Wednesday Bible Study: The end of all things- James

James 5 is packed with so much stuff, I couldn't believe it when my physical Bible's lead in (I usually use e-Sword) said there was debate on this book's canon position "because of it's lack of doctrine caused it to not circulate as much as other letters."  I said, "Have you READ the thing??"  Anyway, there are several fascinating sections, but I have a part that touched me I want to focus on.  So let me do three VERY important sections in a more-or-less hit and run manner, so I can get to what spoke to me.

The first six verses are an attack on those who are rich and got there by taking advantage of people.  I am just going to nod and say, very true, very true;  if I got expounding on this subject while working overtime at work, you might think I'd been hitting Lenin and Marx too hard!  Then let me slide down to v 12:

Jas 5:12  But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation. 



I had to look into what caused this outburst, and particularly why James thought it was an 'above all' statement.  Problem was, James was addressing a diaspora Jewish audience, and back then they had a real problem with this.  In fact, less than 100 years after James, according to Adam Clarke's commentary, Rabbi Akiba taught, “a man might swear with his lips, and annul it in his heart; and then the oath was not binding.”   I'm not sure what kind of religious leader would teach you "Do as I feel, not as I act", but that was the mindset James was dealing with, which is why that became an 'above all', I suppose.

The end of the chapter is another great section- the value of prayer, and how to use it to fight off various maladies in life.  And yet, with all this great stuff, my attention was drawn to the middle of the chapter:


Jas 5:7  Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.
Jas 5:8  You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
Jas 5:9  Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.
Jas 5:10  As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
Jas 5:11  Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.


This is in response to the depredations of the rich before it, and the power of prayer below- practing patience first.  Let me point out the highlights here.

1- The rich man had his fruit corrupted by his greed.  But the farmer is to be the example- He plants, he waits.  He can't see what's growing at first.  He can't speed it up by meddling, begging, or getting mad.

2- In the meantime, our job is to 'establish our hearts'.  What does that mean?  Study and prepare, learn to live a life emulating Jesus, because "Heah come da judge"!

3- "Take the example of the prophets".  This is something that has come up in our recent church sermons.  Think about it:  These dudes risked life and limb to receive and relate visions that would never come true in their lifetimes, and they would never really grasp in those lifetimes.  1 Peter 1 says:

1Pe 1:10  Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully,
1Pe 1:11  inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.
1Pe 1:12  It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. 


Remember the end of Daniel?  Daniel asked when it would happen, and got told, "Go your way!"  Sometimes we don't grasp the import of Hebrews 11:1...   Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. They had to be patient for something BEYOND THEIR DEATHS, and we whine about waiting ten minutes in a burger line.


4- On the morning of Thursday last week- one of the single most disastrous days at work I'd had in a long time-  I read v 11:

Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. 

When you start your day with the 'example of Job' being pointed out, you know you're in for it!  BUT... keep this in mind about him...

-He NEVER lost faith in God, just lost track of his place.
-God first talked to him softly through Eliphaz- "I have my reasons for your trials".  And then loudly in His own voice- "Who are you to question ME?"
-The fact that God still loved Job is shown by the fact that everything Satan took away, God DOUBLED.  Seeing as he got another 10 kids, I'm guessing that that included a shiny new wife to replace ol' "curse God and die"...  either that or He forgave her by making her amazingly fertile, and God could have done that, too.

Thing of it is, just like Job, we don't see the reward lying at the end of God's purpose.  And, like the old Prophets, maybe we aren't GOING to.  But the end is God is compassionate and merciful.  Like Job, that compassion might come right after the trial.  Or like in some of the prophets we've studied recently, it might be way on down the road.  But it's there, waiting.  And in the meantime?  Let me end by giving you the verse AFTER the ones I quoted from 1 Peter, a verse very similar to James 5:8:

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.


Preparing your minds for action- establishing your hearts.