James 5:9—Don’t complain against each other
Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. James 5:9
James wrote, “Be patient. Strengthen your hearts. The coming of the Lord is near” (see verse 8). He was girding believers for long-haul Christianity in the face of gross misrepresentation and ill-treatment. And then he admonished, “Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.”
The fledgling Church, arising on the scene in a hostile world, found herself under assault. In light of this, James advised the believers to be vigilant in three areas: “Be patient. Strengthen your hearts. Do not complain against one another.” This thought is enormous—and it’s probably bigger than any of us have imagined.
To navigate effectively and with integrity in the midst of a “Christophobic” environment (the direction in which our culture appears to be heading), you must exert patience and strengthen your heart. This is so you can outlast every strategy the enemy throws at you while you wait expectantly on God. But of equal importance is this: you must zip your lip when it comes to your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Being patient and strengthening your heart makes sense as a firm defense against both the schemes of the devil and those who seek to undermine your faith. But James revealed that what you say about fellow believers is equally as vital when it comes to standing solidly in Christ in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation. In other words, if your lips are loose about your brethren, you weaken yourself. You make yourself vulnerable to diabolic schemes without even realizing it. You give the devil an opportunity (see Ephesians 4:26-27).
Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” He then went on to say, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (see John 13:34-35). Remember, Jesus commissioned you and me to make disciples of all nations (see Matthew 28:19), but how will they know for sure that we really do represent Him? According to the Lord, it’s by the love we have toward one another. Since this is so, how can someone who shreds disciples with their words make disciples by their example? Who would want to be a disciple of that kind of bitter, fault-finding, contentious “holy” person?
When people see the love of Jesus demonstrated among believers, they have something very real to think about—something which can turn their cynicism into faith. If they choose to reject the truth in the face of God’s love in action, then they have no one to blame but themselves. But if they reject what they see in the church due to the back-biting and accusations they’ve witnessed within our ranks, then we believers have played a part in their ultimate destruction.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t get counsel about issues with others; it doesn’t mean that you must embrace an “anything goes” attitude when it comes to sin in the Church; it doesn’t even mean that you must accept everything you hear from every pulpit. It simply means that you are to treat your brothers and sisters with love and respect as joint heirs with Christ.
However, if you realize that you’ve been keen to blab about someone’s irritating quirks, sinful indiscretion, or even what you perceive as someone’s imbalanced grasp of the truth, sober up. James is talking to you—you have positioned yourself to be judged.
The coming of the Lord is near; the Judge is standing right at the door. The apostle Peter, writing about the end of our age asked, “What sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?” (See 2 Peter 3:11.) And the writer of Hebrews declared, “…let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25; emphasis added).
It makes sense then, as the age comes to a close, that Satan will seek to stir up complaint, indignation, bitterness, and outrage—believer against believer. First, if he can lure us off of our prayer post by distracting us with petty offenses, he will effectively strip away any threat or restraint we pose to his agenda. Oh, we may rant and rail about the wicked trends of this dark generation; but if we refuse to walk in love with one another, we forfeit the power of God moving on behalf of our prayers for the culture—because faith works through love (see Galatians 5:6).
And secondly, as the Lord’s return draws near, Satan is seeking to block the light of the gospel from the unbelieving. When we lose ourselves in pettiness and strife, looking down our noses at other believers, the love of God is nowhere to be found among us. If lost men and women search for Him and turn to us for help as we stew in indignant pettiness—they won’t find Him. Our strife will block His light.
If you persist in complaining against another Christian, you do so at your own risk. Instead, trust God with the whole situation. Repent for not releasing your concern to Him before now, and forgive that person for their offense. Then purpose to walk in love.
The Judge is near; He is standing right at the door.
