Henry Krabbendam - James - World Evangelical Alliance

But beyond this they are eternal, since for the wicked rich the Bible
holds out the ultimate prospect of eternal misery. The judgment is waiting for
them (Is. 5:8; Lk. 6:24; 12:15; 16:24). This is a prospect that aims to “minister
grace” through repentance. But it will certainly become a reality without
it! The reasons for this, four in all, James now continues to explain progressively
in a very vivid manner. (1) They shockingly hoard their wealth. (2)
Fraudulent means helped them acquire it. (3) They scandalously indulge
themselves in their wealth. (4) Violent means helped them to retain it. It is
difficult to paint a more appalling and reprehensible picture! To put it in perspective,
if anything qualifies in James’ own terminology as hard as a rock, as
brutal as a beast and as devilish as a demon (Jam. 3:15), it may well be the
present, elaborate depiction. Anyone, who is not fully aware of the vicious
temptation and deadly danger wrapped up in riches, must experience this as a
wake-up call that should lead to rigorous self-examination! Commentators,
who confine this section of God’s Word to “outsiders only,” did not do their
readers a favor. There is ample evidence in the history of the Church that financial
power has turned many a Christian heart away from a ministry of surrender
to their Lord, and worldly wealth has closed many a Christian head
against a ministry of compassion to their brothers and sisters (See Motyer,
164). Already James is filled with such evidence in the context of the earliest
Church.
(b) First Sin of Omission: The Purpose of Wealth (5:2-3)
The first ground for James’ threat is the lack of stewardship on the part of the
rich in this context. In self-serving self-centeredness they hoard up their possessions
(Lk. 12:18). They succumb to the siren call of wealth, “get me, hold
me, and keep me,” not recognizing that it is bound to pierce them with many
temporal and eternal sorrows (1 Tim. 6:10). They do not know or acknowledge
that God is the absolute owner (1 Chron. 29:11, 14, 16; Ps. 24:1) and
source of everything (1 Chron. 29:14, 16). They do not know or acknowledge
that there is no intrinsic value in possessions, but only in persons (Zodhiates,
III, 43). Everything will burn up in the Day of Judgment, except “souls” and
“holiness,” “holiness” and “souls.” They do not know or acknowledge that
they ought to labor with the express purpose to have something to share with
others, especially the poor (Lev. 25:35; Prov. 21:6; Eph. 4:28; Phil. 2:4).
They do not know or acknowledge that giving is a privilege (1 Chron. 29:14,
16; Lk. 21:1-4; Acts 4:33-37), and a joy (1 Chron. 29:9, 14, 17; Acts 2:44-46;
2 Cor. 9:7). In fact, it can be experienced as such even in the midst of affliction,
when the joy of the Holy Spirit is present (2 Cor. 8:1-4). James alerts us
to a difference of day and night, compared with the early Church, when be-
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