Bible Commentaries
James 5

Verses 1-3

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. James 5:1

The first words of chapter five begin with "Now listen" or "Come now" (NKJ) in speaking to the rich. Although there may have been a few rich people in the otherwise poor congregations (1:10), it seems that most of the "rich people" (Gk. plousioi) censured here were probably not Christians. James does not appear to be too positively inclined toward them, as we have seen earlier in 1:9-11 and 2:6-7.^(F1)

It appears that both James and his brother Jesus had some problems with rich people. Jesus said in Luke 6:24-25 - "But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep." On another occasion Jesus said of a certain rich young ruler, "…How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" (Luke 18:24-25).

A similar attitude is expressed throughout the New Testament. In 1 Timothy 6:9 Paul says, "Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction."

Interestingly, the word wail (Gk. ololyzo) used here in verse 1 is onomatopoeic, in that it sounds like the word it describes.^(F2) It is really more intensive than "wail" and has more of the meaning "to shriek" or even "to howl."

Although the rich may have many comforts in the present world, they will experience much misery in the coming world. The rich here are clearly wealthy landowners. Moo says that "First century Palestine [sic], before AD 70, witnessed an increasing concentration of land in the hands of a small group of very wealthy landowners."^(F3) These rich landowners commonly oppressed the poor workers. This had been a pattern even as far back as the days of Israel's prophets (cf. Amos 2:6-7). In fact, James sounds much like one of those prophets as he condemns the oppressors.^(F4)

Jesus once told the story of a very rich man who lived in luxury and a poor man who apparently fed on the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table. However, when both died the tables were turned and the rich man was in torment in Hades while Lazarus, the poor man, rested comfortably in Father Abraham's bosom. The rich man begged that Lazarus might be sent with a few drops of water to cool his parching tongue but such a thing was not permitted (Luke 16:19-26). The Bible is clear that rich oppressors will suffer great misery in the world to come.

It is not that James, or Jesus, are condemning riches per se. Another Lazarus who lived in Bethany and who was a good friend of Jesus was apparently quite wealthy. He used his wealth to entertain Jesus and his disciples and his wealth became a blessing and not a liability. Paul in 1 Timothy 6:10 says, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil…." It is the love of money that brings wrath. However, a person can also fall under condemnation for improper and fraudulent acquisition of wealth as we will see inverse 4.

"Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes" (5:2). A popular comedian once said, "If money talks…all it ever says to me is goodbye!"^(F5) Even great treasures hidden for long periods can become corrupted and useless. The clothing becomes moth-eaten. On one of our first trips to Israel my wife and I bought a lovely knitted woolen wall hanging. Some weeks after we had returned home and placed the item on our wall we noticed that we often had to sweep under it. Finally we realized that our treasure was eaten by moth larvae and was disintegrating. In the end we had to throw what was left of it into the trash.

We realize that in biblical times clothing represented wealth. Achan brought great trouble to Israel when he lusted for a beautiful garment from Babylon (Joshua 7:21). Samson, that mighty man, offered clothing to those who could solve his riddle (Judges 14:12). Naaman the Syrian commander and leper offered gifts of clothing to the prophet Elisha. Although the prophet refused the gifts, his servant Gehazi secretly followed Naaman and received the gift of silver and clothing for himself. This deceitful act resulted in Gehazi being stricken with leprosy (2 Kings 5:21-27). Paul, in Acts 20:33, displayed great wisdom when he declared that he had never coveted money or clothing from those to whom he ministered.^(F6)

In Matthew 6:19-21Jesus warns us, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Now James even warns his hearers that the greatest and most sought-after of earth's treasures will not last. He says, "Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days" (5:3). The word James uses for corroded or cankered is katiwtai, and this Greek word appears only here in the New Testament. It seems to have the meaning of rusting, being corroded or oxidized.^(F7)

We are aware that gold in its pure state of 24 karats does not rust or oxidize. However, when gold is mixed with additives in making jewelry it can become tarnished. There is also an account of some gold coins issued by the Central Russian Bank that were supposedly 999 percent pure and yet they began to oxidize when they contacted moisture.^(F8)

Regarding silver items many of us know that silver can become tarnished. Some of us have no doubt had the unpleasant task of polishing the corroded silver when we are about to serve distinguished guests in our homes. Unpolished silver looks almost disgusting.

