rich. In the judgment, their hoarded, rotted, moth-eaten, corroded treasures will give graphic testimony to the unregenerate state of their hearts. Their covetous, selfish, compassionless, earthbound approach to life will provoke their condemnation.

Not only does James portray rust as witness, but also as executioner; it will consume the flesh of the wicked rich like fire. Fire symbolizes fast, inescapable, fatal, and final judgment. That is a vivid picture of hell. That the fire will consume the flesh of the wicked rich reveals hell to be a place of physical torment. One of the most fearful realities in all of Scripture is the truth that hell is a place of conscious (Luke 16:23–24), bodily (Matt. 5:29; 10:28; 13:42, 50; Rev. 14:9–10; 19:20; 20:15), eternal (Matt. 3:12; 25:41; Mark 9:43–48; 2 Thess. 1:9; Rev. 14:11) punishment. The Greek word translated flesh is plural, indicating James was addressing the wicked rich not collectively but individually; his warning was both pointed and personal.

Compounding their sin of hoarding was that it is in the last days that these rich fools stored up their treasure. The last days encompass the period between Christ’s first and second comings (Acts 2:16–17; Heb. 1:1–2; 9:26; 1 Pet. 1:20; 4:7; 1 John 2:18; Jude 18). James sharply rebuked them for hoarding their wealth without regard for God’s timetable, the flow of redemptive history, or the reality of eternity. How utterly unthinkable to amass and hoard wealth as the day of judgment draws near! Those who do so “are storing up wrath for [themselves] in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds” (Rom. 2:5–6). Wealth is to be enjoyed as a blessing from God and used to fulfill His will in meeting needs and advancing the gospel. Those who fail to do that suffer judgment.

Their Wealth Was Unjustly Gained

Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. (5:4)

The wicked rich were not only guilty of sinfully hoarding their wealth; they had also sinfully acquired it. Far from being generous to the poor as Scripture commands (Deut. 15:9–11; Matt. 6:2–4; Gal. 2:10), they exploited them. Specifically, they had withheld the pay of the laborers who mowed their fields—a practice so shocking that James introduced the statement with the arresting word behold. The perfect tense of the verb translated withheld suggests that the wicked rich completely withheld at least part of their laborers’ pay; they did not merely delay payment.

Day laborers were an essential part of Israel’s agrarian economy (cf. Matt. 20:1–16), and withholding their wages was strictly prohibited by the Old Testament. Leviticus 19:13 commanded the Israelites, “You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of a hired man are not to remain with you all night until morning.” Deuteronomy 24:14–15 repeats that injunction: “You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your countrymen or one of your aliens who is in your land in your towns. You shall give him his wages on his day before the sun sets.” Verse 15 explains why withholding the pay of a day laborer is such a serious matter (“for he is poor and sets his heart on it”) and warns of the consequences of such unjust behavior (“so that he will not cry against you to the Lord and it become sin in you”). Lacking the security of a steady source of income, the poor day laborers depended on each day’s wages to feed and clothe their families. So serious a matter was withholding the pay of a day laborer that Jeremiah pronounced a curse on those who did so: “Woe to him … who uses his neighbor’s services without pay and does not give him his wages” (Jer. 22:13; cf. Mal. 3:5).

As he earlier did with the rust that would act both as witness and executioner, James personified the pay that had been unjustly withheld (for examples of the personification of other inanimate objects in Scripture, see Gen. 4:10; 18:20; 19:13; Job 31:38; Pss. 65:13; 98:8; Isa. 55:12; Hab. 2:11). That pay, James warned the wicked rich, cries out against you. Krazō (cries out) means “to shout” (Matt. 15:22–23; Acts 19:32, 34; 24:21), or “to scream” (Luke 9:39). It is used in Mark 9:26 to describe the shrieks of a demon being expelled from its victim, in Matthew 21:9 of the joyous cries of the crowd during Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and in Matthew 27:23 of the hate-filled cries of the bloodthirsty mob for Jesus’ execution.

James then added the sobering warning that the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth (cf. Deut. 24:15). The painful cries of the robbed, defrauded laborers reached the ears of God—and they would echo there until He acted in righteous judgment. Sabaoth is an untranslated Greek word which derives from the Hebrew word tsaba meaning “hosts,” or “armies.” The phrase the Lord of Sabaoth describes God as Commander of the armies of heaven (cf. 1 Sam. 17:45). He is the One who hears the cries of the defrauded poor and will call His angelic armies to act in judgment (cf. Matt. 13:41–42; 16:27; 25:31; Mark 8:38; 2 Thess. 1:7–8).

A frightening judgment awaits those who unjustly hoard the wealth they rob from the poor. Their victims will cry out for justice to the Righteous Judge and He will not disappoint them.

Their Wealth Was Self-indulgently Spent

You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. (5:5)

Having increased their wealth by robbery and hoarding, the wicked rich added to their sin by using their wealth for their own selfish indulgence. James described their self-indulgence by using three verbs. Truphaō (lived luxuriously) appears only here in the New Testament. The related noun truphē has the basic meaning of “softness.” James condemned the wicked rich for living in soft, extravagant luxury at the expense of others. Far from being first-century Robin Hoods, stealing to give to others, they stole to line their own pockets.

