1. (James 5:7-8) Imitate the patient endurance of the farmer
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
Be patient: The Christian response to injustice is patience. The word for patience in Greek is makrothumeo, which means long tempered or a delay in taking action.
Until the coming of the Lord: We are to have an attitude that looks forward to the return of the Lord.
The farmer waits: We are to be like the farmer who waits patiently for the harvest to come in. The farmer waits for the early rains. The early rains come in the fall of the year after the farmer has planted his produce. The late rains come in the spring of the year, which is important for watering the produce and maturing it just before it is to be harvested. In farming, the principle is not to become impatient and assume that the early or late rain will not come. We are to wait for the rain to come.
Likewise, we are not to rush the harvest. We are to wait for God to ripen the harvest and make ready the goods. Applying this to justice, we are not to rush along justice because it does not happen as soon as we want it to. Instead, we are to wait for God's timing.
When we think about it, the waiting and need for endurance we have in the Christian life is very much like the waiting of the farmer.
-He waits with a reasonable hope and expectation of a reward.
-He waits a long time.
-He waits working all the while.
-He waits depending on the things out of his power with his eye on the heavens.
-He waits despite changing circumstances and many uncertainties.
-He waits encouraged by the value of the harvest.
-He waits encouraged by the work and harvest of others.
-He waits because he really has no other option.
-He waits because it does no good to give up.
-He waits aware of how the seasons work.
For the coming of the Lord is near: James says believers are to respond to injustice by strengthening their hearts and reminding themselves that the coming day of the Lord is not far off. The Bible's teaching that Christ is at the door is a teaching that recognizes that the end times are close at hand.
2. (James 5:9) Practicing patient endurance among God's people
Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.
Do not complain: We are not to let our troubles and frustration lead us to speaking negatively against others, especially those in the faith. When we speak badly of others, we judge them. That is not something we want to be doing when the true Judge arrives. God might chose to use our patience and long-suffering as an opportunity to bring someone to faith. We can be sure that God is far more likely to use our patience than to use our impatience should we seek retribution against those who have wronged us.
James offers an example for us to follow in living out this difficult command.
3. (James 5:10-11) Following examples of patient endurance
As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.
Take the prophets: The New Testament gives us a wonderful summary of what the prophets faced in Hebrews chapter 11.
"And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground." (Hebrews 11:32-38)
James uses these men who suffered as our example. This is a far cry from the pride and arrogance which has come to dominate parts of the church, particularly the American church. We are not destined to conquer and dominate the world. We are not called to overcome the world with might and power. The United States is not God's country. It is just another nation lost with dying sinners.
I am as much a patriot as the next person, but as Christians when we consider how we are to respond to injustice and persecution, the Bible calls us to remember not the Founding Fathers, but the prophets of Israel. We should use them as our example so that we never presume to encroach upon God's role as judge.
James then gives his own example using Job, who endured more sorrow and injustice than any of us will likely face in our own lives. And still, he faced his situation with patience and endurance. He refrained from condemning the LORD. In fact, he endured his circumstances while still praising the LORD. And James says we should take note of God's compassion and mercy which He showed Job in the end. We are to remember how Job became an example to us of how righteous men should respond to injustice and suffering.
The Lord is full of compassion and merciful: This is not immediately apparent in the story of Job. We can quickly think that God was cruel to Job. Yet, upon consideration, we can see that God was indeed very compassionate and merciful.
God was very compassionate and merciful to Job because He only allowed suffering for a very good reason. God was very compassionate and merciful to Job because He restricted what Satan could do against Job. God was very compassionate and merciful to Job because He sustained Him with His unseen hand through all his suffering. God was very compassionate and merciful to Job because in the whole process God used Satan. At the end of it all, God had accomplished something wonderful--to make Job a better and more blessed man than ever before. Remember that as good as Job was at the beginning of the book, he was a better man at the end of it. He was better in character, humbler and more blessed than before.
4. (James 5:12) An exhortation in light of the coming judgment before Jesus
But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.
