Henry Krabbendam - James - World Evangelical Alliance

Returning now to the text of James, “grudging” is always rooted in a
self-asserting pride, in fact, it is a form of hatred (Gen. 4:7; Lev. 19:17-18;
Gal. 5:17)! It appears that not only oppressors, but also people who grudge
against them will be judged, both on earth (Gal. 5:15), and at the Second
Coming of the Savior. After all, James warns that the Lord will come as
Judge! The Lamb of God, so gentle in the day of salvation, will be grim and
display his wrath in the Day of Judgment (Rev. 6:17). James adds weight to
his warning by once again emphasizing the imminence of the Lord’s return
(Rev. 22:20). The fact that he is “at the door” ups the eschatological urgency.
Let not only the offending offenders, but also the offending offended, that is,
all sinners of whatever stripe beware (Mt. 24:50-51)!
In the wider context of the Bible, not only the “lesser” sin of grudging
and fretting (Ps. 37:1, 7, 8; Prov. 24:19), but also the “greater” sin of violent
rebellion is condemned (1 Pet. 2:18-19). The only recourse the oppressed
have is to commit themselves into the hands of the Lord, and to delight in
Him (Gen. 29:31-35; Ex. 2:23; Ps. 37:3-5, 7). 359 There is no end to the power
and the faithfulness of God (Ps. 146:5-10). He even makes use of creation to
come to the rescue of His people (Judg. 5:20). James 1:2ff with its emphasis
upon trials shows how not only survival, but also victory in the most distressing
conditions is more than a pie in the sky. It is not a pipedream, but a
reality!
(2) Focus upon Two Models and their Encouragement (5:10-11)
(a) First Model: The Prophets (5:10-11a)
To encourage his readers, James refers for the “privilege and certainty of suffering”
(Tasker, 121) to the prophets of the Old Testament as “examples” or
359 I do not enter here into a lengthy discussion of the propriety of overthrowing tyrants in the
political realm, as long as this takes place under the authority of “lesser magistrates.” This
was clearly the view of Reformation thinkers. Regrettably such discussion would take us too
far afield. But the question may well be asked where Scripture endorses this view. Nevertheless,
if this view has biblical legitimacy, why could the population not band together, with or
without the aegis of lesser magistrates, as long as their cause is biblically just, and their resistance
against an all-annihilating tyranny is a matter of “last resort?” In other words, why is the
“government of lesser magistrates” required to give legitimacy to the removal of tyrants, and
why would “self-government of the populace” not be sufficient to do so, not, of course, as a
“social contract,” but as a God-given mandate? It is interesting to note that the successful effort
to overthrow the Obote II/Okello regimes in 1985 in Uganda was billed as “a people’s
war against the government.” At the same time, it was explicitly stipulated that it was a war of
last resort and that its success was only assured when it served an exclusively just cause.
While this neither does, nor may, take anything away from James’ teaching, it is still “something
to consider” in another context!
787