Dorothy
Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world. Philippians 2:14-15
Read MoreJames 5:7-8—Be patient
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. James 5:7-8
Therefore be patient, brethren…
James had just written about the self-absorbed, inhumane behavior that some who were wealthy displayed toward souls more righteous than they—men of whom the world was not worthy (Hebrews 11:38a). In the face of such treatment, James wrote “be patient”. The Greek word for “patient” is makrothymeō, which means “to be of a long spirit, not to lose heart”; “to persevere patiently and bravely in enduring misfortunes and troubles”; “to be patient in bearing the offenses and injuries of others”; “to be mild and slow in avenging”; and “to be longsuffering, slow to anger, slow to punish” ( see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G3114&t=KJV). When suffering unjustly, no one feels like responding that way. Yet this is what James taught.
The first meaning for makrothymeō is telling—“to be of a long spirit”. Your spirit, made in the image of Jesus Himself, is capable of bearing long under anything. As unpleasant as this may sound, the “long spirit” outlasts everyone and everything else. A man or woman with a “long spirit” is the last one standing, and hence, through Christ, is more than a conqueror. But how long must you exercise this “long spirit” of patience?
… until the coming of the Lord.
You are called to be patient until the coming of the Lord. Jesus did not return in James’ time, therefore, the patience of his audience was to extend to the end of their days. You and I are called to this duration of patience as well—until the coming of the Lord or the end of our lives, whichever comes first. And remember: the Lord never calls you to do anything for which He does not equip you. You are equipped; through Jesus you have been given a “long spirit”.
The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it…
Farmers have patience. They understand sowing and reaping, and they understand the necessity of waiting out the process for seeds sown to develop into a fully mature harvest. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head” (Mark 4:26b-28). The farmer doesn’t dig up the seed every day to see if it has sprouted roots yet; he waits and lets the seed and the soil do their thing.
The church world today has viewed sowing and reaping and the patience of the farmer primarily in relation to the things we’ve desired. And that is fitting. Yet here, James was likening the patience of a farmer to believers enduring through ungodly treatment. Even when others look down on or misuse you, remember the farmer’s patient sowing and reaping. You sow peace; you sow integrity; you sow love and endure patiently, and you will reap an enormous crop of righteousness—if not now, then later. If not later, then in the world to come. And according to the Word—great shall be your reward (see Matthew 5:12).
…until it gets the early and late rains.
In James’ day, the early rains started in October (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G4406&t=KJV). The late rains were in March or April, just before the harvest (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G3797&t=KJV).
Patiently waiting for a mature crop was the way of life for James’ readers, and they knew the importance of rainstorms. Yes, it was muddy. Yes, the air was heavy with a damp chill. Yes, it was gloomy and dark. But the rains were necessary for the harvest to spring forth from the ground in all its abundant glory. Waiting in the damp, muddy, gloomy chill for a bumper crop was well worth every dark, dank, sticky, icky minute.
You too be patient…
James reminded them of the patience which farmers exerted through the often unpleasant, long wait and urged: You too be patient. He was encouraging them to view their harsh circumstances as the rain necessary to produce an abundant crop. If they encountered ill-treatment or distorted misrepresentation, it was like torrential downpours and angry thunderstorms. They, like farmers, could endure it all for the sake of the coming harvest.
…strengthen your hearts…
How do you strengthen your heart? Psalm 27:14 declares, “Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the LORD.” Patience—waiting on God—has a strengthening component to it. As you wait on Him, you gain new strength (see Isaiah 40:31). And as you wait on Him, your heart takes courage, enabling you to stand. When you have done everything to stand, His courage within you empowers you to keep standing.
… for the coming of the Lord is near.
The endgame is not what evil men and women envision with their cleverly crafted social engineering. The endgame is not the ultimate triumph of man’s methods, ways, and ideologies over the beliefs of “unevolved clingers to an archaic Deity”. No.
The endgame is this: The coming of the Lord is near, and every eye will see Him (see Revelation 1:7). And the end of the matter is this: Because Jesus is Lord, you win. You—man or woman of the “long spirit”—have within you the ability to outlast and surpass the most unnerving, depressing, manipulative, wicked, undermining schemes concocted by man or by devil. Exert patience. Strengthen your heart.
The Lord is coming soon.
Dorothy
O love the Lord, all you His godly ones! The Lord preserves the faithful and fully recompenses the proud doer. Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:23-24
Read MoreJames 5:4-6—In bondage to money
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. 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. James 5:4-6
Although Matthew Henry’s commentary suggests that this portion of James’ letter was aimed at those among the Jews who didn’t know Jesus as Lord, I feel that Christians would do well to take this stern warning to heart. It focuses on attitudes concerning the use of money and is absolutely relevant.
In recent years the news has been filled with the outcry of the so-called “99%” against the supposed “1%”. According to those protesting the affluence of others, possession of wealth alone is an indictment against the rich (except for the wealthy who invest big bucks in their cause).
If he were alive today, James would not join in on the “occupying”. How do I know? He cared less about what someone owned and more about what—or who—owned them. If you’re shouting at people with money because they have money, you’re not driven by the wisdom from above—which is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy (James 3:17; https://www.firstofallpray.com/?p=6136 ). You’re being driven by the wisdom from below—and it’s earthly, natural, and demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing (see James 3:15-16; https://www.firstofallpray.com/?p=6131 ).
If James wasn’t against being rich, then why did he seem to come down so hard on affluence? Again, he didn’t care how much wealth someone had accumulated. What he did care about was the driving force within the man—was it to serve God or mammon? His strong comments were directed to believers who evidenced a stronger allegiance to money than to the Master.
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.
I understand that most believers don’t think of themselves as employers. However, this verse is not merely speaking to business leaders or company owners. This verse hits closer to home. It addresses every kind of transaction in which you pay for work done on your behalf. Do you ever go out to eat? If so, what’s your attitude about tipping? How do you treat the person who cuts or colors your hair? Do you hire someone to clean your house? Have you ever hired someone to work on your yard or repair things around your house? Have you ever hired a baby sitter? A dog or a cat sitter? If so, you do hire laborers.
Check the state of your heart when the transaction takes place. Do you begrudge that money? Do you tell others that the worker tried to rip you off? Do you seek to pay as little as possible? Then you need to reread 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.
You see, your attitude toward the money you pay to the various people doing different jobs for you is huge to God. Any money you withhold from them—pinching and manipulating to get a “good deal” out of them—cries out against you! And take a peek at whom those tightly clutched dollars cry out: the Lord of Sabaoth—the Lord of the armies of Heaven! God means business when it comes to withheld money.
I don’t want the squeezed-out, “good deal” money I hold back to shout to the Lord, “She refused to give me to the young man who did her yard work! You know You told her to pay more, Lord!” I don’t want to hear the cash in my wallet scream, “She kept me back, God, from the woman who colored her hair when she knew good and well that I should have gone to that hairdresser!” And I surely don’t want to hear it cry, “Lord Jesus! She stiffed the gal who cleans her house again! That lady needed a blessing, and Dorothy refused to give her a dime more than the bare minimum.”
God hears the pay of the laborers crying out against you when you withhold what is justly due. In order to keep your funds from protesting with loud cries to God, be generous and bless others who work or provide a service to you.
You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
The Lord knows that you need to live. He knows you need to eat and that you need shelter and clothing. And according to God’s Word, it’s not sinful to enjoy comfort and nice things (see 1 Timothy 6:17b). However, James wrote here of excessiveness—the pursuit of luxury and pleasure which focuses solely upon self. The outcome of this kind of extreme indulgence is not nice—like cattle led to slaughter, the excessive individual is actually fattening his or her heart for a massive downturn—for a day of slaughter.
You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.
Refusal to pay others fairly combined with the funneling of your income entirely upon self-indulgent pleasures—such behaviors do not reflect the Lord Jesus in your life. Instead, without realizing it, your excesses end up condemning and putting to death the righteous man [the person who provides you a valuable service for very little output when you could easily afford to pay more]; he does not resist you [he or she does not complain, but barely makes a subsistence living when the services provided to you genuinely streamline and/or enhance your life].
Yes, this is extreme language; this is why Matthew Henry did not think it was written to believers. However, those who serve or do work for us have needs; perhaps their needs are enormous and their lives are hanging in the balance; perhaps offering a bit more of your resources would tip the scale in their favor and bring blessing and relief to their depleted lives. Conversely, your disregard for fair payment could become the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back. Don’t let this happen on account of you. Remember, the Lord of Armies is listening to the cries of money withheld from those who work for you.
