Epistle of James, Chapter 5
The Handouts and Resources for a Three Class Study
Below is the previous handout on our study on James Chapter 5:
Chapter 5 begins with a powerful denunciation of “the Rich” (or “you Rich”). A simple examination of the passage, and confirmed by looking at other passages of Scripture, reveals that this condemnation is not universally upon those with an abundance of possessions but those who (1) gained them unjustly (such as by not paying those hired), and (2) pursued their wealth out of covetousness with the result that they are corroded by what they treasured.
Book by Thomas Brooks
One of the classic Puritan authors, and books, is Thomas Brooks (1608-1680), and Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices (1652). Brooks makes many wonderful observations of the lures of the Enemy, and relevant here, to the particular device of the (falsely) perceived good to abandon one’s life to the relentless, even evil, pursuit of wealth. Brooks writes:
“To dwell upon those dreadful curses and woes that are from heaven denounced against self-seekers. ‘Destruction is certain for you who buy up property so others have no place to live. Your homes are built on great estates so you can be alone in the land.’ (Is. 5: 8). So Habakkuk 2: 6, 9-12: ‘How terrible it will be for you who get rich by unjust means! You believe your wealth will buy security, putting your families beyond the reach of danger. But by the murders you committed, you have shamed your name and forfeited your lives. The very stones in the walls of your houses cry out against you, and the beams in the ceilings echo the complaint. How terrible it will be for you who build cities with money gained by murder and corruption!’ The materials of the house built up by oppression shall come as joint witnesses. The stones of the wall shall cry, ‘Lord, we were built up by blood and violence; and the beam shall answer, True, Lord, even so it is.’ The stones shall cry, Vengeance, Lord! upon these self-seekers! and the beam shall answer, Woe to him, because he built his house with blood!”
James 5 Greek-English Interlinear
Below is an interlinear of James 5, including the morphology of the Greek and a legend of the morphology codes. Of particular interest, always, are verbs in the imperative ‘mood’ (aka: “aspect”); such verbs are designated by the initial letter “V” (logically enough, for “verb”) with the letter “M” in the fourth position (“M” for iMperative) as shown on the final page of the below attachment. So, for instance the very first line of the below interlinear, James 5:1, shows two imperative verbs, come and weep.
Sunday School Study, On Diligence
Below is Part 2 of our study in James 5, looking in Proverbs at the category of “the poor” contrasted with “the diligent:” As will be seen, “the diligent” is not the same category as “the rich” of James 5, though members of “the diligent” category are often materially prosperous. However, their real prosperity is being faithful to the One that has called them to work, and to be accountable for such.
Note: the below linked handout has been expanded and revised since the version posted previously:
Book by John Piper
The above attachment references a John Piper book titled: Don’t Waste Your Life. Dr. Piper is a very well-known author and speaker so his books are widely available including through Amazon in both print and Kindle versions. However he has also chosen also to make this particular book freely available in the form of a pdf. Below is one site where such book can be read online at no cost.
http://cdn.desiringgod.org/pdf/books_dwyl/dwyl_full.pdf
Below is the table of contents from the above book:
Preface For Christians and Non-Christians p. 9
1 My Search for a Single Passion to Live By 11
2 Breakthrough—the Beauty of Christ, My Joy 23
3 Boasting Only in the Cross, The Blazing Center of the Glory of God 43
4 Magnifying Christ Through Pain and Death 61
5 Risk Is Right—Better to Lose Your Life Than to Waste It 79
6 The Goal of Life—Gladly Making Others Glad in God 99
7 Living to Prove He Is More Precious Than Life 107
8 Making Much of Christ from 8 to 5 131
9 The Majesty of Christ in Missions and Mercy—A Plea to This Generation 155
10 My Prayer—Let None Say in the End, “I’ve Wasted It” 183
Desiring God Ministries 191
Book by Richard Sibbes
James 5 ends with reference to those in the church body who are feeling ‘at the end of their rope,’ weary, downtrodden, despairing, being a “bruised reed**” and “smoking flax**.” They are simply commanded to make their condition known to the Elders of the church–note that it is the Elders not the entire body, and Elders is always plural–so that they, the Elders can visit them, provide human contact and touch, and by such means perform intercessory prayer for them. (The “anointing” of oil in James 5 is a reference to the soothing touch of oil as a representation of the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and thereby God’s Word, but is not the anointing associated with designation for a specific calling, which is a different word than occurs here).
**Below is a pdf of the wonderful book by Puritan author Richard Sibbes (1577-1635) that provides a sound Biblical grasp of what it means to feel downtrodden, and more importantly, God’s purpose and cure: A Bruised Reed (1630). (The book is also available in a very convenient Kindle format for just 99 cents, one of the true, though few, bargains of modern life).
