James 1:9-11—The rich and poor

But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.  James 1:9-11

James, in the middle of writing about how to navigate trials (James 1:2-8 and then James 1:12-15), interrupts his otherwise flowing train of thought to write about something that appears completely unrelated—the poor and the rich. It’s as if James became distracted by an airdrop of entirely disconnected thoughts plunked down in the middle of his discourse.

He had just revealed four keys to effective trial navigation—joy, endurance, wisdom, and faith. In the section following his comments on the rich and the poor, he continues to writes about persevering when under trials or temptation, and the lust/sin connection.

It’s my opinion that James was not suffering from a bout of ADD when he wrote the rich/poor section. I believe that he wrote his thoughts in this order on purpose. In fact, taken in context, these three verses on the rich and the poor give us a glimpse into the real life trials to which James was referring.

Taken by itself, James’ insight on the poor and the rich is a classic admonition to folks on opposite ends of the wealth spectrum. The poor are to rejoice in their high position; the rich are to glory in their humiliation.

When you consider what James says to the rich and the poor in the context of persevering under trial, however, it takes on a different tone. James spent more time instructing the wealthy than the poor in this section, reminding them that their riches were temporary. I believe this was also on purpose; James understood that the deceptive nature of riches posed more potential for spiritual entrapment the wealthier a person became. Let’s look at James’ admonition through the perspective of the men about whom James was writing—the poor man and the rich.

But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position.

How do you persevere when your resources are next to nothing? Imagine a poor man who has had to scrape to get by his entire life. Sure, he thinks, the rich can say, ‘Trust God!’ till the cows come home. But this man had a sneaky suspicion that rich folks would struggle just as much as he did if the tables were turned. Interrupting the poor man’s reasoning, James jumps in and reminds him: Consider it all joy, brother, when you encounter desperate financial trials. Are you poor? Then glory in your high position. And as the poor man considers James’ words, it all starts to make sense. He realizes that his bitterness against those of means has been keeping him in bondage. He commits in his heart to lay aside his resentment and to start glorying in his high position in Christ. He understands that James had just given him the master plan, showing him how to work the key of joy so he could exert endurance effectively and allow it to have its perfect work. He decides that the lifelong poverty he’s experienced is actually an opportunity—he will endure this trial, and by enduring it with joy, wisdom, and faith he will—sooner or later—end up perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

…the rich man is to glory in his humiliation.

As for the rich man, James’ letter stings a bit more. What do you mean, ‘glory in my humiliation’? My money speaks for itself! It says God backs me and I deserve respect! But he has been watching the persecution of his brethren—some very wealthy—and has been horrified to observe that their money hasn’t shielded them from being targeted.

So the rich man listens more intently as James’ letter is read, and it all starts to make sense to him, as well. The poor man can glory in his high position to help him to face his trials with joy; he—the rich man—can glory in his humiliation so he won’t be tripped up by looking to his money instead of the Lord when under attack.

The rich man thinks, Money has had a way of insulating me from harsh reality, giving me a sense of false security. James is right; riches or not, I’ll leave this earth someday just like the poor man will. I won’t be able to buy my way out of it.

He continues his musing. So many of us build monuments to ourselves, and for what? Time will crumble every one of them to dust, and anything that remains will be overgrown with weeds. I can distract myself with my money and toys and tell myself that things will always be wonderful…but who am I kidding? One day I’ll only be a memory, and after that…even the memory will vanish.

The rich man bows his head, wondering what to do with this unsettling revelation. Glory in my humiliation? Glory in humiliation…? How do I…?

He feels a hand on his shoulder; it’s the poor man, smiling softly. “Consider it all joy, my brother,” he says. “Ask the Lord for wisdom. He’ll give it to you generously and without reproach.”

And the rich man tells him, “I’ve been so busy buying, selling, accumulating, and consuming that I’ve given little thought to my true priorities. But consider it all joy when I encounter various trials? I’ve considered my money! And now this letter from James tells me to glory, not in my wealth, but in my humiliation.”

“And I’m to glory in my high position,” said the poor man.

“That’s it!” shouted the rich one. “James is telling us to get our eyes off of our present condition, whether it is poverty or wealth! It’s not what we own—or don’t own—that will determine our outcome—it’s where we are fixing our gaze! You need to get your eyes off of your poverty; I need to get my eyes off my wealth! And then, both of us will be able to consider it all joy when we encounter various trials.”

“Brother, if we refuse to fix our eyes on our present circumstances, the testing of our faith will produce endurance—no matter what—and endurance will have her perfect work, rendering us perfect and complete, lacking in nothing!” rejoiced the poor man.

Be blessed as you navigate successfully through every trial,

Dorothy