The Wicked Rich Condemned

Introduction

Like his brother Jesus, James condemned all making of wealth and its use outside of God’s will. The earth and all its fullness belong to the Lord. In James 5:1–6, he condemns the wicked rich in the church and in the world. The worship of money is idolatry and greed.

Wealth is not sinful if it is acquired by just means, such as working six days each week, and if it is used to love God and the poor of the world. Abraham, Job, Joseph of Arimathea, Philemon, and Lydia were both godly and rich. They were rich in this world and rich toward God.

Generally speaking, God blesses his obedient people with sufficient wealth (Deut. 28:1-14). But God’s people do not trust in their wealth but in God who richly provides for all their essential needs. They trust in God, who is Jehovah Jireh.

All our money is given to us by God as a trust to be used for spiritual purposes. The wicked rich are atheists. They have no fear of God. They hate the triune God of the holy Bible. But as Christians, we have a responsibility to condemn all evil in the church and in pagan nations, including our own. So we must condemn such evils as abortion, and we must condemn the abuse of money.

Additionally, as people of God, we know that the whole world is under the control of the evil one, the god of this world. That is why we do not try to conform to the world’s culture, as some popular pastors and teachers would counsel us to do. Such people glory in conforming to culture.

The Lord is our shepherd and we shall lack nothing. Jesus said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33). The Lord’s people are rich in God and are content in God, whatever their circumstances, whether living in plenty or in want. We can do all things through him who gives us strength.

Remember what Paul says: “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Tim. 6:6-10).

I want to say three things from this text: First, condemnation of the wicked rich; second, reasons for condemnation; and third, the judge who condemns and punishes the wicked rich.

The Wicked Rich Condemned

James begins, “Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery¹that is coming upon you” (v. 1). James is condemning non-believing rich people. They may be in the church or outside the church, but they do not believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ (Jas. 2:1). They do not live by the covenant to love God with all our heart, and our neighbor as ourselves (Jas. 2:8). These people worship money.

Most rich people of the world are idolaters. Their motto is, “In gold we trust.” The worst offenders are those who use religion to make money (1 Tim. 6:5). The wicked rich are without hope and without God. They are deceived by their wealth. They are always worrying about this life. They are ignorant of the age to come and the blessed eternal life in the presence of God. They are deceived by wealth and deceived by sin. They are miserable people, always desiring for other things. John writes, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its [lusts] pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:15-17).

The wicked rich are unaware of the miseries that are about to come upon them. They are like the fool Nabal, whom God killed for his wickedness. They are like the rich fool of Luke 12:13–21. The land produced a good crop, so he built bigger barns to store the grain. And listen to his boasting: “‘I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’” (vv. 19–20). Jesus said, “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (v. 15).

Through James, God is commanding all the wicked rich of this world to weep and to wail. Isaiah said the same thing: “Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty” (Isa. 13:6). Jesus himself said in Luke 6: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (v. 20). He also told his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:23).

James, like an Old Testament prophet, pronounces doom on the godless wealthy who live soft, sinful lives. And, notice, he is not calling them to repentance. It is too late, as we read in Jeremiah’s prophecy: “Do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress” (Jer. 11:14).

Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell all he owned, give it to the poor, “and come and follow me.” Then Jesus assured him, “You will have treasure in heaven” (Matt. 19:21). The young man refused. He believed in the proverb, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” He was very rich and loved his money. He would not part with his god of gold. He went away to hell sad, having rejected the promised treasure in heaven. He refused to believe in Jesus. He would keep his money and perish forever. So Jesus said, “It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:23). He also said, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” (Matt. 6:24).

Divine judgment is coming upon the filthy, wicked rich of this country and in the world. And their gold cannot save them on the last day. Ezekiel declares, “They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be an unclean thing. Their silver and gold will not be able to save them in the day of the LORD’S wrath” (Ezek. 7:19).

God always deals with the wicked. He murdered Herod Agrippa I when he accepted glory for himself: “Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died” (Acts 12:23). As we said, God also killed the rich Nabal. To the self-righteous Jews, Paul says, “But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed” (Rom. 2:5).

