October 1st, 2024
by Matt Davis
by Matt Davis
James 5:1–7 (ESV)
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.
What do you do with a passage like this? I thought about preaching it all last week and was able to get some of the preparation work done, but then things went a little sideways on Friday and Saturday with the arrival of Hurricane Helene. On Saturday afternoon our church was without power, and we planned on a short prayer gathering to plan on how to make sure all of our members were cared for as most of our community was without power, and some were areas expecting to be with electricity for a week.
But the power came back on at the church on Saturday afternoon (it is in town and there was less destruction there). I knew we wouldn’t do a normal service but began to think about this passage again. As I thought and prayed about it more, I realized we didn’t need a deep technical exposition of this passage. We just needed its big picture reminder that was made very vivid because of the destruction around us. So I decided to give a short devotion based on this passage. It is not really an exposition, but more a look at the big thought and its exhortation to us. I have slightly expanded it here.
What is this big picture reminder? What we have in this world isn't worth living for. It "ain't worth a lick". In the next section of James 5:7-12 we see James urging the believers to take the long view. But here in verses 1-5, the sinful rich only take the short view.
James isn’t saying it is wrong to be rich. He doesn't even define what “rich” is. It can be very subjective. Most everyone in Greenwood, SC would seem rich compared to someone in the Congo. As we think about this passage sitting in modern America, let’s all assume we fall somewhere on the “rich” scale compared to wealth throughout much of the world (and for that matter, even throughout history). So don't get hung up on a number here but look at the heart. James again shows us that our actions reveal our hearts.
1. The heart of the sinful rich; vs. 1-5
The sinful rich put their stock in safety and in things. Things that don't last. Their reliance on these things instead of God should lead to repentance and sorrow on their part. Instead, they trust and long for things that fade away.
How easy is it for us to fall into these sinful patterns of “wealth”? But what we’ve experienced in Greenwood for the past five days is a reminder of how unsafe this world is and how temporary our things are. A good friend of mine in my neighborhood had four massive trees fall on his house. I checked on him Friday morning as the storm passed and he was in shock. This happened hundreds of times in our community. I can’t help but think about the destruction in North Carolina. That they are facing is far worse than what we have been through.
But think about it. We live in Greenwood, SC. We think we're pretty safe from hurricanes. Sometimes they come to our area but are greatly weakened with a moderate wind and lots of rain. I am 46 and I've never seen this before. So much gone in a flash and not one thing we could do to stop it. The safety of being inland was evaporated in a moment. Wealth and safety are mirages of stability in a world where both can disappear in a moment.
The sinful rich will do also anything to gain and keep that wealth and safety, including not loving their neighbor as themselves. In the case of the early church that James was writing to, they were taking advantage of workers and cheating them. Hopefully that doesn’t describe anyone who is reading this, but it should cause us to ask, "what am I willing to do to accumulate?" For them it was fraud. I could be that for us. Or it could be other things.
It could also be greedily stock piling. I went to Athens for supplies to share with our church and community and saw people packing their cars with 5-gallon gas cans, leaving none for others to use (we didn’t need one, so I am not complaining that we get cheated in some way.) I don’t know their hearts - maybe every one of them had an old grandmother who needed five-six gas cans to keep medical equipment running. But a big part of me doubts that. It reminds of the scene in It’s a Wonderful Life when there was a run on the banks and George Bailey took the bank’s money and gave enough to deposit holders to make it until things returned to normal. One man wanted EVERYTHING, which in that case would greatly harm his neighbors. Everyone else was willing to get what was needed. Greedily stock piling in crisis is not the heart of a Christ-follower, it is more in line with the rich James talks about. (The time to prepare and stockpile is in times of plenty, and even then we should be willing share with those in need.) I might add, I have been grateful for the spirit of kindness and cooperation for the vast majority of people in our community!
Other examples how we can act like the rich of James 5 include misplaced priorities, work-a-holic tendencies, and being dishonest with others to gain an advantage.
Finally, James shows us that the heart of the sinful rich forgets the big picture - sinning to gain wealth and living in luxury and self-indulgence while forgetting they are facing judgment and eternity. "Fattened hearts in a day of slaughter" is his very vivid way of describing what they are facing. But none of this is how a follower of Jesus should view wealth.
2. The heart of the believer
When you read verses 1-5 it probably sounds familiar. James is once again pulling material from the Sermon on the Mount and applying it to their context. (This is what preaching is by the way). In Matthew 6:19-21 Jesus provides the foundation for what James is saying here when he said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
The heart of the sinful rich is bound up in the earth. The heart of the believer is bound up in heaven.
Which reality drives you? Do we really believe how temporary all of this around us is? The past few days hopefully reminds us of this reality.
We see elsewhere in the New Testament that the heart of the believer is modeled after Christ. Does wealth come the Christian’s way? It often does when we work hard and use our money wisely. Is that wrong? No. So how do we keep from being wrapped up in this earthly wealth? By holding it loosely. That means we will be willing to:
Give up safety and wealth to follow Christ. In Mark 10:17-31 Jesus has just spoken the rich young ruler who was unwilling to sell all to follow him. This revealed his earth-bound heart when Jesus wanted a totally devoted heart. (BTW, don't miss the promise of verse 29 where Jesus says that if we follow him what we “lose” in this life will be returned in Christian family and them sharing what they have AND in eternity as well).
Use what you have given to bless others (be generous). II Corinthians 8:9 (the context there is urging the Corinthian church to sacrificially give to the needs of the poor Christians in Jerusalem). This is what Christ did for us in leaving the glory of heaven. He was rich and for our sakes he became poor so that by his poverty we could become (spiritually) rich. If we truly follow him our hearts will be inclined to do the same by using our "riches" for the good of others, physically and spiritually. When we trust God in this way by being generous, we can fully expect him to meet all our needs (Philippians 4:19).
It is my prayer that we let the Word of God and the very vivid example around us of the temporary nature of our "riches" be a reminder to be people who have hearts longing for eternity, not just the vanishing and corruptible things of this world.
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.
What do you do with a passage like this? I thought about preaching it all last week and was able to get some of the preparation work done, but then things went a little sideways on Friday and Saturday with the arrival of Hurricane Helene. On Saturday afternoon our church was without power, and we planned on a short prayer gathering to plan on how to make sure all of our members were cared for as most of our community was without power, and some were areas expecting to be with electricity for a week.
But the power came back on at the church on Saturday afternoon (it is in town and there was less destruction there). I knew we wouldn’t do a normal service but began to think about this passage again. As I thought and prayed about it more, I realized we didn’t need a deep technical exposition of this passage. We just needed its big picture reminder that was made very vivid because of the destruction around us. So I decided to give a short devotion based on this passage. It is not really an exposition, but more a look at the big thought and its exhortation to us. I have slightly expanded it here.
What is this big picture reminder? What we have in this world isn't worth living for. It "ain't worth a lick". In the next section of James 5:7-12 we see James urging the believers to take the long view. But here in verses 1-5, the sinful rich only take the short view.
James isn’t saying it is wrong to be rich. He doesn't even define what “rich” is. It can be very subjective. Most everyone in Greenwood, SC would seem rich compared to someone in the Congo. As we think about this passage sitting in modern America, let’s all assume we fall somewhere on the “rich” scale compared to wealth throughout much of the world (and for that matter, even throughout history). So don't get hung up on a number here but look at the heart. James again shows us that our actions reveal our hearts.
1. The heart of the sinful rich; vs. 1-5
The sinful rich put their stock in safety and in things. Things that don't last. Their reliance on these things instead of God should lead to repentance and sorrow on their part. Instead, they trust and long for things that fade away.
- Riches that rot
- Garments that get moth eaten
- Gold and silver that corrode
- Laying up treasure in the last days (when they ought to be preparing for the return of Jesus, the judge who stands at the door, vs. 8-9).
How easy is it for us to fall into these sinful patterns of “wealth”? But what we’ve experienced in Greenwood for the past five days is a reminder of how unsafe this world is and how temporary our things are. A good friend of mine in my neighborhood had four massive trees fall on his house. I checked on him Friday morning as the storm passed and he was in shock. This happened hundreds of times in our community. I can’t help but think about the destruction in North Carolina. That they are facing is far worse than what we have been through.