The phrase led a life of wanton pleasure derives from a single Greek verb, spatalaō, used only here and in 1 Timothy 5:6. It has the connotation of giving oneself to the pursuit of pleasure, or plunging headlong into dissipation. Those who pursue pleasure and luxury often descend into vice in a vain attempt to satisfy their insatiable desires. A life without self-denial soon goes out of control in every area. Paul described such people as dead even while they live (1 Tim. 5:6) because, like the foolish son in our Lord’s parable, they squander everything on loose living (Luke 15:13). Those with money frequently close their eyes to the needs of others and the work of God, living solely to gratify their selfish, sinful desires. And, apart from faith in Christ, they face eternal ruin and loss.

Finally, James accused the wicked rich of having fattened their hearts. Trephō (fattened) means “to nourish, feed, or fatten.” The Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) used it in Jeremiah 46:21 to speak of fattened calves. The striking picture James paints is of oppressive, self-indulgent robbers, who have satiated themselves on the plunder taken from their victims. The desire for luxury led to vice, which led the unjust hoarders to seek to selfishly indulge every desire of their hearts.

Ironically, one of the wealthiest and wisest men who ever lived provides an illustration of the futility of such self-indulgence. Ecclesiastes 2:4–10 reveals that Solomon left no stone unturned in his frantic pursuit of pleasure:

I enlarged my works: I built houses for myself, I planted vineyards for myself; I made gardens and parks for myself and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; I made ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves and I had homeborn slaves. Also I possessed flocks and herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male and female singers and the pleasures of men—many concubines. Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor.

Yet Solomon’s evaluation of his pursuit attests to the futility of such self-indulgence: “Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun” (v. 11).

But lavish self-indulgence can lead to something worse than vanity. In keeping with the metaphor of the wicked rich having fattened their hearts, James warns of a coming day of slaughter—a frightening picture of judgment. In vivid language, he depicts the self-indulgent hoarders as fattened calves, headed for the slaughterhouse of divine judgment. And, apart from saving faith in Christ, that is the reality that awaits them.

The Bible often uses this imagery of slaughtering animals to depict the terrifying reality of God’s judgment. Through Isaiah, God pronounced doom on Edom:

For My sword is satiated in heaven,

Behold it shall descend for judgment upon Edom

And upon the people whom I have devoted to destruction.

The sword of the Lord is filled with blood,

It is sated with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats,

With the fat of the kidneys of rams.

For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah

And a great slaughter in the land of Edom.

Wild oxen will also fall with them

And young bulls with strong ones;

Thus their land shall be soaked with blood,

And their dust become greasy with fat.

For the Lord has a day of vengeance,

A year of recompense for the cause of Zion.

(Isa. 34:5–8)

Jeremiah used similar language to describe the judgment on Babylon: “Come to her from the farthest border; open up her barns, pile her up like heaps and utterly destroy her, let nothing be left to her. Put all her young bulls to the sword; let them go down to the slaughter! Woe be upon them, for their day has come, the time of their punishment” (Jer. 50:26–27; cf. 51:40; Ezek. 39:17–19).

Blind to heaven, deaf to warnings of hell, insensitive to the impending day of slaughter and judgment, the unrepentant, selfish, indulgent hoarders stumble blindly to their doom. Unless they repent, James warns, they will experience eternal damnation.

Their Wealth Was Ruthlessly Acquired

You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you. (5:6)

This is the final progression in the downward spiral followed by the rich people James rebuked. Having unjustly hoarded the money they robbed from their poor day laborers and spent it on their self-indulgent desires, they went even further and condemned and put to death the righteous man. They would literally kill to maintain their opulent lifestyle. Condemned is from katadikazō, which means “to pass sentence upon,” or “to condemn.” The Greek verb translated put to death (phoneuō) is translated “murder” in all of its other New Testament appearances (Matt. 5:21; 19:18; 23:31, 35; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20; Rom. 13:9; James 2:11; 4:2). The implication is that the wicked rich were using the courts to judicially murder some of the abused poor.

God established courts to fairly, impartially dispense justice (Deut. 17:8–13). Judges were not to be greedy (Ex. 18:21–22), show partiality (Lev. 19:15), tolerate perjury (Deut. 19:16–20), or take bribes (Mic. 3:11; 7:3). But even in Israel there was terrible corruption. Amos denounced the perversion of justice taking place in the courts of his day: “For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great, you who distress the righteous and accept bribes and turn aside the poor in the gate” (Amos 5:12). “Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the gate!” Amos urged. Then “perhaps the Lord God of hosts may be gracious to the remnant of Joseph” (v. 15). In James’s day, too, the wicked rich sought to pervert the justice system and use it against the poor (cf. James 2:6).

The term righteous man denotes someone morally upright (e.g., Gen. 6:9; 2 Sam. 4:11; Matt. 1:19; 10:41; Acts 10:22)—as was James himself, as his nickname “the just” attests. James made it clear that the victims of the rich oppressors were innocent of any crime or wrongdoing. It is best to understand the he who did not resist the rich as the innocent, abused poor man they hauled into court. That may indicate that the victims were defrauded believers, committing themselves, as did the Lord Jesus Christ, into the care of God when falsely accused (1 Pet. 2:23). By not resisting their oppressors, they lived out the truths taught by our Lord in Matthew 5:39–42:

But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

Wealth may be a blessing, a gift from God bringing the opportunity to do good. But that can only be true of those who are also “rich in faith” (James 2:5) and “rich toward God” (Luke 12:21). If wealth is to be a source of blessing and not condemnation, it must not be uselessly hoarded, unjustly gained, self-indulgently spent, or ruthlessly acquired.

Paul’s charge to Timothy shows how God expects the wealthy to use their riches. It forms a fitting contrast to the abuse of wealth James condemned.

Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. (1 Tim. 6:17–19)