Chronological Life Application Study Bible 2nd Edition - Flipbook - Page 17
DIVIDED KINGDOM
930–586 BC
EXILE
586–538 BC
RETURN & DIASPORA
538–6 BC
Warning to the Rich
JAMES 5:1-6
Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with
anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead
of you. 2 Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine
clothes are motheaten rags. 3 Your gold and silver
are corroded. The very wealth you were counting
on will eat away your flesh like fire. This corroded
treasure you have hoarded will testify against
you on the day of judgment. 4 For listen! Hear the
cries of the field workers whom you have cheated
of their pay. The cries of those who harvest your
fields have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven’s
Armies.
5 You have spent your years on earth in luxury,
satisfying your every desire. You have fattened
yourselves for the day of slaughter. 6 You have con
demned and killed innocent people,* who do not
resist you.*
JESUS THE MESSIAH
6 BC–AD 30
THE MESSIAH’S PEOPLE
AD 30–present
too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of
the Lord is near.
9 Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and
sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is
standing at the door!
10 For examples of patience in suffering, dear
brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke
in the name of the Lord. 11We give great honor to those
who endure under suffering. For instance, you know
about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how
the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is
full of tenderness and mercy.
12 But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never
take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just
say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be
condemned.
The Power of Prayer
JAMES 5:13-18
Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are
any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14 Are any of
you sick? You should call for the elders of the church
JAMES 5:7-12
Dear brothers and sisters,* be patient as you wait for to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in
the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith
wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And
eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. 8 You, if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.
Patience and Endurance
Jas 5:6a Or killed the Righteous One.
brothers; also in 5:9, 10, 12, 19.
Jas 5:6b Or Don’t they resist you? or Doesn’t God oppose you? or Aren’t they now accusing you before God?
is not the problem; leaders need money to
live and to support their families; missionaries
need money to help them spread the Good
News; congregations need money to do their
work effectively. It is the love of money that
leads to evil (1 Tim 6:10) and causes some
people to oppress others in order to get more.
This is a warning to all believers who are
tempted to adopt worldly standards rather
than God’s standards (Rom 12:1-2) as well
as an encouragement to all those who are
oppressed by the rich. (See Matt 6:19-21 to
see what Jesus says about riches.)
Jas 5:6 “Innocent people” refers to
defenseless persons, probably poor laborers. Poor people who could not pay their
debts were thrown in prison or forced
to sell all their possessions. At times,
they were even forced to sell their family
members into slavery. With no opportunity
to work off their debts, poor people often
died of starvation. God called this murder.
Hoarding money, exploiting employees,
and living self-indulgently will not escape
God’s notice.
Jas 5:7-8 The farmer must wait patiently
for his crops to grow; he cannot hurry the
process. But he does not take the summer
off and hope that all goes well in the fields.
There is much work to do to ensure a good
harvest. In the same way, we must wait
patiently for Jesus’ return. We cannot make
him come back any sooner. But while we
wait, there is much work that we can do to
advance God’s Kingdom. Both the farmer and
the follower of Jesus must live by faith, looking toward the future reward for their labors.
Don’t live as if Jesus will never come. Work
faithfully to build his Kingdom. The King will
come when the time is right.
Jas 5:9 When things go wrong, we tend
to grumble against and blame others for
our miseries (see the second note on Gen
3:11-13, p. 12). Blaming others is easier
than owning our share of the responsibility,
but it can be both destructive and sinful.
Before you judge others for their shortcomings, remember that Jesus the Judge
will come to evaluate each of us (Matt 7:1-5;
25:31-46). He will not let us get away with
shifting the blame to others.
Jas 5:10-11 Many prophets suffered and
were persecuted, such as Moses, Elijah,
and Jeremiah. For a complete list of those
persecuted, see the chart on pp. 742–743.
For more on the topic of suffering, see the
notes on Job 1:1ff, p. 96; Job 2:10, p. 98;
Job 3:23-26, p. 100; Job 4:7-8, p. 100;
Job 42:17, p. 135. See also Job’s Profile
on p. 99.
Jas 5:12 People with a reputation for exaggeration or lying often can’t get anyone to
believe them on their word alone. Believers in
Jesus should never become like that. Always
be honest so that others will believe your
simple yes or no. By avoiding lies, half-truths,
and omissions of the truth, you will become
known as a trustworthy person.
Jas 5:7 Greek
Jas 5:14-15 James is referring to someone who is physically ill. In Scripture, oil
was both a medicine (see the parable of
the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-37) and
a symbol of the Spirit of God (as used in
anointing kings, see 1 Sam 16:1-13). Thus,
oil can represent both the physical and the
spiritual spheres of life. Believers should
not separate the physical and the spiritual.
Messiah Jesus is Lord over both the body
and the spirit.
Jas 5:14-15 Those who follow Jesus are
not alone. Members of his body should be
able to count on others for support and
prayer, especially when they are sick or
suffering. The elders should be on call to
respond to the illness of any member, and
all believers should be sensitive to the needs
of others.
Jas 5:15 The “prayer offered in faith” does
not refer to the faith of the sick person but
refers to the faith of the people praying. God
heals, faith doesn’t, and all prayers are subject to God’s will. But prayer is part of God’s
healing process.
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