Description
For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.
James 5:1-6
- Last time: In "Wannabe Rich Fools," James speaks of entrepreneurs who fail to take God into account. This time: of actual rich fools who fail to take God into account.
- A prophetic woe!
Their corrupt wealth will "testify" against them. That is, their unjust actions demand a verdict. - The rich are hoarding grain, garments, gold.
- Last Days = time from Pentecost on, the last phase of human history before the second coming of the Lord.
- There was noalready in.
- It was not a promising system for the little guy! He loses out. The innocent poor not only didn’t oppose the fat cats; they couldn’t.
- Possible legal overtones: using the courts to their advantage. Who gets the better lawyer? Who’s better connected?
- Murder, too.
- Zealots
- Emulated Phinehas and Elijah
- Along with the Pharisees, the Zealots were the radicals.
- More on this in reflection 31 (next talk)
- And some Christians, directly or indirectly
- Luxury = a standard that applies to most of us hearing this talk. Ours is unbelievably higher than that of the medieval kings and queens of Europe.
- Rich people: Slaughter – the fat cats will be slaughtered!
- Luke 16:19-31
- James doesn’t automatically condemn all rich Christians (ch 1). But these rich persons stand condemned.
Next: "The Judge at the Door"
- excuse not to pay wages, as the harvest was