But think about it. We live in Greenwood, SC. We think we're pretty safe from hurricanes. Sometimes they come to our area but are greatly weakened with a moderate wind and lots of rain. I am 46 and I've never seen this before. So much gone in a flash and not one thing we could do to stop it. The safety of being inland was evaporated in a moment. Wealth and safety are mirages of stability in a world where both can disappear in a moment.
The sinful rich will do also anything to gain and keep that wealth and safety, including not loving their neighbor as themselves. In the case of the early church that James was writing to, they were taking advantage of workers and cheating them. Hopefully that doesn’t describe anyone who is reading this, but it should cause us to ask, "what am I willing to do to accumulate?" For them it was fraud. I could be that for us. Or it could be other things.
It could also be greedily stock piling. I went to Athens for supplies to share with our church and community and saw people packing their cars with 5-gallon gas cans, leaving none for others to use (we didn’t need one, so I am not complaining that we get cheated in some way.) I don’t know their hearts - maybe every one of them had an old grandmother who needed five-six gas cans to keep medical equipment running. But a big part of me doubts that. It reminds of the scene in It’s a Wonderful Life when there was a run on the banks and George Bailey took the bank’s money and gave enough to deposit holders to make it until things returned to normal. One man wanted EVERYTHING, which in that case would greatly harm his neighbors. Everyone else was willing to get what was needed. Greedily stock piling in crisis is not the heart of a Christ-follower, it is more in line with the rich James talks about. (The time to prepare and stockpile is in times of plenty, and even then we should be willing share with those in need.) I might add, I have been grateful for the spirit of kindness and cooperation for the vast majority of people in our community!
Other examples how we can act like the rich of James 5 include misplaced priorities, work-a-holic tendencies, and being dishonest with others to gain an advantage.
Finally, James shows us that the heart of the sinful rich forgets the big picture - sinning to gain wealth and living in luxury and self-indulgence while forgetting they are facing judgment and eternity. "Fattened hearts in a day of slaughter" is his very vivid way of describing what they are facing. But none of this is how a follower of Jesus should view wealth.
2. The heart of the believer
When you read verses 1-5 it probably sounds familiar. James is once again pulling material from the Sermon on the Mount and applying it to their context. (This is what preaching is by the way). In Matthew 6:19-21 Jesus provides the foundation for what James is saying here when he said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
The heart of the sinful rich is bound up in the earth. The heart of the believer is bound up in heaven.
Which reality drives you? Do we really believe how temporary all of this around us is? The past few days hopefully reminds us of this reality.
We see elsewhere in the New Testament that the heart of the believer is modeled after Christ. Does wealth come the Christian’s way? It often does when we work hard and use our money wisely. Is that wrong? No. So how do we keep from being wrapped up in this earthly wealth? By holding it loosely. That means we will be willing to:
Give up safety and wealth to follow Christ. In Mark 10:17-31 Jesus has just spoken the rich young ruler who was unwilling to sell all to follow him. This revealed his earth-bound heart when Jesus wanted a totally devoted heart. (BTW, don't miss the promise of verse 29 where Jesus says that if we follow him what we “lose” in this life will be returned in Christian family and them sharing what they have AND in eternity as well).
Use what you have given to bless others (be generous). II Corinthians 8:9 (the context there is urging the Corinthian church to sacrificially give to the needs of the poor Christians in Jerusalem). This is what Christ did for us in leaving the glory of heaven. He was rich and for our sakes he became poor so that by his poverty we could become (spiritually) rich. If we truly follow him our hearts will be inclined to do the same by using our "riches" for the good of others, physically and spiritually. When we trust God in this way by being generous, we can fully expect him to meet all our needs (Philippians 4:19).
It is my prayer that we let the Word of God and the very vivid example around us of the temporary nature of our "riches" be a reminder to be people who have hearts longing for eternity, not just the vanishing and corruptible things of this world.
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