In James chapter 5 we read probably one of the worst indictments of the rich to be found in the Bible.
Heaped Up Treasure
The rich have "heaped up treasure in the last days" (James 5:3). Through fraud they have "lived in pleasure and luxury". They have "condemned and murdered the just". Innocents have lost their lives because of these rich people. In verse 1 we see how all of this ends:
"Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you!"
Condemned for Trampling the Poor
The Bible does not condemn wealth per se but wealth gotten through trampling down the poor is condemned. When wealth becomes my god, the thing that I love most, then it becomes evil. Where is my hope? Is it in God or the money that I have acquired? We should have pity on the wealthy who have abused us because we see their end.
How does this apply to you and I? Do we work for an employer who values and treats fairly all of their employees? Wealth obtained working for a company that doesn't treat its employees well, that doesn't pay a fair wage or doesn't put its people first might be a company I don't need to work for.
Do we pay for work that has been done for us? Do we withhold wages? Do we treat workers fairly and with respect? Do we buy products produced by workers that are being treated like slave laborers? God hears the cry of the poor (Psalm 34: 6).
Wealthy Compared to What?
Too often today we who have wealth don't think of ourselves that way. We look around and see many people with more so we think, "How can I be wealthy?". But look at the way most of the world lives. The world that we are very isolated from in this country. Do you have electricity? Running water? A refrigerator? A home with a floor that isn't dirt? A bed? Many, perhaps most, of the people in this world don't have those things.
Those With No Support
What to do with our wealth? Tithing is good of course. It can be debated as to the necessity of tithing, but one thing that can't be debated is how we treat the poor. Orphans and widows are often pointed out as examples of who our charity should be directed toward. These are people who had no support system. We, the church, especially those who are much better off, have a responsibility to help people who are without a support system. Our giving should be sacrificial.
Excuses
We are good at making excuses, "Well I would give more, but I have to pay for my _________ first." Or, "I would give more, but I need (or want) a new _________." Where do we draw the line on how much 'stuff' is enough? Or do we even draw one? Couldn't we do more to help those around us? In the U.S. we have too often abdicated that role to the government.
The Lord Brings Justice
In James 5: 7-8 he tells us:
"Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand."
Those of us who are not wealthy, who have been defrauded, who have been mistreated and abused must be patient. The coming of the Lord will bring justice to those who have been persecuted. We wait patiently for the Lord to carry out justice. We wait patiently to see the fruits of our labor for God.
The early rain was the fall rain at planting and the latter rain was in the spring at harvest. Both were necessary to have a fruitful crop. In our lives we need both rains as well. The watering of our hearts early on with the word of God and His Spirit and later on as we mature, we continue to need to grow and respond to the Spirit. God expects to see fruit - whether you are rich or poor.
This patience is also in regard to the coming of our Lord. God can and will right all wrongs in His perfect time. We pray His return will find us patiently and faithfully waiting.
Establish Our Hearts
We need to "establish our hearts". To make sure that our hearts are purposefully and determinedly set upon our Lord. We "establish our hearts" so we will not turn away because we know that at any moment our Lord could return.
In James 5: 11 James says:
"Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful."
Our endurance is blessed. Just as Job did not curse God and die, but waited patiently and was blessed many times over, we know our Lord is merciful, especially to the weak, the poor, and the voiceless. Job was a wealthy man who lost everything, but in the end, he became even more wealthy because he knew what was important. He was spiritually blessed as well. Praising God in the midst of great sorrow, Job knew that His God would never abandon him.
A modern example of a blessed life is that of J. C. Penney, the founder of the store chain by that name. His Christian example of self-less giving and treating his employees with value is unparalleled. Wealth is not evil, heaped up treasure is. The love of money and the desire to obtain it at any cost is.
Let us patiently and lovingly run the race set before us and let us not forget those who are less well off. Let us be generous to all. Let us treat each and every person we come into contact with, with dignity and respect, and show them the love of God above all else until He comes in glory.
A good sermon on this topic can be found here.
Enjoy this beautiful old hymn: Come Ye Sinners Poor and Needy.
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