1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.
2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten.
3 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.
4 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.
5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.
RICHES: A BLIGHT OR BLESSING?
James condemns harshly some rich people among them. Is being rich wrong by itself? The condemnation here is not for having wealth, itself, but for those who love wealth causing them to fall into sins. In James 1:10, he offers instruction to wealthy Christians about how
to evaluate their true riches. Similarly, Paul warned the rich clearly. He
writes, “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.[1 Tim 6:17-19]
Most likely, most of these wealthy people were unbelievers who used their wealth to harm others. They may include those who did not use their wealth to help others (Jas 4:17). Apparently, they used their wealth to oppress the poor Christians so that James was harsh unto them. Paul described them as trapped. He said, “But those who desire to be rich
fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”[1 Tim 6:9,10]
Instead of being blessed by their riches, these riches are a blight unto them. James described them, saying, “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.” The failure for those hoarding with wealth is to trust their riches, rather than upon God (Mat 19:23–24). For all will soon be gone. Solomon is right to say,
“Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.
When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings,
flying like an eagle toward heaven.”[Prov 23:4,5]
They are not really rich in the eyes of God. All they have is money and nothing else. They are corrupted by so much greed. How then are we comforted when facing such people? Firstly, God will not allow injustice to go unpunished. These cheated and oppressed laborers are crying against them. James said 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.” [v.4,5] Their doom is sure.
Today, let’s relish on the truth that our riches are in Christ alone. Paul said, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”[Col 3:1,2] Like Moses, let us choose ‘not to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin but consider the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt[world].”[Heb 11:25,26] May God help us to guard our hearts.
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