James points out that in the last days such treasures will become a liability. Indeed this very thing happened to the residents of Jerusalem as the city was about to fall to the Romans in 70 AD. Robbers inside Jerusalem violently broke into homes and seized treasures of gold and silver as well as stores of food. The possessors of these things were often violently killed trying to defend such treasures.^(F9) Finally, even the surviving treasures of the temple were looted and burned.

How true the words of James that treasures heaped up for the last days will eat like fire and become a liability to the owners. Isaiah speaks of the rich casting their treasures of gold and silver to the rodents and bats in the last days (Isaiah 2:20). The prophet Ezekiel adds more to this scenario saying "They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be treated as a thing unclean. Their silver and gold will not be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD's wrath. It will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs, for it has caused them to stumble into sin" (Ezekiel 7:19).

Verses 4-6

STOLEN WAGES

Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. James 5:4

In this highly organized and mechanized age of ours we can scarcely imagine the hardships faced by day-laborers in Bible times. As Davids says, "These laborers lived a hand-to-mouth existence. Today's wage bought tomorrow's breakfast. When the wage was not paid at the end of the day, the whole family went hungry."^(F10)

Because our God is a compassionate God he gave many commands regarding the laboring person. In Deuteronomy 24:14-15 it is commanded, "Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns. Pay them their wages each day before sunset, because they are poor and are counting on it. Otherwise they may cry to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin" (cf. Leviticus 19:13; Proverbs 3:27-28; Jeremiah 22:13; Malachi 3:5).

As Barclay says, "The Bible is nothing less than the charter of the laboring man."^(F11) We see in the Bible how Job that righteous sufferer had not failed to pay his day-laborers on time. He says, "If I have denied justice to any of my servants, whether male or female, when they had a grievance against me, what will I do when God confronts me? What will I answer when called to account" (Job 31:13-14).

In ancient times life was extremely difficult for the laboring man as we see from other passages in Job (cf. Job 7:1-2; 24:10). In those days people had no credit cards with which they could buy groceries in the evening. Everything depended upon the honesty and integrity of the landlord. When he failed to pay on time the pitiful cries of the working person went up to God. The Greek words here are kuriou tsebaoth (Lord of Hosts, or Lord of the armies of heaven). God is Commander in Chief of these armies and is certainly able to avenge himself upon the powerful and greedy landlord.

"You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter" (5:5). The Greek word for living in luxury is truphein, and it describes a soft living style that results in breaking a person down and sapping a person's moral fiber.^(F12) The people of Sodom once lived this way. It is said of them in Ezekiel 16:49, "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom - She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy."

The people in James' day were like animals being fattened for slaughter. Obviously, the day of slaughter was a reference to the Day of the Lord often spoken of by the prophets (cf. Jeremiah 46:10; 50:26-27; Ezekiel 39:17; Revelation 19:17). Today in the US we might wonder if God is preparing a slaughter for us, since some sixty percent of Americans are now overweight. It is common in the plains areas of the US to see (and smell) feeding lots each with hundreds of head of cattle being fattened for the markets. These animals are allowed to eat to their hearts content not knowing that their gluttony will soon end in slaughter and disaster.

"You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you" (5:6). Sometimes we do not realize how easy it is to destroy another person. For the laboring man it may have been as simple as not paying him on time. This may not only have caused hunger but it could have initiated a downward spiral in the family that may have ultimately resulted in the unnecessary death of a family member through malnourishment.

We need some prophets today in the US who will be unafraid to cry out concerning the oppression that is common in our nation. Our minimum wage is often not sufficient to sustain normal life. Some company managers in these times have scaled back basic benefits to the subsistence level. Companies have also abused junior management employees by placing them on salary and thus they avoid paying them for the many extra working hours of overtime. A large and popular merchandiser where our son once worked deliberately held back the salaries of some young people who came in and assembled bicycles because they wanted to end up the week with a certain desirable labor outlay.

What can the day-laborer do? That person has no means to go to court for protection. The poor man must simply bear the injustice. However, the oppressors often forget that a merciful but angry God is watching. Their day of judgment is soon to come.

Coffman sees in these six verses a prophecy relating to the impending overthrow and destruction of the oppressive Sadduceean temple overlords in Jerusalem. They were notorious oppressors of the poor and at last used their position of power to murder the very Son of God.^(F13) Some scholars think that the Greek words ton dikaion (the innocent or righteous) are an actual reference to the Lord himself.^(F14) The wicked reign of the Sadducees was brought to an abrupt and terrible end with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Romans in AD 70.

"This passage (James 5:1-6) deserves to rank alongside the greatest passages of the Bible for its tremendous social implications. …The Bible, like an unfailing arsenal, has supplied the ammunition for the age-long struggle for liberty."^(F15)

Verses 7-9

HAVING PATIENCE IN SUFFERING

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. James 5:7

Being patient was the counsel James gave us at the beginning of the letter (1:1-5) and now as he starts to end his letter he gives us the same counsel again.^(F16) The Greek verb makrothymeo used here often has the meaning of long suffering or patience with people. However, when it is used in the prophetic sense it conveys a similar meaning as the word huponone, which means patience in suffering or an expectant waiting.^(F17)

Clearly the patience has to do with the Lord's return. All the difficulties of earth should not cause us to take our eyes off the blessed event of his coming. Indeed, we should watch for it as the farmer watches over his crop. We should long for revival in our lives and in our world just as the farmer waits for the autumn and spring rains.

In Israel the early rains begin in September or October, usually, during the Festival of Tabernacles which happens at this time. During this festival Israelis pray hard for the rains. They may be fortunate enough to have a light shower during Tabernacles. After that the rains may continue spasmodically. However, the heavy rains usually do not begin until December and they may continue through January or even into early February. The latter and smaller rains can come through April or perhaps into May. After that, there is scarcely a drop of rain falling in Israel until September or October. To receive any rain in the early summer is considered a miracle (1 Samuel 12:16-18).^(F18)

Obviously, the early rains soften the ground for the planting of crops, especially wheat and barley. The latter rains would help bring about the maturing of these crops during the late spring at the time of Pentecost. God promised Israel in Deuteronomy 11:14, "then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil" (cf. Job 29:23; Jeremiah 5:24; Zechariah 10:1).

As a farm boy I can well remember waiting and hoping for the rains that would bring our crops of soybeans and cotton to maturity. Frequently it seemed that we did not get enough rain at the right times and the crops would wither, cutting their production. Sometimes in the swampy area where we lived there was too much rain and our crops were flooded. The Israelis today seldom have such a problem due to their great lack of water.

"You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near" (5:8). This whole section reflects the Day of the Lord, the gathering of the harvest and the judgment of God. When this epistle was written there was just a very short number of years until the Romans would conquer the land and destroy Jerusalem (AD 66-73). This was most surely a "Day of the Lord" that came as an awful sign upon Israel. Although the Christian population escaped to Pella in today's Jordan, hundreds of thousands of Jewish people were slaughtered with Jerusalem and the temple being totally destroyed. Jesus spoke of this coming disaster in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. It seems in these passages he weaves the Day of the Lord that came upon Israel with the final Day of the Lord when the whole world will be affected.^(F19)

Prophecy in its fulfillment often reminds me of the mountains of Colorado. When approaching the Rocky Mountains from the eastern plains it seems that they are but one tall snow-capped ridge. However, as one gets closer it is possible to see that the ridge is made up of many smaller and closer mountains with large valleys in between. Jesus was in a sense looking far into the future at the highest ridge which marks the end of our age, but he was also seeing the more immediate fulfillment of the Day of the Lord in AD 70.