The Sluggard
The Greek word in the Septuagint (LXX) of Proverbs translated “sluggard” in the KJV is ok-nay-ros*, which root meaning is slow in the sense of unwilling to get started, or once started to keep going. This word carries a very serious meaning as it is used by Jesus in Matt 25 in His condemnation of the man who received one talent and buried it in the ground rather than putting it work as the men did who received two and five talents. That man is called both evil (not just “bad”) and oknayros (a slug). See more in the pdf below:
*oknayros” (sluggard, or the lazy man in some translations, or simply “slugs” were I to translate the word) occurs in our Proverbs passages at:
- Prov. 6:6, 9; 20:4; 21:25; 22:13; 26:14, 15, 16
What is life like as a slug? One of the sad consequences is a life of craving, a deep dissatisfaction, which seems counter-intuitive because one might think that a sluggard achieves in their idleness exactly what they wanted. However, we have been made, and it is deeply in our nature, to work productively. When we do not, we are actually cursed by our idleness. That curse shows up in craving, but in one’s idleness one scarcely recognizes the real root cause of such craving (endless dissatisfaction).
An insightful commentary on “graves of craving” (which text occurs in the incident of Numbers 11:34) is given below written by John J. Parsons (www.hebrew4christians.com). (I do not know the full theology of Mr. Parsons, so I make no overall representations; but what he writes below is insightful):
Carnal lust or natural desire is a symptom of a lack of [the Hebrew word] ruchaniyut (spirituality) in a person’s life. “The flesh ( הַבָּשָׂר ) lusts against the spirit [of God]” (Gal. 5:17). Note that the word translated “lusts” here (ἐπιθυμέω) is the same Greek word used in the LXX to describe the lust of those buried at Kivrot Ha-Ta’avah [the Hebrew words for the Graves of Craving of Numbers 11]. As Twerski notes, the lack of spirituality often manifests itself as a sense of pervasive discontentment with life. And as some of the sages have noted, the [Hebrew phrase] yetzer hara (the evil inclination) is invariably expressed as a form of restlessness that is never at peace or truly satisfied… (Boredom is the “spirit” of the flesh.) Discontentment often leads to escapism of various kinds (drugs, sex, overeating, fantasy, etc.), but when that fails to alleviate the stress (as it always does), people tend to project their dissatisfaction by blaming others or feeling victimized. To have shalom, peace, is to practice godly contentment, with acceptance and thankful surrender to God’s will. Discontent is a form of ingratitude based on an entitlement mentality [specifically in our context the perceived entitlement to be idle, neglectful of our duties and calling]. It is the mode of the victim who is ready to blame others but who refuses to take responsibility for his actions. It is also self-deceptive because it disguises the real reason for the heart’s dissatisfaction (i.e., the lack of authentic spirituality) by inventing other reasons for the soul’s malaise. The flesh would rather die than accept the rule of the spirit, and tragically that is the case in many shattered lives in our world today…
Wisdom of Proverbs (Ray Stedman)
The late Ray Stedman was long time pastor-teacher at Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto CA. One study he gave was “Adventure through the Bible.” Below is the introductory portion of his ‘adventure’ through the Book of Proverbs which is particularly insightful. (Recall that the essence of “wisdom” is choosing well). Also there is available on the internet an audio of Stedman’s one hour message on Proverbs.
I include the text of his introduction here because it provides a very useful perspective to the above study of verses relating to “diligence,” “the lazy man,” and the earlier study on the “wise man” vs. “the fool.” Life is powerfully affected by our choosing.
ADVENTURING THROUGH THE BIBLE Proverbs:
That Men May Know Wisdom
Ray StedmanNo other book of the Old Testament appears to be quite as difficult to outline as the book of Proverbs. Like the dictionary, it seems to change the subject with every verse. As a matter of fact. though, the book of Proverbs is logically and helpfully constructed; and if you note the divisions of it, you can easily follow the argument of this book.
Proverbs begins with a brief introductory preface in the first six verses. This is followed by a series of ten different discourses from a father to his son, filled with very practical exhortations on how to face some of the problems of life. That carries us over to the beginning of chapter 10, and so far there have been no proverbs. But in chapter 10 we have a collection of proverbs that are noted for us as the proverbs of Solomon, the wise king of Israel, the son of David.When Solomon became king he had a vision of God in which God asked him what his heart desired above everything else. Solomon asked that he be granted wisdom. Because he asked for this instead of riches or fame, God gave him all three. Therefore, these are the wisdom proverbs of the wisest king that Israel ever had. This second division runs through to chapter 25 which begins another collection of proverbs said to be the proverbs of Solomon which were copied down by the men of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, after Solomon’s death. The book closes with a postlude in chapters 30 and 31 that brings before us the words of two unknown individuals, Agur, son of Jakah, in chapter 30, and Lemuel, king of Massa, in chapter 31.