Be on your guard against a mindset of “me, me, me; mine, mine, mine”. Recognize the behaviors that are linked to a self-indulgent lifestyle. And if you find yourself in that place—stuck on self—then throw yourself in reverse, back-pedal out of that “fat” place, and high-tail it out of there, far, far away from the day of slaughter.
May the Lord help all of us to be blessers rather than withholders!
Dorothy
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Proverbs 3:27
There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered. He who withholds grain, the people will curse him, but blessing will be on the head of him who sells it. Proverbs 11:24-2
Read MoreJames 5:1-3—A word to the rich
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! James 5:1-3
James begins the fifth chapter of his letter with a scathing directive to the rich. Matthew Henry’s commentary suggests that he primarily wrote this section to address the rich among the Jews who had not yet received Jesus. This opinion is based upon verse 6: “You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.” Mr. Henry explained that under the governance at the time, Christians—including the rich ones—had no jurisdiction to put anyone to death. Nonetheless, James’ comments are a valid reminder for all of us to view our resources through the eyes of the Lord.
The book of Psalms has many references to the wealthy wicked. Psalm 73 sorrowfully laments the arrogant debauchery of evil men who obtain power and wealth: “Behold, these are the wicked; and always at ease, they have increased in wealth” (vs. 12). However, Psalm 37:7b declares, “Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes” and verse 9 assures, “For evildoers will be cut off but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.” Throughout the Scriptures, we are warned of the inevitable temptations for those who are “large and in charge”—arrogance, haughtiness, utter disregard for the lives of those who are less fortunate, and flagrant nose-thumbing at God.
The question remains: How much of this portion of James’ admonition actually applies to Christians? Is this a section of the New Testament about which we can breathe a sigh of relief? Whew! This doesn’t apply to me!
Paul the apostle wrote concerning the amassing of wealth and how to approach it. He stated in Philippians 4:11b-13, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
You approach wealth the same way you approach poverty—you live in contentment through Christ who strengthens you.
Paul wrote in his first letter to Timothy, “If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:8-10).
Both of Paul’s writings contain a certain word—“content”. Contentment with what God has supplied for you goes a long way to help keep your motives in check. A sense of discontent can surely drive an individual to find better and more satisfying employment—“A worker’s appetite works for him, for his hunger urges him on” (Proverbs 16:26)—a good thing; but if allowed, discontentment can quickly morph into lust for more, more, more. “The leech has two daughters, ‘Give,’ ‘Give’ (Proverbs 30:15a).
…his freedom required that he let go of his treasure; he chose treasure over freedom.
Paul warned the Church that the desire to get rich can lead to temptation and a snare, complete with many foolish and harmful desires. It’s not your job to judge anyone else concerning this; it is your job to keep a grasp on what’s going on inside your own heart about money. Guard your heart concerning your resources; let the Lord direct you in giving, buying, selling, and saving; and don’t be like the monkey who was easily captured: he couldn’t pull his paw out of a jar without first releasing the peanut he had in his fist—his freedom required that he let go of his treasure; he chose treasure over freedom. Paul wrote that such choices plunge men into ruin and destruction; he also wrote that “the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
Strong words flowed from the pen of Paul—not to the unbelieving, but to the household of faith. Therefore, when James writes such a forceful sentiment to the rich, it pays to take notice. Perhaps the third verse not only sums up his thought here, but also gives a standard by which to discern your own motives: “It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!” The question then, to ask yourself is: What is my treasure, and where am I storing it?
Dorothy
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. 1 Timothy 6:17-19
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:20-21
Read MoreHis portion—Easter Series Part 12
Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:12
Throughout history, great victory on the battlefield was rewarded by plundering the spoil of the defeated. The battlefield for Christ extended from His arrest until He breathed His last; the height of His warfare occurred upon the cross. When He uttered the words, “It is finished,” His accusers and detractors twitched with delight thinking they had silenced forever the One who was believed by many to be the Messiah. It is finished, indeed, they must have smiled to themselves. Now this Upstart has gotten His just desserts.