James opens chapter five with a warning against the rich who persecuted the church. Now, he finishes with a series of exhortations on how to live until the Lord returns. James must have known that his letter would leave his readers reeling from so many blows to the ego and pride. Although the hits were necessary and appropriate, James does not want to leave us without a word of encouragement as well.
In the beginning of chapter five, James encourages us to practice patience by keeping our mind focused on the return of the Lord. We should not be angry; we should not take matters into our own hands. Patience is knowing that what we want is coming without our need to get involved.
Joke Time
A small boy was looking at the red ripe tomatoes growing in a farmer's garden. "I will give you my two pennies for that tomato," said the boy to the farmer, pointing to a beautiful, large, ripe tomato on the vine. "No," said the farmer, "I get a dime for a tomato like that one."
The small boy pointed to a small green tomato. "Will you take two pennies for that one?"
"Yes," replied the farmer. "I will give you that one for two pennies."
"OK," said the small boy, sealing the deal by placing his coins in the farmer's hand. "I will pick it up in about a week."
From patience, James moves on to reminding us of the prophets and the need for endurance. Said another way, we are to prepare for whatever life brings knowing it is all temporary. By our endurance, we please the Lord who will reward our patience and faith.
Do not swear, either by heaven or by earth: Before we can understand James's concern here, we need to understand the specific action James is describing. He says we should not swear an oath by heaven or by earth. He is speaking about making a promise or commitment and then giving an oath to assure a witness that we will keep our word. James is not talking about the kinds of vows that our law requires as in a courtroom. He is talking about voluntary vows we take upon ourselves to assure someone that they can trust us. James says we are not to bind our trustworthiness to someone or something.
Within the Jewish culture, any oath that mentioned God's name in any way was considered to be a binding vow. Breaking that commitment was punishable by law. However, oaths sworn by other things such as things in heaven or things on earth were not considered to be binding. The Pharisees would take advantage or this self-made loophole to avoid obligations when it suited them. This meant that their word could not be trusted because they might swear upon things that sounded binding, but later they were deemed to be not important. Jesus expounds on this hypocrisy in the Book of Matthew:
"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.' You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold ot the temple that sanctified the gold? And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever sweats by the offering on it, he is obligated.' You blind men, which is more important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering? Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells within it. And whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it." (Matthew 23:16-22)
The first problem with vows is that they are not necessary for Christians. Consider what a vow means. Oaths invoke the name of another entity as a judge or as a witness to your statement. It implies that a judge will be necessary to ensure we keep our word. Instead, James says if we want people to trust our word, just let our yes be yes and our no be no. We should speak the truth. We should keep our word. Then, we will not need vows or judges. Believers should be honoarble in our promises and trustworthy in our speech. Thus, vows should be unnecessary.
Secondly, vows about the future are a form of impatience in waiting on God's plan. When we obligate ourselves to some future action by binding a vow, we are presuming to know God's plans for the future. In our impatience to produce the future we prefer, some Christians may be tempted to make vows invoking God's name.
However, James warns against this because we are at risk for bringing judgment upon ourselves. If we swear by God that you will do something in the future, but then God's plans for your life prevent you from keeping the vow, you are still obligated by your vow. And God will bring condemnation upon you for failing to keep the vow. Remember, if you choose to make a vow by invoking God's name, Scripture says that God will bring a penalty upon you for failing to keep that vow.
"When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. Do not let your speech cause you to sin and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice and destroy the work of your hands?" (Ecclesiastes 5:4-6)
These vows are binding in God's view. Jesus gives the same warning as James in the Gospels.
"Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the LORD.' But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Now shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no'; anything beyond these is evil." (Matthew 5:33-37)
Both Jesus and James are saying the same thing. If you vow by God's name, you are gambling that the future will turn out as you expect it to be. In your impatience to know and predict the future, you risk being wrong. And when you are wrong, God will hold you accountable for your rash vow. This is why James states in verse 12 that we risk falling under judgment when we make a vow.
For those Christians who prefer action over patient waiting, James gives the proper Biblical way to live in a godly, patient way.
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