"Don't grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!" (5:9). The Greek word for grumble (stenazete) can also mean to grudge, sigh or groan.^(F20) The Bible assures us that in the last days the pressures and troubles will be almost unbearable. It is likely in such times of great stress to complain and murmur as did the Hebrew children when they ran out of water (Exodus 17:1-2). They even murmured against the great leader Moses. Pressures cause us to lose patience with each other, to sigh, to groan and to complain. Otherwise loving Christians can lose their love in such times and begin to hold grudges.^(F21)

James gives us the key to surviving the pressures of the last day. We are to keep our minds focused on the coming of Jesus. When we see such times come upon us we can know that the Judge is standing at our door (cf. Revelation 3:20; Mark 13:29). We should be ever on the watch (1 Peter 4:7; 2 Peter 3:10-12).

Verses 10-11

EXAMPLES OF PATIENCE

Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. James 5:10

The prophets are great pictures of patience. They all endured a lot for the sake of God's truth. In Elijah's day, Obadiah hid a hundred prophets in caves to save them from evil Queen Jezebel (1 Kings 18:1-4). Zechariah the son of Jehoiada was stoned to death by the order of the king and in the very temple compound (2 Chronicals 24:20-21). According to Rabbinic sources the prophet Isaiah was sawn in two by King Manasseh because he prophesied the destruction of the temple.^(F22) The prophet Uriah was struck down by the sword under King Jehoiakim because he prophesied against the land and the city of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 26:23). We remember the "weeping prophet" Jeremiah. He was put in stocks (Jeremiah 20:2), imprisoned (Jeremiah 32:2) and at last placed into a miry dungeon (Jeremiah 37:16). Jeremiah had to experience all the horrors of Jerusalem's capture by the Babylonians. At last, John the Baptist was put in prison and later beheaded by King Herod (Matthew 14:10).

"As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy" (5:11). We do not know if Job is being listed as a prophet or as just an example of perseverance. It seems that he certainly uttered words of prophecy saying in Job 19:25-26, "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God…." We see also in Job 42:7, that Job's words were approved by God himself.

There is a common saying among Christians and it seems correct, that without a test there can be no testimony. In other words, if there is nothing to endure, we cannot learn endurance. Job both endured and learned endurance. He comes down to us as a sterling example of endurance or perseverance.

Wiersbe assures us that when we find ourselves in the fire, we need to remember that it is a gracious God who keeps his hand on the thermostat.^(F23) Job continued to hold on to God through great affliction. At last he was willing to say, "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him…" (Job 13:15).

Verse 12

A FINAL WARNING ABOUT THE TONGUE

Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear – not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple "Yes" or "No." Otherwise you will be condemned. James 5:12

For those living under the Old Covenant it was permitted to take oaths (Genesis 21:31; 24:8; Numbers 30:2). However, under the New Covenant all oaths are forbidden (Matthew 5:33-37). There is a very simple logic in this. If our "yes" and "no" cannot be trusted, there would be no use for us to swear by the temple or by God himself. "In an honest society no oath is needed."^(F24)

It appears that the Jews made a distinction in their oaths. If an oath did not include the name of God it was considered as non-binding.^(F25) It seems that James is particularly focused on ending this kind of deception. "James lends a priority to this particular point of behavior by his introductory above all. …The introductory words above all indicate that James has in mind a meaning larger than honesty in everyday speech."^(F26)

Now the question is bound to arise as to whether or not Christians can take an oath – in court for instance. Some in the Anabaptist tradition refuse to take oaths today, even those in the courtroom. Moo remarks that it is questionable as to whether or not Jesus or James ever intended to deal with the subject of official oaths. Rather, he feels that the Bible has in mind here the matter of voluntary oaths. It appears that Paul sometimes uses oaths (2 Corinthians 1:23; Gal 1:20; 1 Thessalonians 2:5).^(F27) However, he may only be calling God as a witness on his behalf.