The book of Proverbs expresses the conclusion of the will of man. Together, the books of Psalms, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes give us the cry of the soul of man. In Psalms you have the emotional nature, which is one part of the soul function. Ecclesiastes deals with the function of the mind—the search of man’s reason throughout the earth, analyzing, evaluating, weighing and concluding on the basis of what is discoverable under the sun, that is, by human reason. But in the book of Proverbs we have the appeal to the will of man and the conclusion of the will; therefore, this book is all about the things man should decide, the choices of life. This is beautifully set before us in the introduction to the book.
First, there is a title in verse 1.
The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel.
And then we read the purpose of the book (verses 2-6):
That men may know wisdom and instruction, understand words of insight, receive instruction In wise dealing, righteousness, justice, and equity; that prudence may be given to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth—the wise man also may hear and increase in learning, and the man of understanding acquire skill, to understand a proverb and a figure, the words of the wise and their riddles.In other words, this is designed for man in every division and age of his life, from childhood through youth and maturity, in order to understand what life is all about. The book of Proverbs is very practical and is recommended especially for those who are just beginning to try to solve some of the mysteries of life. Also, if you are just moving out for the first time into contact with the world and its ways and mysteries, this is an excellent book of admonition.
Verse 7 gives the key to the whole book. And, since Proverbs is the book that deals with life, this is also the key verse to all of life and is one of the greatest verses in the Bible. It states the summary and conclusion of this book:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge [or wisdom]; fools despise wisdom and instruction.This whole book approaches life from the position that God has all the answers—God is all-wise; God knows everything. There is nothing that is hidden from his knowledge. He understands all mysteries, sees the answer to all riddles. He sees below the surface of everything. Therefore, the beginning of wisdom is to reverence and fear God.
The “fear of the Lord” mentioned in the Old Testament isn’t a craven sort of fear that God is going to do something to you. There are two kinds of fear. There is the fear that God might hurt us, a fear experienced by those who are trying to run from God. But the fear spoken of here is the fear that we might hurt him—that something we do might offend him or might grieve his loving heart in concern for us. This word “fear” really means reverence or respect. Obviously, if God has all the answers, then the one who has the key to life is the man or woman, boy or girl, who learns early to respect God and believe him and understand that he tells us the truth.
The greatest thing in my Christian experience is that here in the book of God I have found the truth. I can’t trust many of the other sources from which I get information and counsel and advice. I have found, through very sad experience sometimes, that what I thought was right was very wrong. But here is the source of truth—God has spoken. Therefore, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. It is not the end; it is the beginning. And only the man who has in his heart a continuing respect for God’s wisdom can begin properly to evaluate and understand life.
In chapter 1, verse 8, you have the beginning of the ten discourses to a son from his father. They begin with the child in the home, dealing with his first relationships. Then they move to the time when the child begins to broaden his experience and widen the circle of his understanding and make friends. There are very wise and helpful words here concerning a youngster’s choice of friends, pointing out the powerful influence friends can have at this age. Therefore, the most important thing for a child to learn as he grows up is how to evaluate and choose his friends.
Then, in chapter 3, you have the young man as he grows up and leaves home. As he makes his way into the city, he is immediately confronted with all kinds of pressures and temptations. There is a thoughtful word of warning here concerning some of the temptations he will meet. It speaks very delicately and yet frankly about the pressures of sex and about what wrong steps in response to these pressures can do to a life. Also, there is an admonition concerning getting involved in wrong financial transactions. These are very practical warnings. The whole of this section is summed up in chapter 3, verses 5 and 6:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. [There never was more valuable advice given to youth than that!] In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.This is a word to the young man or woman who wants to find the secret of life, who wants to be a success. I have never yet met young people who didn’t want to be successful. In my experience with young people no one has ever said, “My ambition is to be a bum down on skid row.” The way to success is to trust in the Lord with all your heart, and although God has given you reason and expects you to use it, don’t rely on that as the final answer. Where God’s word or God’s ways have shown you something different, trust that instead of what you feel. Here is the result (verses 6-8):
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.
How I wish that someone had given me those verses when I first began to move out into the world. A young man sat in my study not long ago and told me a heartbreaking story. When he left his home and moved out into the city, he did what he thought was right and what he hoped would supply fulfillment to his life. But he drifted downward and got involved in dope until he was mainlining heroin and experimenting with LSD, having fantastic hallucinations. He ended up as a procurer for a prostitute on the streets of San Francisco before God suddenly awakened him and he realized what had happened.
