James 5:1-6
Scripture
1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.
Devotion
James opens the fifth chapter of his letter with the same abrupt phrase he used a few verses earlier, “Come now,” and this time he turns it toward the rich with a warning so severe that it can feel out of place in a letter we usually associate with practical wisdom for everyday Christian living. He calls them to weep and howl over the miseries coming upon them, and he describes their riches as rotted, their garments as moth-eaten, and their gold and silver as corroded.
Readers who know the Old Testament prophets will recognize the tone right away, because James sounds here like Amos or Isaiah, using the vivid and urgent language the prophets used when they confronted injustice in Israel. The people he addresses had gathered wealth by holding back the wages of the laborers who mowed their fields, and they had spent it on luxury and self-indulgence while the cries of those workers rose to the ears of the Lord of hosts. Whether these wealthy landowners belonged to the church or stood outside it, James wanted the believers reading his letter to hear the warning clearly and to examine their own hearts in light of it.
This week, we will walk through this passage together using the HEAR method: Highlight, Explain, Apply, and Respond. Along the way we will read Amos 8:1-10, where an Old Testament prophet confronts merchants who cheated the poor, and 1 Timothy 6:6-16, where Paul teaches Timothy the contentment and godliness that free a believer from the love of money. By the time Sunday arrives, you will have spent a full week meditating on what God says about wealth, justice, and the condition of our hearts.
Today, simply read the passage slowly, and read it aloud if you are able. Because these verses are hard, you may feel tempted to hurry past them or to assume they were written for someone else, so take a moment to sit with them and ask the Holy Spirit what He wants you to see. Write down whatever He highlights for you, even if it is a phrase that makes you uncomfortable.
HEAR About It
Highlight
Write down the verse, phrase, or word the Holy Spirit highlighted for you. Why did it stand out? What might God be saying to you through it?
Prayer and Reflection
Take a few minutes to sit quietly and reflect on the passage you read today. Let the Holy Spirit bring to mind what stood out to you and why. Then spend some time in prayer. Pray for the people around you, for your outlook on this day, and for the needs you are carrying in your own life.
Lord, as I read these hard words from James, keep me from rushing past them or assuming they belong to someone else. Open my eyes to see what You want me to see in this passage, and give me a heart that is willing to hear whatever You are saying to me this week. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
