Real Riches

Overview of Monaco

James finally gets to the most practical point of all: how we use our wealth.

James isn't here denouncing riches in and of themselves but their abuse, and the Old Testament is in perfect harmony about that. We find in the Proverbs "A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous." (13:22) Or 22:4 "The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life." Or 3:9-10 "Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine." Abraham was a wealthy man as was Job, whom the Lord points out specifically to be a great servant. Solomon asked for wisdom and as a reward for such a request was given more wealth than the nation had ever seen before or since.

Yet the Bible speaks even more so about the limits and even dangers of such riches. Look again at Proverbs 11:4 "Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death." V. 28 of the same chapter "Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf." This harmonizes with Jesus' teaching in Mark 8:36 "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" And of course who can forget the words just two chapters later in 10:25 "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Difficult doesn't mean impossible, and even a few verses later Jesus affirms that all things are possible with God.

Here, we are dealing with a class of people who have succumbed to the dangers of wealth and have allowed riches to corrupt them.

Many commentators believe that James has switched audiences here. The thought is that James is actually addressing non-believers here in this section, and there is good reason to think so. In this passage, there is no hint of hope. In chapter 4 we saw James getting after people about their selfish ambitions, but that section closed with an invitation to draw near to God (v.8). In chapter 2 we saw James getting after the church for their partiality towards the rich, yet that section closed with the comfort that mercy triumphs over judgement (v.13). We don't find any such comfort here. The expectation seems to be that they won't repent.

James seems to be picking up the Old Testament tradition of the fiery prophet condemning the wicked rich. Amos 8:4-8 provides us a sample

"Hear this, you who trample on the needy
and bring the poor of the land to an end,
saying, “When will the new moon be over,
that we may sell grain?
And the Sabbath,
that we may offer wheat for sale,
that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great
and deal deceitfully with false balances,
that we may buy the poor for silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals
and sell the chaff of the wheat?”
The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
“Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.
Shall not the land tremble on this account,
and everyone mourn who dwells in it,
and all of it rise like the Nile,
and be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt?”"

Sounds familiar to this passage isn't it? So if James is addressing non-believers here, why would he bother (presumably they aren't here) and why should we listen? To the first question, as many commentators point out, this is meant to be a comfort to the poor who are listening who are oppressed by these rich. Their comeuppance is coming. Don't envy them. We will see that more in the next section. But the answer to the second question is to warn us not to do what they do.

I think this warning has never been more relevant for us. It is no exaggeration to say that even the homeless in the USA have access to more resources than the average person in Togo. How much more so do we sitting here right now?

There are two lessons I think we can draw here: Don't hoard wealth; it can't keep you safe. And Don't defraud the poor; God will take up their cause

Don't Hoard Wealth; It Can't Keep You Safe.

James calls these unrighteous rich to weep and howl for the judgment that is coming upon them. The word for "weep" here is not a little sniffling with a tear or two. This is the same word that is used of Peter when he denied Jesus. He goes out and weeps bitterly. This is a strong reaction James is calling for here. The term for howl or "wailing" is always used in the context of judgment (Douglas Moo).

So what are these unrighteous rich doing? Well, they are hoarding their wealth to be used exclusively for their own selfish pleasure at the cost of others, in the face of imminent judgment! What would we think of someone trying to trade stocks on their phone as they are walking towards the electric chair? That person must be crazy! Yet James' wicked rich don't seem to care that there is a final judgment coming or that others have immediate needs right around them, or that riches don't really last. Those garments they love? Eaten by moths. Gold and Silver? Rusted. Now the metallurgists in the room might point out that these metals don't actually rust, but James is making a point that they might as well rust in the face of eternity.

This hoarding will come back to bite, or rather burn. The pile of cash proves one could have done more and that stacked cash will be evidence against the rich on the day of judgment. James echos Jesus' teaching about laying up treasure. They have shown where their heart really is, stuffed in a closet somewhere. It is pitiful. One commentator reacts to this passage with sobriety. While the Bible doesn't give us a number telling how much money is too much, this passage should at least cause us to consider that question. Just because our culture says we need more doesn't actually mean that is what God wants us to do (Douglas Moo). Calvin comments that wealth isn't for storage but for helping others.

