For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, held for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example of what is coming for the ungodly; and if He rescued righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the perverted conduct of unscrupulous people (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from a trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt passion, and despise authority."
By reading II Peter 2, it is my intention is to bring the text of James a little more clear into your focus. James is talking about those who were claiming to be Christians, who love money. By expanding this a bit, I mean to say that those who are especially guilty of claiming to be Christians but loving money are false teachers. Those who are in it for the money, and use the name of Jesus to make merchandise of people. That is to say, they essentially turn you into a commodity for their own gain.
Money has totally corrupted these people. In fact, it is characteristic of false teachers that they are engaged in scandalous and often immoral conduct, and things that bring them money. They love the wages of unrighteousness. Though they use words that speak of God and Christ, they’re words of hypocrisy. They discredit things that are true and they give credit to things that are not. And, they do it all, for the love of money. When you see false teachers, it’s really not that difficult to discern what you’re looking at.
The day of reckoning, for many, may be occurring right now in our global economic meltdown.This passage should serve to exhort us to examine how we are treating the wealth that God has given to each of us. We should examine how we are treating others economically.
Let's go back to James 5, verse 4. "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." Not only was their wealth uselessly hoarded, but it was unjustly robbed. It wasn't theirs to begin with. Rather than being generous with the poor, they exploited them. Instead of giving to the poor, they withheld from them. Instead of giving them the small wage that they had earned, they kept it back.
Leviticus 19:13 says "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." In other words, pay him before night falls.
God is omniscient, He is is omnipresent. God hears of the greed of those selfishly pursuing riches. James says that the cry of those who harvest the fields owned by the rich has reached God’s ear. Much like many today, these workers would have been living paycheck to paycheck and would have been dependent upon their payment of the wages they've earned. They were crying out because of their need and the injustice of those who were in power. God, indeed, heard their cry, just as He hears the cries of those who are suffering from injustice today. God knows who contributes to their distress, and believe me, He is not pleased. Just as God sees all of our sin, He also sees our greed, that which we withhold from doing good, bringing Him glory.
Turn with me to Romans chapter 2, beginning at verse 5. Paul tells us, "Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God."
And, in 1 Timothy 6:17-19, he says "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." The only way to live in the light of the coming of Christ. The damning sin of uselessly hoarding your wealth brought judgment. Scripture insists on the prompt payment of wages to a hired laborer. That is the system of the day.
When people in the name of Christ or in the name of any religion, for that matter, rob people for supposedly the sake of spiritual ends, only to pour millions of dollars into their own indulgence, they certainly are living illustrations of verse 4! And, to express the self-indulgence of the wealthy wicked James uses three verbs.
Now, let's look at verses 5 and 6, "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."
First, he says "You are lived luxuriously on the earth," the word used here is "trypháō," meaning dainty living or soft living. As a footnote, that word is only used here in James 5:5. The greedy thinks he's safe, that he will always be in luxury, but rest assured, he will not. God doesn’t necessarily want you to sleep on a straw mat, however, many people carry it way beyond anything reasonable! Just look at what we’re seeing in the world today. Large corporations, banks and oil companies have amassed huge amounts of money, they have robbed the people that have little, charging exorbitant interest rates, they have taken it from others and have consumed it on themselves.And, they have done so in order to give themselves soft luxurious life style of indulgence, personal indulgence, living far beyond what is normal.
James goes even further, and you've "led a life of wanton pleasure." Look around, they’re on TV, claiming the name of Jesus. Just look at them, spending a fortune on their wardrobe, their cars, their houses, and on their furnishings. They are literally consumed with their own pleasure. We’ve seen it, we have watched it happening right before our eyes. It’s all being played right out in front of us. A life without self-denial is a life that is soon out of control. Consumed with luxury and pleasure, they simply cannot restrain themselves. I've watched these people, indulging themselves with every imaginable vice, it is beyond comprehension.
He then says you have "fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter." Even at a time when many were dying around them, whether as a result of the famine or violence, or because they had not received their wages, the hearts of the rich continued to be nourished, and they fattened themselves up. In other words, even with death all around them, they have continued with their luxuries, completely unconcerned.
The word used is "trephó," it is used in the Septuagint of Jeremiah 46:21 in speaking about the fattening up calves. It means to make to grow, to nourish, to feed. It's used of animals, because the fatter they are, the more they’re going to bring you when you weigh them. In other words, James is saying you have indulged yourself to the limit.
The richest one percent now owns more of the country’s wealth than at any time in the past 50 years. The the top one percent own more wealth than the bottom ninety percent combined. Incidentally, the wealth owned by the bottom ninety percent, continues to fall. It is significant to note, that the gap between the wealthy and everyone else, has only become even wider over the past several decades.
It has been said that a man with money closes his eyes to the needs of other people, he closes his eyes to the work of God. Yet, his eyes are wide open to his own self-gratification.
In I Timothy 5:6 Paul says it this way, "But she who gives herself to wanton pleasure is dead even while she lives."
One in three people globally do not have access to safe drinking water. While, on average, most Americans use eighty to one hundred gallons of water a day. Somewhere in the world, a child under age fifteen child dies every five seconds from hunger, while Americans throw away 14 percent of the food we purchase.
Furthermore, over three billion people live on less than $2.50 a day. At least eighty % of humanity lives on less than $10 a day. More than eighty percent of the world's population lives in countries where income differentials are widening. Recent estimates for global poverty state that ten % of the world, or over 700 million people, live in extreme poverty, struggling to fulfill even the most basic needs.
While the average American spends between ninety-two and two hundred-eight dollars per day! With millennials spending the most.
In verse 6, James lays out two more charges "You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you." James is saying that greed leads to injustice and sometimes even murder. The word "to condemn," is "katadikazó," which means "to sentence someone, to pass sentence upon." And, the word for "put to death," is the word "phoneuó." You have sentenced people and murdered them, literally using the courts to murder people. Sometimes people are used, other people are abused, and others, are sometimes killed.
It’s been said that James never mentions the crucifixion of Christ. However, verse 6 may actually be a reference to His death.
In Closing..
I believe that we as believers can learn from this message, because we don’t want to repeat the sins of hypocrites, that we don’t love the world. To find ourselves consumed by self-indulgence.Fulfilling our selfish lusts at the expense of the destruction of others. What a frightening way to waste the substance that God has given us.There's an old saying "Money talks." What does yours say about you?
Beloved, God does not prosper us to raise my standard of living but to raise our standard of giving. God blesses us so we can bless others, in His name, so that He can receive the glory. I must admit, I love watching how God uses the generosity of His people to make an impact in the lives of others. In all my years of ministry, I continue to count it a great privilege to be used by Him. However, you will never discover that joy until you have surrendered to Him.
Some years ago, around 2004, CNN carried a story of a 62-year-old man who was rushed to Cholet General Hospital in France, suffering stomach pain. His family told doctors the man had a history of mental illness and a penchant for swallowing coins, but nothing could have prepared the doctors for X-rays of the man’s stomach. It was filled with 350 coins he had swallowed. The doctors performed surgery to remove the mass, but the man died of complications twelve days later.
Though not many swallow coins, millions of people are making themselves sick with money and materialism. Many spend their youthful years, trying to make more and more money, only to spend what they've made in their older years, simply to stay alive.
Let us all pursue Christ and seek to walk in the new way of life to which He’s called us.
May it be so..
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen