Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your 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. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.
James 5:1-6
As we begin the fifth chapter, it’s easy to forget how the fourth chapter ended and think these verses are standing on their own as so many of these paragraphs have in this book, particularly if we have a modern translation with subheadings added, such as the NIV, where this paragraph has a subheading, and then verses 7 ff. have a different subheading. If we continue in that way, and many commentators approach this as a “stand alone” section, these verses won’t make much sense unless we resort to a political understanding. I rather doubt that the politics of class envy are what James had in mind… if hadn’t been invented yet!
In the previous section, covered in the previous post, James is teaching people about priorities and keeping our priorities on God’s purpose and will, and avoiding the arrogant view that we are in charge and not God. Here, he is pronouncing God’s coming judgment on those who oppress the poor for their own personal gain, and in the next section he urges us to be patient for the Lord’s coming is near at hand, and further urging people not to judge one another… which was his point in 4:1-12. Taking this larger passage into account and remembering that James has mentioned the rich twice before in his letter while teaching us first, not to show favoritism and then not to love this world and its allures, can you see how context is really important here? This isn’t “bag on the rich guy” as much as it is watch out for what’s going on in our own minds…
So dear reader, are you rich?
No, of course not and neither am I. By the way, are you on your own computer as you read this… or are you on your smart phone… or your iPad or Kindle Fire? Is this your internet connection? Do you realize that compared to most of the world’s population you are rich? Yeah, I’m not crazy about that thought either!
I can’t think of a passage anywhere in the Word that says that material wealth is evil or bad, but there are a lot of passages that warn us about being caught up in wealth, or lording it over others, and certainly there are passages about being tight-fisted and failing to help to meet the needs of others.
If it can be said that this letter has an over-riding theme, it would have to do with putting our love into action, you know, that “love your neighbor” thing… well Jesus was serious about that! We don’t need to be millionaires or super-rich to be tempted to love money and things, in fact if I were to be entirely honest, I would have to confess that I have met considerably more people of modest means who are lovers of money than I have rich people who are lovers of money. No, I’m not kidding… think about it! How about old uncle Joe who is always so ticked off at those who have more than he does… Doesn’t he complain just a little too much?
Do you see it yet; have you gotten the point…?
It doesn’t matter how much you have, if we love the things of this world whether it’s money, possessions, power, position… whatever it may be, those things will be our undoing! There’s a great line in one of the old prayers in the Book of Common Prayer that says, “In our time of prosperity, good Lord deliver us.”
Yes, Lord, deliver us!
Life Project Blog 
Always always always this word “rich” gets me …. Just as you say: money is not where it’s at – only.
My words and blog? How many likes, need more likes, need more comments, need more followers …
My word skills? Aren’t I clever, I am cleverer than …..
My “discipling”? See how I get told how godly I am, see how people are grateful, see how I always use just the right words …
My love of the lord, my discernment, my rule keeping, my humility, my not judging …. are all riches. And all can be used – and abused (and so often are). Money is not where it’s at. Money is just one of many “riches” no matter how money-rich or money-poor I am.
Thanks Don – (as I say it always gets me ….)
This one gets a lot of us! 🙂
This is a great word Don and one mostly misunderstood today, it seems. Every thing we have in this life is a gift of God, and like you said “I can’t think of a passage anywhere in the Word that says that material wealth is evil or bad, but there are a lot of passages that warn us about being caught up in wealth, or lording it over others, and certainly there are passages about being tight-fisted and failing to help to meet the needs of others”. Because you may have a nicer home and cars than me doesn’t mean you are a greedy stingy person and only think about money. We live in an age of envy and the “rich guy” gets bashed a lot without knowing his heart. Great post. Thanks!!
Thank you Levi!
Although, yes, we are so very rich in comparison with the rest of the world, and therefore need to be as Paul said, trusting God and always willing to share, focused on doing good to those around us, I have believed these verses are prophetic and point to those within the Christian religion who have amassed great wealth through the greed and gullibility of those who follow them. The passage reminds me of the Catholic church, the proliferation of name it and claim it teachers, and, of course, the mega churches built up on the false doctrine of material prosperity and bringing in God’s kingdom now. These wolves need to amass great wealth in order to further their deception. On the other hand, if we believe that as followers of Jesus Christ we are too prosperous we can make sure that we are generous to all, and/or ask the Lord to deliver us and He will. God bless you:)
You may be right Eliza, surely there is a wide range of possibilities in these verses
Don, we really need God’s grace on this one!
True words!
The topic of “riches” is interesting to me. I grew up with a self-employed carpenter dad and money was always a struggle for us. The older I get the more I realize how little we had.
I was doing carpentry work myself when the economy tanked and the words in Proverbs 30:8 sustained me: “give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.”
Sometimes we get caught up in what “riches” can do for us and forget that we often have all that we need each and every day.
I know that I am so blessed with true riches even when I have very little money in the bank!
amen
treat others the way you want to be treated – honest, generous, and fair.
That about covers it
Wow so true! I also like what Paulfg added as well.
Me too!
Preach it Don! How nicely you got around to the fact that we, the Americans church, is rich. We are certainly subject to Christ’s rebuke to the Laodicean church. (Rev 3:17)
We are working on a piece, “Seven Reasons the Religious Right Failed.” One reason we offer “THEIR ONE-EYED MORALITY by which we mean The RR had their favorite moral issues which they hobby horsed–a one-commandment movement –the seventh, They opposed abortion, homosexuality, pornography, and such, but said little about greed. Jesus had much to say about greed. It might keep as many or more people out of the kingdom as sexual immorality. Paul said it succinctly “Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater,” (Col 3:5 NLT). I have found there are two types of greed: the fear of not having enough and the irrational, inexorable lust for more.
Yes!
I shouldn’t really get into this in the comment section, but I can tell you how much trouble some of those good folks have caused in the public arena running their mouths and making intemperate remarks in the press… from the point of view of Administrations who were trying to help them. Yikes! All with the result that they helped to defeat their own positions on abortion and same sex marriage… and made fools of all of us in the public’s eye.. Man, I can remember lots of late nights for us after one or the other of those guys were on-camera somewhere… oh my!
(OK, better not get started 🙂 )