Beware of Riches!

GETTING STARTED

Jean-Paul Sartre, the French philosopher, once said, “When the rich wage war, it’s the poor who die.” James, the brother of Jesus, revealed the heart of God on this topic, too, when he said, “Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and…have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.” For centuries, the poor have not only been exploited and oppressed by rich individuals, but by social structures and political systems, as well. In this passage, James strongly warned those who had great wealth about having materialistic hearts, and about how they were impacting those around them.

  • In what ways have you seen the poor exploited by the rich?

READ THE WORD: JAMES 5:1-6 (ESV)

5:1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

DIGGING DEEPER

  1. Why do you think James spoke so strongly against the “rich” (vss. 1-2)? 
  2. What are the warnings to the rich (vs. 3)?
  3. What impact were those people who had amassed their wealth having on those around them (vss. 4-6)? 
  4. In this context, what do you think it means to condemn and murder the righteous?
  5. In what ways are you living like the people James addressed? How have you “laid up treasure” at the expense of others, or lived in self-indulgence without freely giving of what God has blessed you with?

RESPOND TO GOD

We tend to think the “rich” are someone else. The truth is—we are the rich. The world loves a “rags to riches” story, but James gives a grim warning against the hoarding of riches, saying that our riches are nothing but rags. We must understand that, for thousands of years, worldly systems and processes have been heavily tilted toward the rich, leaving the poor marginalized and at a huge disadvantage… sometimes costing them their very lives. What if we saw our riches as something given to us to share with those in need? A healthy, growing, mature believer in Christ does not accumulate wealth at the expense of others, but rather shares his or her possessions for the benefit of others.

  • Thank God specifically for all that he has given you.
  • Ask God how he wants you to share all that he has given you.