James 5 - Lessons for Rich Oppressors, Patience in Suffering, and Keeping the Letter of James AliveSýnishorn

Who Is James Warning?

Readers of modern media know full well, how to interpret the various genres found say, in our newspapers. We don’t need a guide to navigate through the editorial section, the letters to the editor, the cartoons, and so on. 

The Bible also has a variety of literary genres, and each has to be read slightly differently. There’s history, poetry, parable, epistle, hymn, apocalyptic and a style known as prophetic lament. Prophetic lament is where a biblical prophet publicly denounces an oppressor without any expectation that the bad guy will actually hear the denunciation. The words are intended for the oppressed not the oppressors, (e.g., Ezekiel 29:1-4, Luke 10:13-15). The prophetic lament is a vivid, rhetorical way of saying to the faithful, “Hang in there, help is on the way, God will soon overthrow the tyrant.” 

James 5:1-6 is a classic, prophetic lament. It is not designed as a warning to the rich oppressors within the church, (of which there were probably none). It is meant to be read as a comfort to the oppressed themselves, (of which there were probably quite a few). 

The crimes of the ‘rich’ are listed through verses 3-6. Not only have they hoarded wealth and lived in luxury and indulgence, they have done so at the expense of the poor by withholding wages from the field workers; people who literally lived on the previous day’s earnings. Injustice of this kind does not go unnoticed. The cries of the oppressed have reached heaven (verse 4), and so James advises the rich to prepare for the worst. And, as you can see from verses 2 and 5, the worst is pretty bad. James is reassuring the oppressed that God’s justice is on the way.

Compassion and Judgement

Judgement is the pledge of the loving God to oppressed humanity, that he hears their cry for justice and will one day bring his justice to bear on every act of tyranny. 

Judgement is very frequently proclaimed as a promise from the loving God to his wounded people that he will one day reverse their fortunes and bring justice to the world. The Day of Judgment is not a day to feel embarrassed about. It is God’s day of justice (and compassion).

We live in a world of unspeakable injustice. Every now and then we catch a glimpse of it as a sex-slave trader is caught profiting from the misery of teenage girls, or an African official is exposed for selling aid for weaponry. But these ‘glimpses’ are just that. Beneath the surface, every day, in every country, oppression and tyranny are rife, and that is why there is a Judgement Day. We thank God because we sincerely long for him to right the terrible known and unknown wrongs of the world. James teaches us to rejoice in the coming judgement precisely because on that day, the Lord’s compassion and mercy toward wounded humanity will be fully known.