Verses 13-15

PRAYING IN FAITH

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. James 5:13

Christians have a wonderful and ever-present resource. They can pray and be heard by the God of the universe. They can especially pray in times of trouble. In fact, the believer is instructed to pray at all times (Psalm 34:1-3; Ephesians 6:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:17). Throughout this epistle James has dealt with the tongue and, as we have said, prayer addressed to God is no doubt the highest usage of the human tongue. Barnes says, "This would be a sad world indeed, if it were not for the privilege of prayer."^(F28)

Not only can we pray but we can also sing songs. From the outset, Christians were a singing group of people. We have one historical reference to this fact noted in a letter sent in AD 111 to the emperor Trajan by Pliny governor of Bithynia. Pliny says of the Christians, "they are in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it is light, when they sing in alternate verses a hymn to Christ as God."^(F29)

Interestingly, the word "to sing" (Gk. psallein) is a word that has reference to plucking the strings on a harp. In the Septuagint Greek version of the Old Testament this word often refers to singing that is accompanied by the harp (1 Samuel 16:16-23; Psalm 33:2,3; 98:4-5; 147:7; 149:3). It can also refer to singing without accompaniment as seen in Psalm 7:17; 9:2,11).^{cf. 1 Corinthians 14:15); indeed, it can be regarded as a form of prayer. (Moo p. 181).">(F30)} While there are some groups of Christians who do not believe in singing with instruments, the Bible seems to fully dispute such an idea. In fact, in Psalm 150, we see all kinds of instruments used in praising God – trumpets, harps, tambourines, strings, flutes and cymbals.

In Ephesians 5:19, Paul instructs us to "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord…(cf. Colossians 3:16)." The scripture makes plain that songs are not just limited to times when we are happy. On one occasion at midnight in a forlorn Philippian jail, Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns to God (Acts 16:25). They were then miraculously delivered by the mighty hand of God amid the great wonder of the prisoners and the prison warden.

"Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord" (5:14). This verse has elicited a voluminous response from the commentators. It is a puzzling verse for sure, especially to people in our modern and postmodern times. It was probably not puzzling at all to people in the first century however. Olive oil was abundant in Israel and days before Crisco, canola oil and the wide assortment of other oils available in our households, it was the oil of choice. It was not only used in cooking and for a thousand other things but it was used as a medicine.

Olive oil for medicinal purposes was mentioned by many ancients such as Plato, Galen, Pliny, Philo and Josephus.^(F31) Olive oil was and still is a great mollifier of the skin. I have used it at times to soften my aging skin. It is really interesting that James uses an ancient medicine in conjunction with prayer as a means of healing. This seems to imply that various other means of healing plus prayer may be used.

In Bible times olive oil was often used as a spiritual anointing. Here in this verse this symbol of anointing is used in prayer for the sick. What can we make of all this? We know for sure that the olive oil by itself was not the cure mentioned here. In the New Testament particularly we see many symbolic things used in connection with healing. Jesus on several occasions used such symbols. In Mark 8:23-26, Jesus spit on the eyes of a blind man and then touched him. The man was healed. On another occasion he put his fingers in a deaf and dumb man's ears. Then he placed his spittle on his tongue. The man was healed.^(F32) We no doubt remember another instance where Jesus commanded a person who was blind from birth to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. He issued this command after first spitting on mud and rubbing it upon the eyes of the blind man. Upon washing in the Pool of Siloam the man was healed. (John 9:6-7).

Healing is a mysterious thing. It is really the work of God. It is reported that over the main entrance to the Presbyterian Medical Center in Manhattan, New York, these words are engraved, "All healing is of God; physicians only bind up the wounds."^(F33) If God does not choose to work in the healing process the work of earth's greatest doctors is in vain. But God can work in many ways to bring healing.