That is the kind of thing that the writer of Proverbs is seeking to avoid by pointing out that life can never be understood except in relationship to God. Life is simply too big for us to handle by ourselves. No matter how good the advice seems to be, if it isn’t consistent with what God has told us, it is not to be trusted. And that is the conclusion that is reached through these opening chapters. Chapters 8 and 9 personify the two ways of life. Wisdom is seen as a beautiful woman, calling those who follow her to come away into the place of victory and achievement and success in life, while folly, or foolishness, which thinks everything it does is right in its own eyes, is personified as an evil woman—attractive, alluring, tempting us to step aside into death. It is a marvelously-beautiful poetic passage.Beginning with chapter 10 we have this first collection of the wisdom of Solomon—all very pithy, practical words of advice covering every possible situation of life. Therefore, this is a book that ought to be read again and again, until its wisdom permeates your life. Much of it will be committed to the mind and memory, and you will be able to recall it in times of pressure.
Balance
We are constantly challenged by error extremes in our walk. This discussion of diligence and lack thereof is a perfect example: the extreme of “diligence” is obsessive pursuit of duty, riches, honors, etc., while the opposite extreme is closely tied to the “slug” study above.
What’s the right balance? What does the Bible guide us on such balance? One key idea as shown in the above study on the Parable of the Talents (Matt. 25) is faithfulness to what we’ve been entrusted. Another aspect of “faith” is peace about what God delivers into our hands, be it much or little; the man who received the 2 talents in the parable did not resent the one with the five, nor was the one with the five feeling superior to the one with the two. Each had the responsibilities given “as they were able” (as the text makes clear) to manage and prosper.
John Calvin, as he often does, brings life to this issue. Below is a brief devotion from August 23 from the book 365 Days with Calvin. Here he extracts from the experience of the Israelites in the wilderness being fed manna daily some important insights:
23 AUGUST Hoarding Manna
As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack. 2 Corinthians 8:15
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Exodus 16
The Lord has not prescribed to us a homer or any other measure by which the food of each day is to be regulated, but he has imposed upon us frugality and temperance, and has forbidden that anyone should go to excess, taking advantage of his abundance.
So let those who have riches, whether left by inheritance or procured by industry and efforts, consider that their abundance is not intended to be exhibited in intemperance or excess but to relieve the necessities of their brethren. For whatever we have is manna, regardless of where it comes from, provided it is really ours. Riches acquired by fraud and unlawful strategies are unworthy to be called manna, but are rather quails sent by the anger of God (Num. 11:31).
As in hoarding manna, either from excessive greed or from distrust, what is saved immediately putrefies, so we need not doubt that the riches that are heaped up at the expense of other people are also accursed and will soon perish. Furthermore, that happens in connection with the ruin of the owner. So we are not to think that the way to increase our possessions is to work toward our own advantage for a long time while defrauding those who are poor of the beneficence that we owe them.
I acknowledge, indeed, that equality is not imposed upon us to make it unlawful for the rich to live in greater elegance than the poor, but equality is to be observed in such a way that no one is allowed to starve, and no one hoards his abundance at the expense of defrauding others.FOR MEDITATION: Thinking of our money as manna is an excellent way to remember its origin and its intent. Hoarding will bring no gain. If the Lord has blessed us with great gifts, we should determine how we can best use them in his service and for the poor in our fellowship. If we have little, we should not be anxious but trust that the Lord will move the hearts of those who have more than us to help us.
Calvin, J., & Beeke, J. R. (2008). 365 Days with Calvin (p. 254). Leominster; Grand Rapids, MI: Day One Publications; Reformation Heritage Books.
“Church”
In the Part 2 handout, I note the distinctive meaning of “churches” as the term is used in the Bible is not what is top-of-mind when we hear that term in everyday life. The “churches” of the Bible–namely, the Called Out Ones, the ek-klasia–have continued now for 2,000 years. Those buildings considered “churches” by our culture get built with enthusiasm but inevitably decay and die.
Below are some examples of such decay to the point of death. These pictures were taken and published by Maxime Cotte of Grenoble, a self-described “urban explorer.” They show dramatically what ultimately happens when a culture turns its back on God (it is estimated that only 2% of Europeans even “attend” any Christian church regularly; in America the corresponding figure is about 20%, which is substantially lower than it was just a single generation ago, reflecting the wave of ‘secularization’–a fancy term for turning from God–that is sweeping across the planet, seemingly relentlessly, East to West).)
in Italy
in France
in France
in Belgium
In the United States it is estimated that 4,000 “churches” close each year.