1 Come now, you rich people, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver have corroded, and their corrosion will [a]serve as a testimony against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!

4 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 [b]of armies. 5 You have [c]lived for pleasure on the earth and lived luxuriously; you have [d]fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and [e]put to death the righteous person; he offers you no resistance.

James 5:1-6 (NLT) 中文 

Reproving the Rich

James seems to suddenly switch topics (again) and go after the rich. Not only have these rich people been sinfully hoarding money, they have been wickedly withholding what is due to their workers. They have even killed (or been responsible for the death of) righteous people. We certainly hope these would not be rich followers of Christ who would be acting this way but it’s possible. Consider the rich you know today who also identify as believers. We are not to judge, but we can be wise to see behaviors and avoid them.

Consider these questions

If you struggle in this area, consider these questions:

• Who’s the owner? Who is the owner of our wealth anyway? Are we owners or just stewards? Do we believe a lie that, “I worked hard for this money, it’s mine and mine to spend however I want”? Who gave you the ability to earn that money, even the breath in your lungs. As a believer, we know that our very life and eternal life is from God.
• How much is enough? Saving money is not condemned in the Bible. In fact, it is encouraged. Consider the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14–30) where Jesus indirectly promotes savings. We save for “a rainy day” out of wisdom and protection. But when does it replace faith in God? Or, we save for an expensive purchase – but is that a wise way to use God’s money? The answer to “When is enough?”, is a spiritual one – a response to the leading of the Spirit as we walk by the Spirit and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. (Gal 5:16).
• What riches really matter? Jesus tells us point blank to, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21) See also Luke 18:22, Luke 16:19-31)
• Can we trust God? Do we know Him well enough to trust Him to provide for all our needs?

RЯeflection

• Consider how to respond to this salient quote from Constable Commentary: “Hoarding wealth is a particularly serious sin for Christians, since we are living in the last days, the days immediately preceding the Lord’s return (cf. Luke 12:20-21). We should be using our money to get the Lord’s work done, not to enable us to live lives of selfishness and laziness (cf. Matt. 6:19-24).” 
• This table may be helpful in assessing our attitudes toward riches.