Sometimes it is not God's will to bring healing when we ask. God may have other plans as he did in the cases of Job and Paul. Jesus knew the will of the Father and always worked according to his will. Everyone Jesus healed was fully healed and there were no exceptions. However, even the disciples were once baffled because they could not heal a young boy. Jesus had to come and do it for them (Matthew 17:16-18).

However, despite what many people have said, miraculous healings continue today and they continued on in the church far past the first century. The famous apologist Justin Martyr spoke of people receiving gifts of healing around AD 160.^(F34) The church father Irenaeus (around 180) also spoke of miraculous healings and even the raising of the dead.^(F35) The African father Tertullian (about 197) wrote of performing miraculous cures.^(F36) The influential father Origen (around 248) mentioned performing many cures.^(F37) We know from other sources that miraculous healings were witnessed in the church as late as the times of Ambrose (339-397) and Augustine (354-430).^(F38)

It is interesting that in the time of Tertullian even the Roman Emperor Alexander Severus (222-235) was healed through anointing and by the laying on of Christian hands. The servant of God in this case was a certain Torpacion. It is said that in gratitude the Emperor kept this Christian as a guest in his palace until the day of his death.^(F39)

Regarding the anointing to heal, it is sad that the Roman Catholic Church misinterpreted this passage completely. In the sixteenth century Council of Trent the church approved the doctrine of extreme unction. With this doctrine the Roman church decreed that priests only would have the right to perform this ceremony.^(F40) What is especially tragic is that extreme unction became an anointing for death and not one of healing and life.

We are blessed today that God still heals people. He can heal through the elders of the church if they but believe. He can heal through special gifts of healing which he has placed in the church (1 Corinthians 12:28-30). Or, he can just heal through the prayer of any believing person. Since there are so many sick people in today's church it is a shame that we do not pray more for the sick and help them get the healing they need.

"And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven" (5:15). "James 5:14-16 is the only passage in the New Testament epistles that directly addresses the question of physical healing…James' language makes it impossible to eliminate the physical dimension."^(F41) God promises physical healing when it is according to his will and when it is asked in faith. We see a second bonus here and that is the forgiveness of the sick person's sins. This does not mean that all sickness is caused by sin (John 9:2-3). We can never look at a sick person and say that the person has sinned. Neither can we look at a sick person and deem that they do not have enough faith to be healed.

However the Bible is clear that some sickness is caused by sin. Many in the Corinthian church were sick and some had even died all because of their sin (1 Corinthians 11:30). They needed healing and the forgiveness of sins. We still need healing and forgiveness today.

I remember an event of miraculous healing in my early ministry. At the time our denomination did not really believe in miraculous healing. However, one of the deacons in our small church came down with thyroid cancer. After exploratory surgery the doctors decided his situation was hopeless and gave him only a few months to live. To make matters worse, his wife, a dear spiritual woman, was confined to a wheelchair. She was able to care for their three small children but she was totally dependent upon her husband to lift her and transport her.

Our little church was stricken with sorrow and concern for this family and many prayers went up for them. We received word that many other people far and near had heard and were praying for this desperate situation also. On the coming Sunday after hearing this awful news we announced a prayer meeting for this deacon in the afternoon. We didn't know much about healing but the small group that assembled to pray knew that we had to have a miracle. We first confessed any sin that we had against each other and then one by one, as faith rose within us, we laid hands on this brother and prayed for him.

The next day this deacon went back to the doctor. Upon examining him the doctor exclaimed, "What has happened?" The cancer, which covered his throat and even reached into his head and lungs, had begun to shrink. The shrinking continued and after a few weeks this brother was cancer free. He lived on in full health until his children were grown and married and until his precious wife had passed on to glory. He died in old age with many blessings, seeing his children and his children's children.

