James 5
by Pastor Lawrence Bowlin

The rich man that James speaks of at the beginning of this chapter does not refer to any believer but only to the wicked who accumulate their wealth off the backs of the poor and the righteous. These first few verses are not written for the sake of the rich that they might repent of their sins but to those who are oppressed by them that they might bear up under their injustice. It is a certainty that on the Day of Judgment the Lord will bring all of this into the light: all the fraud, all the corruption and all the oppression. So James is not seeking to change the heart of the wicked but to bring comfort to the righteous who have suffered much under their abuse, to assure them that the Lord has indeed heard their cries and will answer accordingly.

Until that day arrives, though, James exhorts the believers to establish their hearts or to fix them upon this glorious truth that the Lord is coming soon and also to be patient in waiting for the Lord to bring forth his vengeance rather than seeking to take matters into their own hands. Just as the farmer is patient in waiting for the crops to grow or the prophet is patient as he undergoes much persecution in speaking forth the Word of God, so James is telling the believers to be patient as the Lord brings forth his appointed day. But what can the believer do as he waits. In v.13, James gives this specific advice: if anyone among you is suffering, let him pray. Let him turn to the Lord who holds all these things in his hands. Let him entrust himself to God over all, to the maker of heaven and earth, for the Lord always does what is right and always draws near to the one who calls upon him in faith and truth.