5:9 "Do not complain, brethren,
against one another, that you yourselves may not be judged; behold,
the Judge is standing right at the door".
"Do not complain"-"Present
active imperative, "stop groaning against one another"
(Robertson p. 62). "Troubles tend to make the impatient
complain against even those closest to them" (Roberts p.
194). "Hostility from others is not easily endured. James
was well aware of the human propensity to lash out in retaliation,
or at least to complain against real or imagined instigators"
(Kent p. 178). Complaining is a very real temptation and various
professed believers haven't faired very well when facing hardship
(1 Corinthians 10:1-12).
"against one another"-"Sometimes,
when we are bombarded by problems of those outside of
our
family, our church
.our tempers often get short with each
other. Sometimes we take our frustrations out on those closest
to us
.'Do not let the pressure that is brought to bear on
you from outside cause you to be unchristian with each other'
..The
picture is very clear. Imagine a member of a first-century church
being arrested because of his commitment to Christ. Another member
is not arrested. It was probably hard for the one who was thrown
in jail to have a kind attitude toward the one who was free.
James says, 'Don't look at someone else and complain because they
are not suffering as you are. Don't try to involve others
in your misery.'" (Draper p. 152).
"that you yourselves may not be
judged"-(Matthew 7:1-5). Again, hypocritical, hypercritical,
and judging from wrong motives is under consideration. Those
who complain and murmur and take their anger and frustration out
on others are in danger of facing divine condemnation. God isn't
impressed with people who complain. We may be suffering, but
once we start complaining and murmuring against others, we are
not longer playing the role of an innocent victim.
"behold, the Judge is standing
right at the door"-"literally, 'is standing before
the doors' (perfect active indicative), and thus ready to execute
sentence" (Woods p. 280).
Point To Note:
The above expression doesn't mean that James believed that Jesus
was going to come that day. Rather, Jesus stands ready to judge
and could come at any moment. "the day of retribution for
the evil is certain and sure and the one who shall administer
punishment should be regarded as at the door, ready to enter at
any time
..It was therefore vitally important that those
to whom James wrote should open the door without advance notice
and discover that instead of waiting patiently and faithfully
for him they were fretful, dissatisfied and morose, and engaged
in quarrels among themselves" (Woods p. 280). "The
reminder that 'the Judge is standing right at the door' should
be a caution that judgment may not be some hazy, theoretical,
far-distant event" (Kent p. 178). Compare with Revelation
3:20; 1 Peter 4:5 "who is ready to judge the living and
the dead". Note that Christians are here warned, indicating
that we can end up condemned if we become unfaithful.
5:10 "As an example, brethren,
of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the
name of the Lord".
"As an example"-a model,
pattern, "in a good sense as something that does or should
spur one on to imitate it" (Arndt p. 34).
"take the prophets"-See
2 Chron. 36:16; 1 Kings 19:10; Matthew 23:29-31; Acts 7:52.
"Most of them were persecuted severely in their lifetime,
despite the fact that they were God's messengers (Matthew 5:11-12)"
(Kent p. 179). Draper notes, "In essence, James says, "Surely,
if anyone ought to have a good time in life and ought to avoid
suffering, the prophets would be the ones. Yet they suffered
too.' This is a side of Christianity that we do not like to
think about-----the suffering side. We like to think that when
we are saved, everything is going to be glorious
.When we
get a new Savior, we also get a new enemy" (p. 153).
Points To Note:
5:11 "Behold, 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".
"we counted those blessed who endured"-"Endured"-"remain
instead of fleeing, stand one's ground, hold out, endure in trouble,
affliction, persecution" (Arndt p. 845). Note: We count
them blessed now, when the long-range goal is kept in mind, we
can see that endurance is more than worth it (Romans 8:18). See
(Matthew 10:22; 2 Timothy 2:12; James 1:12; 1 Peter 2:20).
