Tiago 5
Thomas Constable · Citado em PreceptAustin
Tiago 5
Constable writes that "The title “Lord of Sabaoth” (lit. Lord of Hosts, i.e., Lord Almighty; cf. Is 5:9; Ro 9:29) emphasizes the sovereign omnipotence of God. Although the oppressed may appear to have no defenders on earth, they have as their helper the Lord God omnipotent in heaven." In the OT the basic term “hosts” along with the cognate verb refers to the mustering of troops for war. THOUGHT - To summarize, the LORD of hosts, Jehovah Sabaoth is the Name of God we find used in Scripture when a man or woman is at the end of their rope so to speak -- Jehovah Sabaoth is the Strong Tower which God has made available for those times when we fail and are powerless, when our resources are inadequate, when there is no other help. And it is especially during those times that one comes to appreciate that God is truly the LORD of the Armies & of all hosts. In short, Jehovah Sabaoth speaks of God's available power in our time of trouble. Lord (master, owner)(2962)(kurios from kuros = might or power, related to kuroo = to give authority) primarily means the possessor, owner, master, the supreme one, one who is sovereign (used this way of Roman emperors - Act 25:26) and possesses absolute authority, absolute ownership and uncontested power. Kurios is used of the one to whom a person or thing belonged, over which he has the power of deciding, the one who is the master or disposer of a thing (Mk 7:28). Jesus is Lord over the hosts (of angels), the armies of Heaven! He is the One Who hears the cries of the oppressed and will mete out punishment accordingly to their oppressors for He Alone has the power to do so. THOUGHT - Are you now or have you been mistreated unfairly (marriage, work, etc)? Then your "day" of retribution is coming. Your oppressors may have looked victorious in time, but they will be miserable throughout eternity for their unjust, oppressive treatment of others, including yourself! Parallels Between Leviticus 19 and Epistle of James LEVITICUS 19 JAMES Lv 19:12 You shall not swear Js 5:12 Do not swear Lv 19:13 Wages of a hired man are not to remain with you all night until morning Js 5:4 Pay of the laborers who mowed your fields which has been withheld by you Lv 19:15 You shall not be partial Js 2:1,9 Show no partiality Lv 19:18 You shall not take vengeance nor bear any grudge Js 5:9 Do not complain against one another Lv 19:18 You shall love your neighbor as yourself Js 2:8 You shall love your neighbor as yourself James 5:5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. NET James 5:5 You have lived indulgently and luxuriously on the earth. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. GNT James 5:5 ἐτρυφήσατε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐσπαταλήσατε, ἐθρέψατε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σφαγῆς, NLT James 5:5 You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. KJV James 5:5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. ESV James 5:5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. ASV James 5:5 Ye have lived delicately on the earth, and taken your pleasure; ye have nourished your hearts in a day of slaughter. CSB James 5:5 You have lived luxuriously on the land and have indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter. NIV James 5:5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. NKJ James 5:5 You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. NRS James 5:5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. YLT James 5:5 ye did live in luxury upon the earth, and were wanton; ye did nourish your hearts, as in a day of slaughter; NAB James 5:5 You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter. NJB James 5:5 On earth you have had a life of comfort and luxury; in the time of slaughter you went on eating to your heart's content. GWN James 5:5 You have lived in luxury and pleasure here on earth. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. BBE James 5:5 You have been living delicately on earth and have taken your pleasure; you have made your hearts fat for a day of destruction. You have lived luxuriously on the earth 1Sa 25:6,36 Job 21:11-15 Ps 17:14 73:7 Ec 11:9 Isa 5:11,12 Isa 47:8 56:12 Am 6:1,4-6 Lu 16:19,25 1Ti 5:6 2Ti 3:4 Jude 1:12 Rev 18:7 led a life of wanton pleasure: Isa 3:16 Ro 13:13 in a day of slaughter.: Pr 7:14 17:1 Isa 22:13 Eze 39:17 Rev 19:17,18 James 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries WARNING AGAINST LIVING LUXURIOUSLY AT EXPENSE OF THE POOR You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure - NIV = "You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence." This life is as good as it gets for these people ("their heaven"), while it is as bad as it gets for believers ("our hell")! Sinful high style on earth will bring sure "high" suffering in Hell! James is saying "You used your wealth unwisely for your own self-gratification rather than being a good steward of that which God has given