"Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. 3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasures together for the last days. 4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. 5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. 6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you."

        James has just called on his brethren to turn from the world with its haughty spirit of self-assurance and self-sufficiency. Here he urges them to turn away from trust in and misuse of accumulated wealth. These verses are cast in an eschatological setting. They are written with the "last days" in view. The certainty of Christ's return OUGHT to motivate men to right living - knowing the judgment will come sure and soon.

        However accurately a person may sketch a timetable for the fulfillment of those things connected with the coming and kingdom of Jesus Christ, unless his life is brought into harmony with the implications and demands of the prophetic truth it is, for him, in vain; it is of no practical value! Such knowledge, without corresponding and responsible action only increases the weight of one's spiritual responsibility. It will make the judgment he faces more strenuous and severe.

        James writes for the benefit and practical comfort of the saints. But his words are addressed to the selfish and oppressive "rich" - warning of the inevitable accounting they must face when the Divine Auditor examines the record of their dealings, (Is. 33:1; Heb. 2:9; Matt. 23:13-36). He wants to dissuade his troubled and suffering brethren from taking a foolish attitude of envy towards such privileges and powers as wealth appears to bestow upon those who possess it. Having already rebuked their fawning deference to the visitor who looked rich (2:2-6), James now suggests, to those who have eyes to see, that the present state of the earthly-rich ought to awaken pity in their hearts, rather than envy!

        How tragic the callous and brutal pursuit of riches by which men heap up earthly possessions beyond any conceivable need. They wallow in wanton luxury in the very shadow of the coming judgment. In that day it will rise up to bear witness against them. In their mad pursuit of riches many have legalistically employed the law to kill the righteous man, just as it was once employed to condemn and crucify the Righteous One. When the righteous patiently submit to such injustice, they assume that all must be well! But all is not well!

I. JAMES WANTS HIS BRETHREN TO SEE THE ULTIMATE BANKRUPTCY OF TRUST IN EARTHLY RICHES, (vs. 1-3).

1. FIRST, HE CALLS THEM TO FACE REALITY, (vs. 1).


1. "Go to", or "Come now" is the writer's way of calling for the attention of a specific group of people - in this particular case it is the "rich".


1. Though the Scriptures do not necessarily condemn material wealth - only its abuse, or misuse - we still need to hear the master as He shows how it endangers spiritual values, (Luke 6:24; 12:15; 18:18-25).


2. In discussing this passage, William Barclay says of the Scriptures that "There is no book which more strenuously insists on the responsibility of wealth and on the perils which surround a man who is abundantly blessed with this world's goods."


2. James urges the rich to become so fully aware of the extent to which they are imperiled by riches as to make them "weep and howl." Their apparent security and comfort are but illusions!


3. Misery awaits them at the return of our Lord; they will then discover that their riches have perished! (comp. vs. 7-9).


2. WEALTH, IN THE ANCIENT EAST, WAS HELD IN THREE BASIC FORMS; James uses a word to describe they decay of each one.


1. First, there was their "corn and grain"; in storage it often became unfit for human consumption; it rotted, (Gk. "sepein").


2. Then, there was their garments - a very basic possession.


1. Joseph, exalted to a position of power in Egypt, was able to provide changes of garments for his brethren - by which they were enriched, (Gen. 45:22).


2. Because he saw, coveted and took a beautiful Babylonish garment, at Jericho, Achan brought disaster on the army of Israel and death upon himself and his family, (Josh. 7:21).


3. Samson promised to reward anyone who could solve his riddle with changes of garments, (Judges 14:12).


4. Naaman, the leper, brought garments as a gift for the prophet of Israel, who refused them; Gehazi obtained them by sinning against his own soul, (II Kings 5:5, 22).


5. Paul insisted that he had coveted no man's money or apparel, (Acts 20:33).


6. Highly as men valued these splendid garments, moths would eat holes in them - deflating their value! (comp. Matt. 6:19).


3. Their gold and silver, usually unaffected by dampness, vermin or age, has "rusted"!


1. Thus, in a very vivid way, James warns that what men value most highly, and what seems most imperishable, is actually doomed for decay!


