Abuse of Power

“Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth eaten rags. Your gold and silver have become worthless. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This treasure you have accumulated will stand as evidence against you on the day of judgment. For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The wages you held back cry out against you. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. You have condemned and killed innocent people, who do not resist you.” James 5:1-6 NLT

In the first six verses of chapter five, James speaks to the wicked wealthy – those in positions of power – who profess to be Christians, but are actually hypocrites playing Christianity. They have perfected deceit and have gotten away with it for some time. They have cheated their employees of their wages, so that they experience financial increase. They failed to realize Jesus’ words in 1 Timothy 5:18, where He states, “Those who work deserve their pay.” A wage is not a gift, it’s an agreed upon amount for a specific job accomplished.

Here we see that Jesus is not their God, money is. We are told in 1 Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” Paul states in 1 Timothy 6:5 that this type of person uses Christianity and a show of godliness to become wealthy, yet they have no personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They are simply trying to make money off of Jesus Christ, preying on Christians. They are focused on their wealth here on earth, thinking their wealth will save them in the last days.

“Listen up,” James warns, “You are making your money by cheating and taking advantage of others. This treasure you’ve accumulated will stand as evidence against you on the day of judgment. Know this, God hears the cries of His kids—James 5:3-4! You will be judged accordingly.”

James, the half-brother of Jesus, is following in his brother’s righteous footsteps, correcting those financially taking advantage of Christians – remember when Jesus drove the merchants out of the Temple. They had placed a higher cost on God’s people that He did not ask, and they did this to pocket the extra. That made God very angry, and He reinforced His verbal correction with a weapon – a whip – driving them out of the Temple, telling them they had turned God’s house of prayer into a den of thieves.

As James speaks regarding this abuse of power, every Christian should take heart! If you have been taken advantage of, especially financially, your cries “reach the ears of the Lord Almighty”—James 5:4. God loves you. He will settle all accounts of injustice for He is holy and He alone judges justly—1 Peter 2:23! Nothing gets past Him. He is never changing, therefore, He will personally deal with those abusing their power. If it’s not resolved today, remember, judgment day is coming—Acts 17:31.

It is really difficult watching the wicked prosper here on earth. Sometimes we question why God doesn’t deal with blatant sin immediately. We tend to be impatient for God to render justice. But remember, the kindness of the Lord leads to repentance—Romans 2:4. Don’t mistake God’s patience with sinful people, for tolerance! God hates sin! He, however, does not desire for anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance—2 Peter 3:9. God is a God of justice, but He’s also a God of love. He knows that the non-repentant heart walks the path straight to judgment. If people reject Jesus Christ and hold onto their sin, they will perish eternally. Thus, God, in His love, patiently waits for them to turn from their sins. But there is a limit to God’s patience. There is a day when the waiting game ends.

Judgment day is coming—Acts 17:31.

Jesus told us that we would face many tribulations—John 16:33, simply because we belong to Him—John 15:21. The world hates us and we will face injustice—John 15:18. This is one reason why God calls us Christians to love one another—John 13:34-35, to forgive one another— Colossians 3:13. We need each other! Community is essential to the life of a Christian! So often, it’s the pain of injustice that ignites a fire in the heart of a group of believers. The pressure drives them to their knees in prayer, petitioning God. Together, humbled at the feet of God, power is seen in their brokenness. As they rely solely upon God to provide justice on their behalf, revival of the hearts breaks out and the world is impacted for God’s glory!