In an unseen realm, a far more sinister party likewise twitched with delight. He is dead! they must have raved. We did it! We killed the Son of God! What idiots those religious uppity-ups are! They played right into our hands, and now humanity is ours forever! And so the partying continued.
But the Living God was just getting started. True, His only Son had died mere moments ago, but what He planned to do next—fixed in divine order from the beginning of the world—would rock the kingdoms of men and of darkness for the remainder of time.
Five…four…three…two…one…roll away the stone…RESURRECTION!
Scripture says Jesus disarmed the rulers and authorities of darkness and made a public display of them, having triumphed over them (see Colossians 2:15). Bible teachers differ as to whether the actual disarming and display occurred when the Lord was on the cross, while His body was in the grave, or as He rose from the dead. However, I am certain of one thing: neither men nor the hosts of darkness saw it coming. “…for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2:8b).
Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong…
Matthew Henry said of this verse, “…a great general, when he has driven the enemy out of the field, takes the plunder of it for himself and his army, which is both an unquestionable evidence of the victory and a recompense for all the toils and perils of the battle” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Isa/Isa_053.cfm).
As for the portion and plunder Jesus received, Mr. Henry wrote, “Much of the glory with which Christ is recompensed, and the spoil which he has divided, consists in the vast multitudes of willing, faithful, loyal subjects, that shall be brought in to him” (ibid.) Along this line of thought, Holman Christian Standard Bible translates this part of verse 12: “Therefore I will give Him the many as a portion, and He will receive the mighty as spoil.” In other words, the souls of men, women, and children redeemed by His blood are Jesus’ portion and prize. You are Jesus’ portion. You are Jesus’ prize.
…because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.
Isaiah ended the prophecy about the Suffering Servant by outlining four key components of His agonizing passion for mankind. This is what qualified Him to be given the many as a portion, and to receive the mighty as spoil.
- He poured out Himself to death. Jesus did not merely die. The very essence of who He was—His righteousness, His purity, His kindness, His wisdom, His power, His love—poured out through His blood upon the ground as a perfect offering for sin, covering the entire human race—whosoever would receive and believe in Him.
- He was numbered with the transgressors. Throughout His ministry, His detractors constantly sought to sully His reputation by accusing Him of sin and carnality. (“He’s a lawbreaker.” “He’s a drunkard and a glutton.” “He’s clueless about the type of woman who is washing His feet.”) Then they nailed Him high on the cross between two thieves as if to say, “He’s riff-raff. He’s bad news.” Those passing by, along with the chief priests and scribes, taunted Him, telling Him to take Himself off of the cross. “He saved others” they sneered; “He can’t save Himself” (see Mark 15:29-31). This was an important aspect of His enemies’ strategy—to paint Him as just another transgressor, every bit as sinful as anyone else.
- He Himself bore the sin of many. Yes, He certainly was crucified between two transgressors on Calvary, but as He hung there for all to see, He took on the iniquity and the chastisement for every transgressor who ever lived.
- He interceded for the transgressors. As the Lord hung high up on the cross, He interceded for all of us. He not only prayed on behalf of sinners; He actually took our place and died in our stead, the highest form of intercession possible—utter identification with the objects of intercession.
Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong (Isaiah 53:12a). In short, here’s a summary of both His anguish and His portion and plunder:
- He poured Himself out to death, once for all, never to die again.
- He was numbered with the transgressors, and now transgressors—who receive Him as Lord and are cleansed by His blood—are numbered with Him.
- He bore the sin of many, and because of that, now many have been made righteous.
- He interceded for the transgressors, and now He ever lives to make intercession for all of us.
Today, the resurrected Son of God is alive and well. He is the head of His body, the Church, and He sits at the right hand of the Father, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named—not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He is coming again to sum up everything in Him (Ephesians 1:10).
And all of it is made possible because He was willing to pour Himself out unto death and bear the sins of many.
Dorothy
Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen. Luke 24:5b-6a
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