"You have heard of the endurance
of Job"-Job was a real historical person. And the
account of his life and trials in the book of Job is exactly what
happened in this man's life. Note the details which are endorsed
by James. His name was Job, he endured trials, and the outcome
was extremely compassionate and merciful. Compare with Ezekiel
14:14,20.
Point To Note:
We need to remember that Job didn't always handle his sufferings
in a perfect manner (Job 3:3,11). And yet he never gave into
his wife's suggestion to curse God and die (2:9). In spite of
all the agonizing questions which tore at his heart, Job maintained
his faith in God (13:15; 19:25). And maybe more importantly than
anything else, when God confronted Job about some of the wrong
things which Job had said (Job 38-41), Job immediately acknowledged
his ignorance and sin (42:1-6). Job is a man who has many questions,
who is hurting, has lost wealth, children, the confidence of his
wife and close friends, who humbly accepts a rebuke from the God
who has let this all happen to him! The good news is that even
though we might fail to react to suffering in a godly manner,
we can at any point during the trial acknowledge our sin and benefit
from the trial. If we have a bad day during a trial, if we blow
it---the case isn't hopeless, we can repent and handle the trial
as we should today!
"and have seen the outcome of the
Lord's dealings"-"that by which a thing is finished,
its close, issue, the closing experience that befell Job"
(Thayer p. 620). Remember, there is always a "outcome"
to any suffering there is "an end", even if that end
is death (Revelation 2:10).
"that the Lord is full of compassion
and is merciful"-"how full of tenderness and
pity the Lord is" (Wey). "Rich in compassion"
(Arndt p. 687). "'Tenderness' is a word which speaks of
compassion and sympathy. 'Mercy' just intensifies that and speaks
of an abundantly compassionate and sympathetic God" (Draper
p. 154). "Even though circumstances seemed exactly opposite
to this, Job's endurance enabled him to see that God's blessings
were abundant if one was willing to let God choose the time
and bestow them. Eventually God doubled Job's possessions ..
(Job
42:10-17)" (Kent p. 180). Once again, be impressed that
all of this agrees exactly with what we find recorded in the book
of Job. And note that God is very merciful with Job, even though
Job had slipped up! God is willing to bless us if we will only
repent. How often do we fail to receive God's blessings, how
often do we thwart God's purposes by turning to a hasty and sinful
course of behavior? We need to learn to have the patience that
is willing allow God to determine when the hardship will end or
let up.
5:12 "But above all, my brethren,
do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath;
but let your yes be yes, and your no, no; so that you may not
fall under judgment".
"But above all"-especially
(Robertson p. 63). James is not saying that the abusing of oaths
is worse than murder or adultery, but in light of the context,
"in all one's attempts to avoid expressing impatience toward
tormentors, he should first of all avoid swearing" (Kent
p. 181). "he is saying that the most common response of
the human heart to problems and difficulties is to say the wrong
thing" (Draper p. 154). Note****Suffering doesn't exempt
us from the need to control our speech. Unfortunately, some people
seem to think that harsh and sinful words spoken during the heat
of battle are excused or morally justified.
"do not swear"-"to
affirm, promise, threaten, with an oath" (Thayer p. 444).
Jesus emphasized the same truth (Matthew 5:34).
"either by heaven or by earth"-"Much
evidence exists that oathtaking was greatly abused at that time---not
only in the form of profanity, whereby God's name was employed
meaninglessly in flippant swearing, but also in the clever schemes
of the rabbis to explain some formulas are more binding than others"
(Kent pp. 181-182). "There was a distinction---especially
in the Jewish world---between oaths which were binding and oaths
which were not binding
..The result of this was that men
became experts in evasive swearing; and it became a matter of
skill and sharp practice to find an oath which was not binding"
(Barclay p. 149). (See Matthew 23:16-22).
Points To Note:
"or with any other oath"-that
is, another of the same sort. People swore by all sorts of things
besides heaven or earth.
"but let your yes be yes, and your
no, no"-Kent notes, "the point is clear that
the believer's word should always be trustworthy without the need
of an oath to make it believable. If reaction against accusers
causes one to implicate God in his defense and to demand that
God prove His support by some direct intervention that the swearer
decides upon, the speaker has gone too far" (pp. 183-184).
