Day #326

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James - Reading
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James

The book of James is a book of wisdom. Proverbs are designed to give practical wisdom to live in a complex world. Wisdom literature is rooted in the idea that God is the creator of all things and so a truly wise life flows from understanding and living out God’s created norms. James is the book of Proverbs of the NT as it teaches how to live successfully in the midst of a very fallen time.

Chapter 1

v. 1 – We are not sure who James is. Tradition holds that the person who wrote the book is James, the brother of Jesus.

v. 5 – The wisdom a person is praying for is wisdom to know how to interpret the trials and struggles and to live faithfully in light of them. Is this trial from God or from Satan or is this trial simply a reality of being part of a fallen world? To have God give us wisdom allows us to know which path to take.

v. 13-15 – We need to know that while God uses trials he does not tempt us to sin. God is a “non-tempter,” he will never tempt us. Wise people know that most often sin comes because thy have pursued it.

v. 18 – The firstfruits were considered to be the best fruit and were given to God. God’s people were to be the crown of his world. This place of exaltation is not merely a matter of words. God’s people crown his creation because they live as a people of righteousness.

v. 21 – To receive the word implanted in us means to bend our necks under the yoke of Jesus i.e. we do what he says.

v. 22 – A sign of a person who has gained wisdom is that they not only hear the word, but do it.

v. 25 – The Jewish people believed that living out the Law brought about a life of freedom. The perfect Law comes to us through Christ who interprets the Law for our lives.

Chapter 2

v. 2 – “assembly” is literally synagogue. The picture is of a worship service at a synagogue where the poor sat on the floor and the rich sat on benches that encircled the main floor area.

v. 6 – It is not clear if the “rich” are part of the community of faith or if they are simply rich people who are abusing members of the entire faith community. It would seem to make the most sense to see the rich in this verse as those who are outside the community. The one whom God has honored, people at the synagogue service have dishonored.

v. 13 – The mercy that triumphs over judgment is our mercy that triumphs over our judgmental spirit. This is not a reference to God’s mercy triumphing even when we fail to live according to his standards.

v. 14 – In the Bible all true faith is a working faith. To simply profess faith but not have it impact our lives is to have an empty faith.

v. 14, 17, 22, 24, 26 – Five times James brings home his point that faith without works is dead. Five is the number that represents the Torah. This is an interesting connection since James has already brought our focus on the Law.

v. 18 – Someone says they have faith, James challenges them to show that faith – the truth is, the only way to show faith is by the works we do.

v. 25 – James now turns his attention toward the faith and works of Rahab. He expands the picture of what faithful works look like. In this case we find hospitality and courage added to the picture of a faithful life. Also, by using Rahab, James contrasts her with Abraham. This contrast tells us that no matter who you are, prostitute or patriarch, you can act as a person of faith.

Chapter 3

v. 1 – Throughout the scriptures good teachers are considered an important gift from God because teachers bore the responsibility of studying, knowing, teaching and leading people in the truth.

v. 3-5 – In these verses James uses metaphors based in everyday life to illustrate how our words can have an enormous impact. Just as the small directs the large in each illustration, so the tongue has the power to make great boasts and corrupt a whole person.

v. 14-18 – Folly, according to Proverbs, is the search for wisdom, fulfillment, and knowledge within the world. A fool is one who does not fear the Lord and cannot be wise but often thinks he is wise. A wise person will begin with the fear of the Lord and his/her life will be a clear display of the life lived out of the fear of the Lord.

Chapter 4

v. 2 – James holds that it is the mark of a fool to quarrel and to be envious. The mark of a wise person is to ignore what others have and instead pray to have one’s needs met.

v. 3 – James further tells us that there is the prayer of the fool and the prayer of the wise. The fool prays so that they can spend what they get on their passions. The wise person prays to receive so he can spend what he gets on the things that please God i.e. things that are in line with being a passionate follower of Jesus.

v. 4 – “world” in this context is that which is opposed to God.

v. 6 – The proud that God opposes are a very specific group of people, namely, those who envy and destroy to get what they wan.

v. 8 – To be double-minded means to seek to be a person of wisdom and at other times we play the fool.

v. 12 – James tells us that only God can ultimately judge a person. Apparently people in the community are judging the ultimate destiny of others based on quarrels they are having over differences of opinions concerning doctrine and life. They are condemning their opponents to hell because they don’t agree with them. James points out only God can make this determination.

v. 15 – We live our lives in God’s hands, not our own. A wise person acknowledges that reality. A fool lives in denial of that reality and so ultimately is not ready to face death.

Chapter 5

v. 1 – James begins with a call to the rich to examine where their wealth has come from and to be sure that they live with justice. If they do not, they will be judged most severely.

v. 9 – “do not grumble” – The Greek word for grumble means to groan or sigh as a result of deep concern or stress. The idea seems to be that when we are in deep distress or injustice that we have a tendency to grumble against people around us because of our pain. James’ point is to remain faithful in how we treat others even when we are in distress.