Verse 4-6: Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.
In the first three verses of this chapter, James has established the sad truth of how earthly riches which have no eternal value are considered a treasure and accumulated by the wealthy. Now he reveals how they exploit others and squander their riches.
First, they withhold the pay of those who labor for them in their fields. This is a direct violation of the God’s directives:
“You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of a hired man are not to remain with you all night until morning.” (Leviticus 19:13)
“You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your countrymen or one of your aliens who is in your land in your towns. You shall give him his wages on his day before the sun sets, for he is poor and sets his heart on it; so that he will not cry against you to the Lord and it become sin in you.” (Deuteronomy 24:14–15)
Note the personification of money that James uses: “the pay (wages) withheld cries out.” This is a common literary device found throughout Scripture: e.g. “blood is crying” (Genesis 4:10); “the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40). It is obvious that money has no vocal cords, so what James is pointing out is that the withholding of rightfully earned wages is a declaration of the criminal misconduct of these wealthy individuals. This is an inarticulate cry, but it is loud and clear for all within the community to witness this illegal and heartless activity.
Those who have been cheated of their wages their outcry for vengeance has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth—the Lord of Hosts. This term Lord of Hosts is an Old Testament title and one which James’ readers would be familiar with (cf. Isaiah 1:9; 2:12; 6:3). Dr. Ryrie explains its military inference:
[It is] referring to God as the One who commands the angelic armies of heaven (1 Kings 22:19; Luke 2:13; Revelation 19:14) and the armies of Israel (1 Samuel 17:45). The term emphasizes the sovereignty and omnipotence of God1
For the Lord sees and hears the injustices upon His people. We should rest upon the truth that He will exact vengeance and justice (Hebrews 10:30). And for those who are the perpetrators let them beware that “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).
Secondly, they have lived luxuriously or in modern phraseology: they lived in the lap of luxury. The Greek word has the connotation of softness which in turn means they have a soft life. Note that James adds that this all takes place “on the earth”, emphasizing how they have stored their treasures mainly for this lifetime. In addition to their soft life, they are leading lives of wanton pleasure—total self-indulgence in food, wine, sex, etc.—all of the details of life. They have fattened (nourished and pampered) their hearts, the very core of their being, with worldly pleasures. Robertson sarcastically depicts their life of luxury:
They are fattening themselves like sheep or oxen all unconscious of “the day of slaughter.”2
“The day of slaughter” is an allusion to the “day of judgment” and the soon coming of Christ mentioned in 5:8 (cf. Jeremiah 12:3; 25:34). Meanwhile, they have blinded themselves with their self-serving lifestyle, instead of serving God. If these are wealthy believers, they will incur divine discipline. If they are unbelievers, their doom parallels the fate of those prior to God’s judgments of the Flood and of Sodom (Luke 17:26-30). Earth’s inhabitants at that time were simply going about their daily activities in total disregard to God.
Thirdly, they have condemned and put to death3 the righteous man, which means they have pronounced judgement and murdered the righteous. For them to be judge, jury and executioner they must be in control of the legal system. James does not elaborate upon what basis they judge, but one who is self-indulgent probably does so purely on impulse—whatever is of the utmost benefit to them.
Who is this “righteous man” (literally, the righteous)? The Greek construction does not indicate a specific individual, but rather “the selection of a representative or normal individual”4 with emphasis placed on the quality of the individual. Jesus Christ is our supreme example of One Who is righteous. This was attested to by Stephen, before the high priest, using the same phrase, the same Greek construction, prior to his stoning:
“Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become.” (Acts 7:52)
The righteous man is representative of the person who obeys God and conforms to His standards. Unlike the abusive rich, the righteous man observe His foremost commands:
“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30–31)
The last note James makes is “he does not resist you.” This has troubled many commentators, but it is really quite simple. If the wealthy eliminate (murder) those who are righteous, then they will no longer have any resistance and no Godly example to agitate their guilt complex.
1 Ryrie, C. C. (1995). Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update (Expanded ed.). Chicago: Moody Press, p. 424, 1 Samuel 1:3 note .
2 Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament. Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, James 5:5.
3 For some unknown reason “put to death” has been inserted by the translators when the Greek word has been consistently translated murder throughout James’ epistle (2:11; 4:2) and elsewhere in the New Testament.
4 Dana, H.E. and Mantey Julius R., (1957). A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament. Toronto, Ontario: The Macmillan Company, p. 144.
© 2023 David M. Rossi
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