"Today it is hard to get people to say yes or no to anything.
They want to ride the fence. Many of us have a hard time making
a commitment. We say we have committed our lives to God, but
we don't act like it, we don't live like it" (Draper p. 155).
It is tempting to hedge what we say, to give ourselves a loophole
out of a commitment we have made. But our yes is to mean yes,
not perhaps or maybe.
"so that you may not fall under
judgment"-"come under condemnation" (Thayer
p. 510). 1. To make an oath or vow and then not to keep it is
another form of lying (Ecc. 5:2). 2. The careless and flippant
use of the name of God can also bring us under condemnation (Deut.
5:7-11). Once again we are reminded that we need to watch what
we say especially during stressful times. Being in pain and under
pressure is not an excuse to unbridle our tongue. God doesn't
allow us to say anything we want when we are suffering. Profanity,
taking the name of God in vain is still a sin when we are in the
midst of hardship.
Point To Note:
Seeing that God is very concerned about His name being attached
to various oaths, He certainly isn't pleased when we attach His
name to a cuss word or use His name in a careless and flippant
manner. We should cease from using the statements "O God"
or "God" as expressions of surprise or frustration.
The same is true for the name of Jesus. Woods reminds us that
such expressions as Gee Whiz, Gosh, Egad, Golly, Good Gracious,
My Goodness and Good Grief in times past were all mild forms of
simply saying 'God' or 'Jesus'.
5:13 "Is anyone among you suffering?
Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praises."
"Let him pray"-"one
should not frivolously swear in times of adversity, but he should
rather pray
.It is not suggested that the only kind of
praying is to request deliverance. It is also appropriate
to pray for strength to endure. Prayer in its highest sense of
communion with God and adoration of Him must recognize His hand
in all aspects of life" (Kent pp. 186-187). Present middle
imperative, 'let him keep on praying'-instead of cursing or calling
down a curse on his persecutors. In the context there is incentive
to pray, for God hears the prayers of righteous people who are
being oppressed (5:4). And in the end, God is really the only
one who can do anything about the situation. In addition, when
we pray, we are reminded that the person making our life miserable---also
has a soul. It is hard to keep on hating an enemy when you are
praying for him (Matthew 5:44).
"Is anyone cheerful"-"We
have a tendency to remember God when things are not going well
and a tendency to forget him when they are going well. Don't
do that" (Draper p. 157). "James, then wants God remembered
in all situations, good as well as bad. Turning to God in need
is half the truth; turning to him in praise either in the church
or alone when one is cheerful (whatever the situation) is the
other half. God is not just an errand boy to help human need,
but one who deserves worship and praise at all times (Phil. 4:4,6;
Eph. 5:20; 1 Thess. 5:16-18)" (Davids p. 192). Be impressed
that there is nothing wrong in being cheerful, Christianity wasn't
designed to be a gloomy lifestyle.
"Let him sing praises"-"Let
him keep on singing" (Robertson p. 64).
Point To Note:
Some have tried to argue that the Greek word rendered "sing
praises" means or can mean to sing to the accompaniment of
instruments. But in New Testament usage all the experts note
that the word meant "to sing a hymn, to celebrate the praises
of God in song" (Thayer p. 675); "to sing a hymn, sing
praise" (Vine p. 58); "sing praise" (Arndt p. 891).
Compare with Romans 15:9; 1 Corinthians 14:15; Eph. 5:19; James
5:13.
5:14 "Is anyone among you sick?
Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray
over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;"
"Is anyone among you sick?"-As you probably have guessed there are a number of questions in this section of Scripture. Is this a physical illness or a spiritual illness? While the word translated "sick" is usually used in reference to physical illness, the word translated "sick" in 5:15 is only used for a spiritual condition. The word in this verse literally means to be feeble, sick, weak or lack strength. Arndt says, "of bodily weakness, be sick" (p. 115).