you." (Anderson) THOUGHTS - Self-indulgent - characterized by doing or tending to do exactly what one wants, especially when this involves pleasure or idleness. Excessive or unrestrained gratification of one's own appetites, desires, or whims. Allowing yourself to have or do anything you want. Luxury has a way of ruining character. It is a form of self-indulgence. If you match character with wealth, you can produce much good; but if you match self-indulgence with wealth, the result is sin. Warren Wiersbe Comfort comes as a guest, lingers to become a host, and stays to enslave us. Where there is no want there is usually much wantonness. John Flavel Riches may leave us while we live; we must leave them when we die. Thomas Fuller Riches rather enlarge than satisfy appetites. Thomas Fuller The world's foolish mantra is "You need to be a little bit self-indulgent today as by tomorrow, reality will kick in." You only go around once so get all the gusto you can. Lived luxuriously (only here in NT)(5171)(truphao) means to lead a life of self-indulgence, revel, carouse, live in luxury, to live softly, delicately, luxuriously, to fare sumptuously, to give oneself to self-indulgence, live for pleasure, to be licentious, revel, run riot, wax wanton, to be extravagant. BDAG - truphao is used "of animals be contented, well fed (Philo, Dec. 117) Hs 6, 1, 6; 6, 2, 6 (though the sheep here represent luxury-loving people)." Gilbrant - Classical Greek commonly employs the word truphaō when speaking about well-fed, contented animals. It can carry the connotation of being insolent or putting on an air of superiority. It is also used figuratively of reveling in doing good (Bauer). The Septuagint (Lxx) uses it of the Israelites growing fat from enjoying the bounties of Canaan after they occupied it (Nehemiah 9:25). It also speaks of this same kind of experience during the Millennium when the Israelites will enjoy the abundance of the land God will give them (Isaiah 66:11). (See also Sirach 14:4.) (Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary) James' description reminds us of the OT prophet Amos... Woe to those who are at ease in Zion And to those who feel secure in the mountain of Samaria, The distinguished men of the foremost of nations, To whom the house of Israel comes. 2 Go over to Calneh and look, And go from there to Hamath the great, Then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms, Or is their territory greater than yours? 3 Do you put off the day of calamity, And would you bring near the seat of violence? 4 Those who recline on beds of ivory And sprawl on their couches, And eat lambs from the flock And calves from the midst of the stall, 5 Who improvise to the sound of the harp, And like David have composed songs for themselves, 6 Who drink wine from sacrificial bowls While they anoint themselves with the finest of oils, Yet they have not grieved over the ruin of Joseph. 7 Therefore, they will now go into exile at the head of the exiles, And the sprawlers’ banqueting will pass away. (Amos 6:1-7) ILLUSTRATION OF LIVED LUXURIOUSLY - A magazine advertisement told of the shopping spree of an oil-rich sultan. He purchased nineteen Cadillacs, one for each of his nineteen wives, and paid extra to have the cars lengthened. He also bought two Porsches, six Mercedes, a $40,000 speedboat and a truck for hauling it. Add to the list sixteen refrigerators, $47,000 worth of women's luggage, two Florida grapefruit trees, two reclining chairs, and one slot machine. His total bill was $1.5 million, and he had to pay another $194,500 to have everything delivered. Talk about living in luxury! "Tell me what thou dost need," said the Quaker to his neighbor, "and I will tell thee how to get along without it." (Bible Exposition Commentary) Wanton pleasure (4684)(spatalao from spatálē = luxury in eating and drinking) means to live in excess comfort or indulgence. It is used here and 1 Ti 5:6 = (following are to be excluded from those supported by the church) = "But she who gives herself to wanton pleasure is dead even while she lives." In the Septuagint (Lxx) it is found in Ezekiel 16:49 where Sodom’s indulgence is compared to that of the idle rich. This is precisely the life-style of the rich man in the parable” in Luke 16:19-31+ ("Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day."). It is as if the goods of the world, and the people on it, were made only for the gratification of their own lusts; and in their pursuit of their own pleasure, they ignore the needs of others and use them selfishly, even openly oppressing them. ESV Study Bible - Like the cattle in their fields, the rich gorge themselves on luxuries and fail to realize that they are headed for the final slaughter (see Isa. 30:25; Jer. 12:3; Rev. 19:17-21). JUDGMENT IS ON THE WAY! This could be subtitled "The Wages of the Wealthy" or "The Problems of Prosperity." Indeed, the wealthy would be wise if they heard and heeded the words of Hebrews 10:31+ It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter - They satiated their fleshly appetites but starved their souls, which they were in fact preparing for judgment! James' vivid indictment points to the imminence of the coming day of judgment when they will be in effect "slaughtered" by God's sword of perfect justice! These apathetic, wicked rich are like unreasoning cattle who graze in the field all day long, getting fat not knowing that their day of slaughter is coming! And for these rich, the more selfish their lifestyle is, the great is the degree of guilt they will incur! (cf Jesus' teaching on degrees of punishment in hell = Mt 10:15, Mt 11:22-24) THOUGHTS- No man can tell whether he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich or poor according to what he is, not according to what he has. - Henry Ward Beecher Earthly riches are called thorns, and well they may; for as thorns, they pierce both head and heart; the head with cares in getting them, and the heart with grief in parting with them. - Thomas Brooks A man may have enough of the world to sink him, but he can never have enough to satisfy him. Thomas Brooks It is not the fact that a man has riches which keeps him from the kingdom of heaven, but the fact that riches have him. T. Caird Daniel 5:27+ = "‘TEKEL’–you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient." With Belshazzar, those using their wealth for selfish satisfaction will one day be weighed in the balances and found wanting. NET Note - James' point seems to be that instead of seeking deliverance from condemnation, they have defied God's law (fattened your hearts) and made themselves more likely objects of his judgment (in a day of slaughter). Habakkuk 2:9 “Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house To put his nest on high, To be delivered from the hand of calamity! In view of the brevity of our life and the length of eternity which is closer to us than we believed - "Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy." (Ro 13:13+) Hearts (2588)(kardia) does not refer to their physical organ but figuratively refers to the seat and center of their life. The heart is the center of their personality, and it controls their intellect, emotions, and will. Kardia used 5x by James - James 1:26, James 3:14, James 4:8, James 5:5, James 5:8. Kardia gives us medical terms such as cardiac, cardiovascular, etc. Just as the integrity of our physical heart is vital to our physical life, in a similar and even more important way the integrity of our spiritual heart is vital to our spiritual life, for our spiritual life impacts not just our enjoyment of time but of eternity.
Tiago 5
Constable - We should be patient and encouraged knowing that our reward lies ahead as God has promised (cf. Mt. 6:20+). The rich who behave as typical rich people either do not have or have lost sight of this hope. They live only to accumulate as much reward here and now as they can."The finish line is just ahead: the important point is not to give up now and lose all that for which one has already suffered." The comment about the finish line reminds me of a warning by John Watch (present imperative) yourselves, that you might not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. (2 John 1:8) Ryrie - All believers will receive praise at the judgment seat of Christ (1 Cor. 4:5), but some will receive more rewards than others (1 Cor. 3:11-15). John
Tiago 5
Constable comments that "This verse is not a call for fervent prayer but a call for prayer!" As Hiebert says "Although but an ordinary man, he prayed an audacious prayer, and that prayer brought about a crucial meteorological change." (James Commentary) The event to which James refers is found in 1 Kings... Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” (1 Ki 17:1) (ED: While this is not a prayer per se, Elijah's announcement was clearly based on the fact that he had prayed and believed God would answer his prayer. Did the Spirit give him that inner assurance? The text does not say, but that is certainly possible.) Now it happened after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth.” (1 Ki 18:1) He prayed (4336) see note above on proseuchomai. Here in James 5:17 uses the noun proseuche and the verb proseuchomai. (proseuchē prosēuxato) which intensifies the force of the verb. This repetitive pattern is a Hebraism signifying intensity in both the Old and New Testaments (Gen. 2:17; 31:30; Jonah 1:10; Luke 22:15; John 3:29; Acts 5:28). Literally the Greek reads "with prayer He prayed." Hiebert explains that "The intensification is generally understood to point to the inner attitude of Elijah and rendered "prayed fervently" or "earnestly" But it is possible to understand the intensification as relating to the activity described. Thus Adamson holds that James means "not that Elijah put up a particularly fervent prayer but that praying was precisely what he did." Then the stress points out that in facing his situation, Elijah specifically resorted to prayer, giving himself wholly to it. Thus Hughes takes James to mean "that nothing else than his prayer produced the long drought." (James Commentary) It has been said that today's church has many organizers, it has few agonizers; many who pay, but few who pray; many resters, but few wrestlers; many who are enterprising, but few who are interceding. Samuel Chadwick said, "The one concern of the Devil is to keep saints from prayer. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray." I challenge all of us this morning to increase the time we spend in earnest prayer. Whether troubled or happy, whether sick or sinful, or straying, handle life with prayer. And it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months - Presumably this is speaking of Palestine, not the entire world. God's people (who should have known better) were practicing overt idol worship and certainly were deserving of God withholding His hand of blessing from their land. Jesus alluded to this same event in Luke But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. (Luke 4:25-26+) Norman Geisler - Both here and in Luke 4:25 it speaks of a three and one-half year drought in the days of Elijah. But in 1 Kings 17:1 (and 18:1) it refers to the drought being three years. SOLUTION: There are three possible solutions here. First, the three years may be a round number. Second, the third year in Kings may be reckoned from the time of Elijah’s stay with the widow of Zarephthah, not the full time of the drought. Third, it is possible that the drought began six months before the famine did, making both passages precise but referring to different things. (When Critics Ask) Would not rain...did not rain (1026)(brecho) to moisten or make wet as with tears (Lk 7:38, 44+), to send rain or cause to rain (Mt 5:45). In Luke 17:29 "on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone." In Rev 11:6 the two witnesses possess "the power to shut up the sky, so that rain (huetos) will not fall during the days of their prophesying." Gilbrant - Classical writers understood the verb brechō to mean “to make wet,” “to be rained upon,” “to steep,” “to drench,” and various other verbal ideas whose main concept is “to (make) wet” (Liddell-Scott). In the papyri brechō is particularly used of “to irrigate” the land (Moulton-Milligan). Metaphorically it refers to heavy drinkers (thus “to be tipsy”). The second major definition is “to rain,” a meaning frequently used both literally and figuratively (Liddell-Scott). Brechō appears 15 times in the Septuagint, each of which occurs in canonical material. Most often (11 times) the Hebrew stem mṯr (“to rain, to be rained upon”) stands behind brechō; however, as shown below, its definition range is far from simple. Genesis 2:5 comments that God “had not caused it to rain upon the earth.” Some believe that previously the ground was apparently watered by a heavy mist God sent for this purpose. It is not entirely clear when rain was introduced into the scheme of creation. Brechō is used in a somewhat figurative sense of the burning sulfur the Lord “rained down” upon Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24), and of the hail He “rains down” upon Egypt (Exodus 9:23; cf. Ezekiel 38:22). Positively, the Psalmist employed (through the Septuagint translators) brechō of the manna and quail that were “rained down” upon Israel in the desert (Psalm 78:24,27). The classical sense of “to wet” or “to drench” comes through in Psalm 6:6 (of the drenching of the bed with tears). Literal rain is referred to in Amos 4:7; God withheld it as a form of discipline. Joel (2:23) understands rain as a symbol of prosperity and success, while Ezekiel seems to use it as a figure of spiritual cleansing (Ezek 22:24). The literal usage dominates the seven instances of brechō in the New Testament. In Matthew 5:45 it occurs in a figure of God’s impartiality: He allows it to rain upon the just and unjust. Similarly in James the literal meaning comes through. Elijah prayed that it would not rain, and it did not rain until he prayed that it would (James 5:17; cf. the role of the two “witnesses” [prophets] in Revelation 11:6). Luke, who is responsible for three occurrences, employed it in the more secular sense. The woman’s tears “wet” Jesus’ feet (Luke 7:38,44). Alluding to the Old Testament account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Luke utilized the terminology of the Septuagint: fire and sulfur “rained down” from heaven (as judgment from God). So too will the coming (revelation) of the Son of Man (Luke 17:29f.). (Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary) Brecho - 6v in NT - fall(1), rain(2), rained(1), sends rain(1), wet(2). Mt. 5:45; Lk. 7:38; Lk. 7:44; Lk. 17:29; Jas. 5:17; Rev. 11:6 Brecho in the Septuagint - Gen. 2:5; Gen. 19:24; Exod. 9:23; Ps. 6:6; Ps. 78:24; Ps. 78:27; Isa. 5:6; Isa. 34:3; Ezek. 22:24; Ezek. 38:22; Joel 2:23; Amos 4:7; Related Resource: Franklin Kirksey - Where Are the Elijahs? - Excerpts - Dr. Warren W.