Verse 16

THE POWER OF CONFESSION

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16

We have probably all heard the old adage, "confession is good for the soul." In reality, confession is good not only for our souls, but it is also good for the souls of those who hear us. Confession has a way of strengthening our spiritual lives. It not only gives us confidence and encouragement, but it gives these things to our listeners as well.

Confession is likely one of the strongest offensive weapons in our spiritual arsenal. This is probably why the devil makes our confession one of the main targets of his attack. Truly, the enemy desires to steal it away. When we speak of confession today, its meaning is a bit clouded by misuse and misunderstanding in the church. We surely need to gain a biblical understanding of this concept. We also need to realize that there are two types of confession mentioned in the Bible, the confession of sins and the confession of Jesus as our Lord. Here we are dealing only with the first kind of confession.

We need to realize that the confession mentioned in this passage has nothing to do with the auricular confession found in Roman Catholicism.^(F42) In Catholic confession the person confesses his or her sins in the hearing of a priest. In this passage we see that we are to confess one to another. There is no mention of a priest being present.

History bears witness to the fact that during the mighty revivals like The Great Awakening in early America or the revival in Wales, there was much public confession of sin. Confession was actually the norm and people were desperate to get things right with God.^(F43) In some of the more recent outbreaks of revival on college campuses there were long lines of young people waiting to confess their sins publicly. Although this is rare today it was not so rare in past great revivals or in Bible times. We see for instance in Nehemiah's day that people stood for hours confessing their sins publicly (Nehemiah 9:2-3).

Norman Grubb in his little classic entitled Continuous Revival, points out the importance of public confession of sin. He cites it as one very important element in keeping revival fires burning year after year. This was the case with his experience in East Central Africa around the middle of the twentieth century. He points out how the natives became quick to confess even their smallest sins to each other. The value of such quick confession is that the evil seed of sin is not allowed time to take root and grow. Also, it is obviously much better to confess the sin of a lustful thought than to confess the sin of adultery much later. What a healthy practice, to confess our sins to each other. Husbands and wives should certainly get into this practice. Prayer groups and even fellowships would also profit greatly from doing this. It would liberate us and deliver us from much plastic "churchianity".

The scripture is clear that we must confess our sins. The confession and repentance of our sins is one of the very first steps into the kingdom of God. The Lord gives us a wonderful promise in regard to confession of sin. The promise is found in 1 John 1:9 and it would bear memorizing, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." In the next verse John warns us that if we say we have no sins we are liars. When we try to hide our sins we become hypocrites -our bones waste away and our strength is sapped, as was the case with David in Psalm 32:1-5. When David acknowledged his awful sin, he could then call himself "blessed" because his sin was forgiven.

In a similar sense, the Bible assures us that if we cover over our sins we will not prosper (Proverbs 28:13). When we bury sin it sprouts and produces more sin. It is only when we confess and forsake sin that we obtain mercy.

It must be a devastating thing for the kingdom of darkness when people begin to confess. Satan's kingdom is built upon deception, lies, hypocrisy and concealment. When people confess publicly, they shatter the darkness with the light of truth. They begin to walk in the light and this makes true fellowship with one another possible. The Greek word used in this passage is a form of "homologia." The word means literally to "say the same thing."^(F44) When we confess our sins we say the same thing that God is saying about us. We affirm that his testimony about us is true, for the Bible says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…." (Romans 3:23).

Not only are we to confess to each other but we are to pray for each other. We are to especially confess and pray when there is sickness that needs healing. Barclay says that "Christian truth is something which must be done."^(F45) We cannot just teach it nor can we merely sit around and philosophize about it. We must get busy and do it. "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." Neither should we balk at the word righteous, since God has declared all believers righteous through the sacrifice of Jesus.