2. This "rust" suggests the impermanence and ultimate bankruptcy of all earthly things.


3. The passionate desire that pursues after such wealth is like rust that gnaws away at man's body and soul, (Matt. 16:26; Mark 8:36-37).


4. Like an all-consuming fire, this rust will wipe the rich man out - leaving him to stand bankrupt and naked before the Judge of the whole earth! (comp. Luke 12).


5. In James' mind, concentration on material gain was not only to set one's heart and mind on a decaying delusion;
   it was to assure a self-produced RUIN!


3. NO OTHER BOOK, IN ANY LITERATURE, CONDEMNS SELFISH WEALTH SO EXPLOSIVELY AS DOES THE BIBLE, (Amos 3:10; 5:11; 8:4-7; Is. 5:8; Prov. 11:28; Luke 6:24).


1. A person may so employ earthly wealth as to "lay up treasures in heaven", (Matt. 6:19-20; Luke 16:1-9).


2. On the other hand, to use it selfishly, or cruelly, will assure it rising up to condemn him when God comes in the devouring fire of righteous judgment, (Matt. 5:22; Deut. 4:24; Is. 10:16; 30:27, 30).

II. A NUMBER OF CHARGES ARE BROUGHT AGAINST THE SELFISH RICH, (vs. 4-6).

1. THEY HAVE ACCUMULATED MATERIAL RICHES BY DEFRAUDING THEIR WORKMEN.


1. It is not a sin to be rich; some of the greatest saints of the ages have been men of great wealth.

1. Abraham, (Gen. 13:2).
2. Job, (1:3).
3. Daniel, ().
4. Isaac, (Gen. 26:12-14).
5. Jacob, (Gen. 30:43; 36:6-7).
6. David, (I Chron. 29:26-28).
7. Solomon, (II Chron. 9:13-27).
8. Joseph of Arimathaea, (Matt. 27:57-59).

2. There are several factors that need consideration with regard to material wealth.

1. How was it attained?
2. What is the holder's attitude toward it?
3. What use is he making of it?
4. Has he mastered his wealth? Or has it made a slave of him? (Mark 10:23-25).

3. In the case mentioned by James, the rich have accumulated their wealth by the abuse of those who labored for them, (Lev. 19:13; Jer. 22:13; Mal. 3:5).


1. The common laborer in Palestine is said to have been so poor as to live on the verge of starvation. With small wage, he could not save anything; he was dependent on his wage for daily food. If that was withheld his family simply could not eat! Thus, the merciful laws of the Scriptures insist on the prompt payment of wages to hired laborer, (Deut. 24:14-15; Prov. 3:27-28).


2. The Scriptures constantly plead the cause of the working man. And James declares that the cries of these defrauded workmen have reached the ears of the "Lord of hosts".


2. THEY HAVE LIVED SELFISHLY.


1. They have lived "luxuriously" (Gk. "Truphein"). The word James used comes from a root which means "to break down"; it describes the kind of soft living that ultimately destroys a person's moral fiber.
   
           An extravagant and luxurious standard of life often times involves men in a demoralizing indulgence of fleshly desires. The word for "pleasure" not only suggests a passion for physical comfort; it implies dissoluteness, moral looseness and debauchery as well!
   
           "On the earth" appears to be used in contrast to the judgment soon to proceed from the God of heaven. In Jesus' parable of the rich man Father Abraham is pictured as saying to the rich man who was suffering punishment justly deserved: "You in your lifetime received your good things!" Such self-indulgent and sinful pleasure-seeking is a poor way to prepare for the judgment that is inevitable for all men!


2. Then James adds: "You have nourished {fattened} your hearts, as in a day of slaughter". This "day of slaughter" symbolizes the Judgment of God that is about to fall upon those who so live.

        Instead of "laying aside every weight and the sin which clings so closely" their Conduct shows a gross unpreparedness for the time of testing that lies just ahead of them! Thus, the callousness of the rich, to the needs and rights of others, lays exposed, as well as their extravagant and luxurious self-indulgence!


