Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 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. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you. [James 5:1-6 NIV]
I find the statement which is highlighted in bold really encouraging. I have a strong sense of justice or to put it another way I am uncomfortable with injustice - especially if I have observed it personally. So, it is really good to know that God was aware of the injustice which had taken place. There is a massive unfairness which has upset the apostle, James. He is clearly angry about what has happened, and this is righteous anger. Men (and more likely) women have not been paid for their labour. We are not given details of the circumstances, but we are able to deduce certain facts from James's condemnation.
Wages were not paid to those who gathered in the harvest.
The farmers or landowners were wealthy and could have paid their workers.
They lived a life of luxury and self-indulgence.
The farmers had made huge profits, but the farm labourers were left destitute.
In their despair, the peasants cried to God.
God heard their laments.
The wealthy farmers were about to be judged for their actions.
The harvesters were not posing any threat to the wealthy landowners.
God is a God of justice. He sees injustice and he judges righteously. His punishment might be delayed from our perspective, but it is still inevitable. In the Old Testament, there is a principle stated which is relevant to this situation:
You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain. [Deuteronomy 25:4 ESV]
This law was given to ensure that the oxen, who were grinding down the grain into flour to be made into bread, did not go hungry. If God made this provision for animals, how much more did he provide for workers, especially those in desperate need of food. The Old Testament made special provision for foreigners, widows and orphans - the vulnerable groups in society [See Day Share entitled, "Ruth: God's Providence" dated 14/02/2021]. This verse from Deuteronomy was quoted twice in the New Testament and Paul explains that this principle was not just for the benefit of the animals - it applied to humans as well and Paul applied this to God's servants in the church [See 1 Corinthians 9:9-10 and 1 Timothy 5:18]. Paul draws out two principles which could equally apply to the situation James is describing
The worker deserves his wages [1 Timothy 5: 18]
Whoever ploughs and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest [1 Corinthians 9:10].
So, these rich landowners were disobeying God.
Just notice that the term James uses for God. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. One scholar translates the sentence as follows:
And the cries of those who reaped have entered the ears of the Lord of hosts.[Kenneth S Wuest: The New Testament: An Expanded Translation page 546]. This was a divine title which emphasised the power and might of God and his ability to punish his enemies. Everyone knows the story of David facing the giant Goliath but here is how David addressed this Philistine who was defying God.
Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. [1 Samuel 17:45 ESV]
These wealthy men were despising and defying God in the same way as Goliath did. They were not appreciating the power and might of the Lord, who was on the side of the harvesters.
There is a clear lesson for us today. If we mistreat other people, it is an offence to God, and He will judge. These men were proud of their riches, but they failed to realise that they owed everything they had to God and that he expected them to act as good stewards of the wealth they had been given. They became self-indulgent and careless, and they ignored the poor people - especially their own workers. A powerful lesson for us when many people are finding it hard to heat their houses or feed their families.
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