For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

James 5:1-6

• Last time: In "Wannabe Rich Fools," James speaks of entrepreneurs who fail to take God into account. This time: of actual rich fools who fail to take God into account.
• A prophetic woe!
  Their corrupt wealth will "testify" against them. That is, their unjust actions demand a verdict.
• The rich are hoarding grain, garments, gold.
• Last Days = time from Pentecost on, the last phase of human history before the second coming of the Lord.
• There was noalready in.
• It was not a promising system for the little guy! He loses out. The innocent poor not only didn’t oppose the fat cats; they couldn’t.
• Possible legal overtones: using the courts to their advantage. Who gets the better lawyer? Who’s better connected?
• Murder, too.
• Zealots
  • Emulated Phinehas and Elijah
  • Along with the Pharisees, the Zealots were the radicals.
  • More on this in reflection 31 (next talk)
  • And some Christians, directly or indirectly
• Luxury = a standard that applies to most of us hearing this talk. Ours is unbelievably higher than that of the medieval kings and queens of Europe.
• Rich people: Slaughter – the fat cats will be slaughtered!
• Luke 16:19-31
• James doesn’t automatically condemn all rich Christians (ch 1). But these rich persons stand condemned.

Next: "The Judge at the Door"

•  excuse not to pay wages, as the harvest was