How They Made Their Money (5:4&6a)

​Money Talks (James :1-6)

A famous comedian once said, "If money talks, all it ever says to me is goodbye!" But money wasn't saying goodbye to the men James talked to in this part of his letter. These men were wealthy, and their wealth was sinful. They were using their money for their gain and hurting poor people at the same time.

One of the main ideas in James 5 is "trouble." We encounter impoverished individuals deprived of their earnings (James 5:4), alongside those who are physically afflicted (James 5:13–16) and spiritually backslidden (James 5:19–20). James also talked about "prayer" as a second theme. The poor workers cry out to God (James 5:4). People who are sick or hurt should pray (James 5:13–16). He used Elijah as an example of someone who believed in prayer (James 5:17–18).

Combining these two ideas leads you to the fifth mark of a mature Christian: he prays when things go wrong. When things get tough, a mature believer doesn't give up; instead, they pray to God and ask for help. The immature person either relies on their experience and skills or seeks assistance from others. It is true that God often meets our needs through other people, but this help must come from prayer.

James never said that being rich was a sin. Abraham was a rich man, but he walked with God and was a great blessing to the whole world. James was concerned about how selfish the rich were, so he told them to "weep and howl." He gave three reasons for his advice.

First Reason: How They Made Their Money (5:4, 6a)

The Bible does not discourage wealth. The law of Moses says exactly how to get and keep money. The Jews in Canaan owned their land, farmed it, and ate what they grew. Jesus showed that He respected private property and personal gain in some of His parables. The Epistles do not say anything that goes against the right to own things and make money.

Those who become wealthy illegally or for illicit reasons are condemned by the Bible. Amos, a prophet, sent a loud message of judgment against the rich upper class who stole from the poor and used their stolen money to buy things for themselves. Isaiah and Jeremiah also talked about how selfish the rich are and how judgment is coming. James wrote in this way. He gave two examples of how the wealthy of his day got their money.

Withholding pay (v. 4). Workers were hired and paid daily, but they had no contracts. Matthew 20:1–16's story about the workers gives us an idea of how things worked back then. God gave clear instructions in the law about how to treat the working man so that he wouldn't be taken advantage of by his boss.

"Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates: At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee." (Deut. 24:14–15).

"Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning." (Lev. 19:13).

“Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work.” (Jer. 22:13).

These wealthy men had hired the workers and promised to pay them a certain amount. The men had finished their work but had not yet been paid. The Greek verb translated "kept back" indicates that the workers will never get their pay.

God's law still says, "Thou shalt not steal," and He will enforce it. It is our duty as Christians to pay our bills on time. It is a poor testimony for Christians not to pay their bills.

The second example James cites of how the wealthy of his day got their money is through controlling the courts.

Controlling the courts (v. 6a). It is common for wealthy people to also have political power and be able to get what they want. James asked, "Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?" (James 2:6). That is to say, 'Don't the rich men abuse you and bring you before the courts?'

When God put Israel in her land, He set up a system of courts for the people (see Deut. 17:8–13). He told the judges not to be greedy (Ex. 18:21). They were not to favor the wealthy or the impoverished (Lev. 19:15). No judge should have put up with lying under oath (Deut. 19:16–21). The Lord said that bribery was wrong (Isa. 33:15; Mic. 3:11; 7:3). Amos, a prophet, spoke out against judges in his time who took bribes and "fixed" cases (Amos 5:12, 15).

It seems that if you had enough money, you could easily control the courts in James' time. The workers were beaten down every time because they couldn't afford expensive lawsuits. The workers had a good reason, but they didn't get what they deserved. Instead, they were mistreated and destroyed. It's likely that the word "killed" should be taken figuratively, like in James 4:2, but it's also possible that the rich men could be so cruel to the poor that they would die. Because the poor man lacked weapons, he didn't fight back against the rich man. He could only ask the Lord for justice.

The Bible tells us not to get rich by breaking the law. God owns all wealth (Ps. 50:10); He lets us take care of His wealth for His glory. Proverbs 13:11 reminds us that wealth obtained by fraud dwindles, but the one who gathers by labor increases it. "The hand of the diligent makes rich" (Prov. 10:4). Furthermore, Proverbs exhorts us not to weary ourselves in order to gain wealth (Prov. 23:4). We should always put God first in our lives, and He will make sure we have everything we need (Matt. 6:33).