These aren't people wisely saving to provide for their children's needs. These have been purely indulgent with what they have, and the evidence of that heart shows in the next section.

Don't defraud the poor; God will take up their cause

But it gets worse. They haven't just hoarded up a bunch of wealth, they have done so off of cheating the people who work for them! Many commentators point back to Deuteronomy that had a rule that laborers had to be paid for that day's work by the end of the day. They didn't have easy access to credit like a lot of us do (though it is worth noting that there are millions even in the US who don't have access to these services and are in similar positions to the OT day laborer). They couldn't just swipe the Visa knowing that they would be compensated before the bill was due (hopefully!). Day laborers had to be paid that day; otherwise they wouldn't eat that day.

These wicked rich have defrauded the poor, and God knows it. They have cried out to God, and He will respond. Note the title used for God here, the Lord of Hosts. "Hosts" in this verse isn't what we think of when we hear "host." God isn't the Lord of hotels or hospitality here. The word "hosts" is the word for heavenly hosts, or more accurately, Lord of Armies. The General of Heaven has heard the cries of the defrauded poor. They haven't been able to resist their oppression, but God is going to respond. The wicked rich lumber along like cows eating grass on their way to become steak.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to face that.

So how do we do this? How do we avoid falling into this? The first thing we have to recognize is how we can all fall into this trap because we are rich. I know compared to many in our country, we Sylacuagians wouldn't be considered rich. Yet just look at all those videos going around the internet of our European visitors being blown away by Walmart-and all the kinds of pop-tarts we have! I didn't know that the average European doesn't have AC, even in their stores. Did you know that 175,000 Europeans die of heat related problems every year? That's more than die of guns in our country. Europe is a developed continent. It's a modern world. Yet we are, apparently, enormously richer than they are. This should lead us to heed the Bible's warnings about riches more closely rather than assuming that it can't apply to us.

Second, this doesn't mean we toss everything away, but rather we should truly enjoy what we have by remembering who it came from. Paul spells this out for us in 1 Timothy 6:17-19 "As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life."

When we look at our houses, cars, and yes even pop-tarts, we are not to set our hearts on them. We don't sleep better at night knowing that we have more money than we thought. Riches come and go, but our God does not. He is the one we depend on.

Our things should be valuable to us only because of who they came from. I treasure the little pictures that my kids draw for me. Do I value the paper? The art itself? No, I value it because of who it came from. Do I notice that the artistic value of the piece could be better? No. I haven't even considered wanting it to be more because of who gave it to me. Yet, if I were to lose all of the little drawings, would I be sad? Of course. Would I be devastated? No, because I still have the little ones who drew them. Would I be willing to give those pieces away to other people who wanted them whom my kids love? Yes, and even especially if they asked me to do it. Might I feel a little attached to some of them? Of course, but as long as I get to keep the artists, I don't mind losing some art.

How much more should we be willing to part with the excess of what God gives to us in order to make sure that other's needs are met? Do we make sure we have enough to cover our family's needs? Yes. Is it wrong to enjoy nice things we have? Not if we remember who they came from and what they are for: the advancement of the gospel.

I think when we get to the end of our lives, we are not going to wish that we acquired more things for ourselves. I think we will regret having worried so much about those things, and I think we will regret not having kept more open eyes to those suffering around us. Yes, we can't help everyone. There are more needs even in just a five mile radius than any one person can fill. But never before can we meet so many needs with our spare money and time. There is a food bank just over the hill that needs both money and time. The poor and hungry gather there in an orderly line, and there are needs for people to hand them boxes of food. We don't even have to find them! I sit on the board of Resources for Women. Single women with crisis pregnancies file through every week needing tests, ultrasounds, and diapers. They gather! What's more, these places will let you, nay, encourage you to meet their deepest need, the gospel.

It has never been easier to be rich in both time and money, and it has never been easier to put it to good use. And what you'll find is more valuable than money. It is joy. Joy that you are using your resources in a way that God is pleased with. Giving resources away doesn't get you to heaven. You can't buy what is freely offered. But a heart that joyfully gives away that others may know Jesus is evidence of a heart gloriously transformed to be like Jesus.