1Now listen, you rich people, weep and
wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. 2Your wealth has
rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3Your gold and silver are
corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like
fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4Look! The wages you
failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The
cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5You
have lived on earth in luxury and selfindulgence. You have fattened yourselves
in the day of slaughter.[a] 6You
have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.
Listen! Pay
attention! You really, really need to
hear this and to take it to heart! It’s
time for a drastic mid-course correction.
For those who would refuse to take heed, misery would repay! So there is an urgency stressed here as
sudden disaster was about to come upon those who had been so heartless!
God rules over wealth.
That is, everything that we have and that we are allowed to possess
actually belongs to God. He allows it
to come into our possession and He can take it away just as quickly. As we enjoy His blessings, He requires our
obedience to his will in proper use of whatever He allows us to have. This is
clear in the Old Testament view as well. Leviticus 25, emphasizes that the land
and the people belong to God. This fact put the Israelites in the position of
tenants rather than owners (Lev 25:23); they were clearly admonished not to
take advantage of one other. They were
clearly admonished not to enslave each other (vv. 17, 42). Instead, they were
to follow the admonition "Fear
your God" (vv. 17,
43). James's emphasizes the same worldview and could be summarized with the
same admonition.
The description as given here of the condition of one’s possessions
is really sad and pitiful! What was
once rich and glorious is now described as rotted, moth-eaten and
corroded! The value is gone! What was once entrusted as of great value
has been misused. It was improperly
cared for. So, as a result, what could
have remained as grand, glorious and useful is now junk. It has rotted. The moths have eaten what they could. And what was left has rusted and corroded into worthless junk!
If that isn’t enough, it becomes worse! “Look! The
wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out
against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord
Almighty. 5You have lived on earth in luxury and selfindulgence. You
have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.[a] 6You
have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.
They had been unfaithful to those who had faithfully served
them! They had failed to pay sufficient
wages. They had failed to show normal
appreciation. They had failed to
respect these people for their faithful service. So the workers were unable to meet their needs, as would normally
have been expected, from wages that they had worked hard for and deserved to
get. But this was withheld! So, what were they to do? They cried out to the Lord in deep anguish
and distress. After all, they’d earned
those wages. They had every right to
expect to be compensated for what they’d earned.
It isn’t that they couldn’t afford to pay these people. It isn’t that they were close to being
bankrupt. We see in James rebuke that
they were living in luxury. They were
selfishly indulging in whatever they pleased to do.
They were fat and well fed.
Yet they struck back at whoever opposed them, even becoming guilty of
murder! The very ones that they
murdered were the innocent ones, while the rich oppressors where the guilty
ones! This account give us a frightening glimpse of the
injustice in which Christians lived, with all the power in the hands of the
wealthy. We know they were Christians
as they are seen as the innocent ones while their rich oppressors were clearly
in the wrong and strongly rebuked.
We know that God would have us to deal honestly with those whom
we are responsible for. We never want
to be guilty of such atrocities. When
the Holy Spirit is allowed to reign and to rule as we totally yield ourselves
to God’s Word and God’s will, we will be seen just the opposite of those as
described in this Scripture! When we
lovingly care for others, then we share not only what is seen as deserved, or
appropriate, but also we find ourselves going beyond what is normally expected. If those under your authority were asked to
give an honest evaluation of you and as to how they are treated, what would
they say? Would their response be
critical or would they be able to honestly evaluate you as one who is fair and
honest, one who treats them with respect?
Questions for Reflection and Direction:
1.
It isn’t
the actual possession of wealth that is being rebuked, it is what?
2.
What
comes with great privileges of any kind?
3.
What
can we glean from the outcries of those who are wrongfully treated?
4.
What do
we see regarding God’s loving care for the oppressed?
As we pray today:
1.
What
does the Bible reveal in this situation?
2.
What
can we learn from this in personal application?
3.
How are
we supposed to treat others when we are blessed and how can we improve in
sharing what rightfully belongs to others?
Please note:
You are welcome to share this Bible study in your local churches, but I suggest that you personalize it. You do not have permission to publicize it or to make money from it in any form. May God richly bless you as you minister for Him with rich spiritual rewards of seeing many souls saved and sanctified for all eternity! Please let me know whatever helpful results you may get from this!
With Warm Sincerity in Jesus’ Love,
Rev. Don Schink, Pastor-Evangelist
Sonlight Ministries
Tijeras, NM
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