The interpretation of spiritual sickness would allege that here
is an individual who may or may not have committed sins (5:15).
He might we discouraged or depressed, spiritually weak and calls
upon the elders of the church for assistance.
"Let him call for the elders of
the church"-Note the personal responsibility that
is stressed. "We are not to get sick and then complain that
no one cares and comes to see us. We are commanded to call the
elders and tell them we are sick. We as a people have a responsibility
to inform those who lead us of the needs we have" (Draper
p. 159). "The sick person is to take the initiative; others
do not do it for him" (Kent p. 188).
Points To Note:
"and let them pray over him"-that
is to pray on his behalf.
"anointing him with oil in the
name of the Lord"-Some view this as a figurative expression,
i.e. when the elders are praying for him they are figuratively
anointing him with oil. To me it seems that the statement is
literal, but let it be noted that this doesn't mean that there
are inherent miraculous healing properties in the oil being used.
This oil is administered by the elders and the healing under
consideration is linked with the prayer of faith and not the oil
itself (5:15). McGarvey notes, "The anointing of the sick
with oil was not expected to contribute to the cure; for, apart
from its inadequacy as a remedy, it could not, in the nature of
the case, contribute to a miraculous cure. This was the anointing
of a man who was about to be cured-----this was preparatory to
going forth once more into the enjoyments of life" (Matthew/Mark,
p. 301). See Mark 6:3. Or, in other words the anointing with
oil was to a way of saying, "Be prepared to get back to your
regular duties in life". Being anointed with oil in that
culture was comparable to a person in our culture who has been
sick taking a bath, shaving, or putting on makeup-it was a clear
indication that you would be getting better. Note that there
is nothing magical about the oil, for Jesus healed at times without
using any oil (Mark 7, John 9).
The Roman Catholic Church appeals to James 5:14 to support the
doctrine of "Extreme Unction". In this doctrine the
anointing is considered a sacrament conveying spiritual grace
(assuring pardon of unforgiven sins) to the sick in danger of
death. But as Kent notes, "Yet that was clearly not the
purpose in mind of James, who gave this procedure for restoration
of health, not in preparation for death. Not until the end of
the eighth century is there any record in the church of anointing
with oil to prepare for imminent death (except among a few Gnostic
sects)" (p. 189). Once again note the differences between
what James presents and the practice of extreme unction: 1.
Elders are called for-not priests. 2. Recovery is promised
(5:15), rather than impending death. 3. Forgiveness of sins
is not due to the oil, or the prayers of the elders per se. But
rather, the person who is sick is demonstrating an attitude of
wanting and needing help. 4. This person isn't in the last
stages of life, for they have called for the elders.
5:15 "and the prayer offered in
faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise
him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him."
"prayer offered in faith"-as
opposed to one marked by doubt (1:5-8).
"will restore the one who is sick"-"Restore"-to
make well, heal, restore to health. The word translated "restore"
is used in a spiritual sense in other passages (Matthew 1:21;
10:22; 18:11; Mark 16:16; Romans 10:13; James 5:20).
"the Lord will raise him up"-once
again, this isn't an action which is to be performed upon a person
just before they die. This individual will be raised up, i.e.
raised up to a healthy condition.
"if he has committed sins"-Carefully
note that the sickness under consideration isn't inherently the
result of ones own sin. See John 9:2-3. Roberts notes, "Sickness
will often make men who are sinful more conscious of their spiritual
condition. Illness has been the turning point of many lives"
(p. 219).
"they will be forgiven him"-Not
because the elders have power to forgive sin, but because the
person who is sick is humble and is asking for God's help (1 John
1:8-10).
Points To Note:
Be impressed with the balance in the Bible. Physical illness
can be the result of sin and then it is can completely unrelated
to sins in our own life. Notice that God says "if".
Which means that illness should be used as a time to seriously
reflect upon our own lives and our condition before God. God
reminds us that besides checking our own physical condition, look
well to your emotional and spiritual condition as well.