1. For such an attitude Babylon was destroyed, (Is. 47:8-9).
2. For such a sin judgment fell on Sodom, (Ezek. 16:49-50).
3. Such an attitude "chokes" out what is good and spiritual, (Luke 8:41).
4. Jesus showed the folly of such an attitude in His parable of the rich fool, (Luke 12:16-21).
5. Such was the rich man who despised Lazarus, the beggar, (Luke 16:19-31).
6. To live in pleasure is to be "dead" while living, (I Tim. 5:6).
7. There are some who have been delivered out of such wretchedness, (Titus 3:3-7).

3. They have lived "in wantonness" (Gk. "spatalan"), which suggests the idea of lewdness and lasciviousness, the abandonment of moral restraint. The selfish rich are condemned because they have used their riches to gratify their love of comfort and to satisfy their sensual lusts - wholly neglecting their responsibilities toward their fellow-men.


1. "Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father: but he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth his substance", (Prov. 29:3).


2. Many, like the prodigal son, are too insistent on their "rights", (Luke 15:12-13, 30).


3. Others, professing godliness, so indulge themselves - thus, bringing shame and reproach on the name of Christ, (II Peter 2:1-2, 18-19).

        Nor has James finished his condemnation of their despicable lives. The rich have used their influence and social standing to humiliate and destroy men of honor and pure conscience; men whose very uprightness stood as a rebuke to their dishonorable practices!


4. They have condemned and killed the righteous man - who offered no resistance, (vs. 6; comp 4:1; I John 3:15).


1. Some interpret "the just" (or "righteous one") as a reference to Jesus Himself, (Acts 3:14; 7:52; 22:14; Luke 23:47).


2. While it is true that Jesus was "the righteous man", who suffered unjustly at the hands of wicked men, and who identifies Himself with all those who "suffer for righteousness' sake" it is doubtful that James refers specifically to Him.


3. It seems best to take "the just" to mean "those who are righteous", (comp. Amos 2:6; 5:12). "The just" describes those saints who humbly acknowledge the sovereignty of their God and joyfully yield their hearts and lives under his benevolent lordship! Such men often fall prey to evil men - since they do not RETALIATE in an attempt to injure those who have abused them!


4. Far too often the courts are controlled by the rich. Magistrates, lawyers, and judges are oftentimes "rich"; if not, they eagerly seek the favor and patronage of those who are! Thus, the innocent are CONDEMNED!


5. The history of all nations records instances of laws enacted, administered, or perverted so as to benefits the rich at the expense of the poor.


6. So, in the words of Tasker, James brings this section to a close "on a note of majestic pathos". The rich are pictured, not as bold and fearless champions, defending a just cause against dangerous enemies; but as brutal bullies - picking as victims of their outrages those who either cannot or will not strike back. The righteous objects of their abuse are endeavoring to practice the principle set forth and demonstrated by their glorious and loving Lord, (Matt. 5:38-39; comp Rom. 12:19; I Peter 2:23; Is. 55:7).

        Whereas the wicked trust in their riches, (Job 31:24-28, Ps. 52:7; Prov. 28:11; I Tim. 6:17); the "just" live by faith, (Hab. 2:3-4; Heb. 10:38; I Peter 4:13).

        CONCLUSION: It is of vast and eternal importance that men learn to make their value-judgments in the light of God's Word, and with a consciousness that we must all stand before Him "whom to know is life eternal". If He does not know us, as His own, through the blood of Jesus Christ, the future will offer nothing but eternal wretchedness, hopelessness and separation from the glory and blessings of His presence.

        "Better to be a beggar in the comfort of Abraham's bosom, than a wretched rich fool in the torments of unquenchable fire!"

        Let me close with the words of a song written by Luther G. Presley, who took a great deal of interest in me as a young song-leader of 12 or 13:

"Men strive for the wealth of this wide, wicked world,
They seek after honor and fame;
So lavishly sporting their diamonds and pearls,
They put the dear Savior to shame.

They seem not to know that their treasures will rust
And thieves often break thru and steal;
Contented with pleasure, they follow their lust,
With sorrow their destiny seal.

What profit is found in earth's silver and gold?
How sad at the close of life's day,
If for the exchange one must lose his own soul,
From heaven's door be turned away!

I'd rather live with Jesus
Than to own all earth's silver and gold,
I'd rather have Jesus
Than diamonds of a palace to hold;

I'd rather be a beggar,
Live in a little shack by the road,
Than to own all earth's treasures.
With no title to a future abode."