The New King James Version translates the last part of verse 16 in this way, "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." Barnes remarks regarding the words powerful and effective (NIV) and avails (NKJ) that this Greek word is energoumenh and would be rendered better by the word "energetic" since it is derived from this word.^(F46) He goes on to repeat an old adage saying that "prayer moves the arm that moves the world."

Verses 17-20

CONCLUDING EXORTATIONS

Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. James 5:17-18

Peter Davids remarks of Elijah that he "does not stride across the stage of history ten feet tall but as an ordinary man with an extraordinary God."^(F47) Elijah did some outstanding feats but he also had some failures (cf. 1 Kings Chs. 17-19). The miraculous episode on Matthew Carmel was perhaps his finest moment but within hours he was terrified and fleeing for his life from Jezebel.

In Elijah's day Israel was plagued with an awful famine because of her idolatry. The prophet predicted a great famine for three years (1 Kings 18:1) and the famine came. Times became exceedingly difficult in Israel. In our text we see that the duration of the famine was three-and one-half years. Jesus also verifies this three and one-half year period in Luke 4:25. It is entirely possible that the drought began six months prior to the famine and that Jesus and John are both referring to the whole period of three and one-half years.^(F48)

There is no question that the three-and one-half year period is a particularly important symbol in prophecy. We see this same time period in Daniel 7:25, and in Revelation 2:14. Davids explains all this saying that the three-and one-half years are one-half of seven and that seven is the standard period of judgment in the Bible.^(F49) The three and one-half year period will become extremely important to God's people in the last days for this marks the Great Tribulation that will fall upon the earth as God judges the sins of humankind.

We see in this passage that Elijah prayed earnestly. The Greek literally says that he "prayed with prayer." Robert Jamieson, the Scottish divine, sees this as a Hebraism for "praying intensely." We see a similar thing in Luke 22:15 as Jesus says "…I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." ^(F50)

Then we see Elijah praying again. We do not have the words to his prayer and do not know exactly how he prayed. We can know from 1 Kings 18:42ff that he kept on praying when it seemed futile. He even fell down upon the earth and put his face between his knees.^(F51) Finally a tiny cloud appeared and afterward a torrent of rain, the answer to his prayer.

"My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this - Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins" (5:19-20). The picture of "wandering" here is taken from the Greek verb planao. We get "planet" from this word and it pictures a heavenly body wandering through space (cf. 1 Peter 2:25; 2 Peter 2:15).^(F52)

As we have seen in James and as we see in the rest of the Bible, God presents us with two ways. Each of us must make a choice concerning these ways. John Oxenham, the English journalist, novelist and poet puts it into beautiful rhyme:

To every man there openeth
A Way, and Ways, and a Way.
And the High Soul climbs the High Way,
And the Low Soul gropes the Low,
And in between, on the misty flats,
The rest drift to and fro.
But to every man there openeth
A High Way, and a Low.
And every man decideth
The Way his soul shall go.^(F53)

It is clear that all believers have the task of watching over others in the church and trying to bring them back if they begin to wander away. Especially in the US today believers have a daunting task of keeping their fellow saints from backsliding. Recent surveys have indicated that some sixty-six percent of American adults no longer believe that there is such a thing as absolute truth. It is alarming that in the 18-25 year-old range the figure is at seventy-two percent.^(F54)

Commentators have wrestled a bit with the expression "cover over a multitude of sins." They have asked, "Whose sins are being covered, the one who is wandering or the one who is bringing the person back?" The Greek is ambiguous and cannot help us.^(F55) However, the word "cover" is an expression related to the atonement and it seems obvious that the sins of the one recovered are the ones that are covered.^(F56) It is only God who can do the work of covering our sins, and sins can only be covered by the atonement made by Christ.

Daniel says in 12:3, "Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever."

With these thoughts the little epistle of James ends. Coffman says of its ending - Here there is no signature, no farewell greeting, no formal closure of any kind, just the bold imperious words of the inspired writer, standing starkly against the mists of fleeting centuries like a massive inscription chiseled into a granite mountain."^(F57)