All the wicked rich of the world, hear the word of the Lord! Weep and wail for the miseries that are coming upon you, here in this life and hereafter, in hell.

Reasons for Condemnation

1) The wicked rich were selfishly hoarding their wealth

All material possessions are transitory in nature, and the rich are transitory too. They must die. So James is saying, “The grain [your riches] has rotted. The wealth of your garments is moth-eaten and destroyed—useless, worthless. Your hoarded gold and silver are corroded” (vv. 2–3).

Wealth is unreliable and uncertain. It has a way of developing wings and flying far away from us. And wealth is useless to save anyone from eternal damnation.

The rich man of Luke 16 died and went to hell because he had refused to repent while he was living. He was too busy partying. Jesus tells us, “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. . . . Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony’” (Luke 16:19, 25). He is in fire right now, in hell, in agony, and in torment.

God will hold all wicked people accountable on the last day. James says their hoarding and selfish use of wealth will testify against them on the day of judgment, the day of the great misery (v. 3). Friends, we are living in the last days. The phrase, “the last days,” points to salvation by Jesus, or fiery judgment by the same Jesus, to whom all authority is given.

Consider Paul’s testimony about himself. Paul trusted in God alone, not in the things of this world. He said, “I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing” (Acts 20:33). And the psalmist declared, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps. 73:25–26). Jesus said, “Only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (John 10:42). The Philippian jailer called out in the night, “What must I do to be saved?” The answer came: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household” (Acts 16:31). May God help us to be delivered of the lust for stuff, and seek God instead.

For all the wicked rich of the world, the fire of God is coming. Isaiah spoke of this: “And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind” (Isa. 66:24). Jesus said, “Then [the king] will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels’” (Matt. 25:41).

Pay attention to Jesus, who said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:19–21). He also said, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys” (Luke 12:32–33).

2) The wicked rich were defrauding the wages of their farm workers

James continues, “Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.” (v. 4). During James’ time, only a few wicked rich people owned most of the farmland. The poor people had to work for them to provide daily bread for themselves and their families. They had to work every day, from morning till evening. Yet the rich were defrauding their workers. They failed to pay their wages when the daily work was done. They did not pay attention to the Bible, where we read, “Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him. Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight. Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the LORD” (Lev. 19:13–14). They did not heed the injunction: “Do not take advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns. Pay him his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may cry to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin” (Deut. 24:14–15).

The rich were robbing the poor. For such people, there is never enough. Isaiah says, “Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land” (Isa. 5:8). We also read, “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income” (Eccl. 5:10). One more dollar—that is all they want.

What could the poor do? These owners were deaf to their cries. They would not pay them their wages, and they had many excuses not to do so. So the poor prayed to God, and God heard their prayers. Our God will punish all the wicked who oppress the poor, as he declared in Malachi’s prophecy: “‘So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me,’ says the LORD Almighty” (Mal. 3:5).

God deals with the wicked. Remember Achan? He got his money by stealing, and he and his family were killed. Judas got his money by selling Jesus, and he went and hanged himself. Gehazi got his two talents of silver and two sets of clothing by lying to Naaman, and he and his family got the curse of leprosy for life. Ananias got his money by lying to the Holy Spirit, and he and his wife were killed by God himself. Demas got his money by denying the faith, and he went to hell.

These first-century wicked landowners addressed by James lost everything when the war with Rome broke out during the years of AD 68 through 73. They should have listened to what Jesus said: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). (PGM) They should have heeded Paul’s admonition to masters to pay fair wages: “Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven [who will kill you]” (Col. 4:1). If you are an employer, you must find out what is a fair wage, because you are commanded by God to pay your workers fair wages.

3) The wicked rich lived a sinful lifestyle

James describes the lifestyle of the wicked rich: “You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter” (v. 5). Amos also speaks of it: “You lie on beds inlaid with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves. You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end” (Amos 6:4–7). Peter says, “They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood!” (2 Pet. 2:13–14).

These people were dressing themselves in royal purple and enjoying sumptuous feasts every day with their wicked rich friends. They would never invite poor people like Lazarus, who lay at the rich man’s gate: “At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores” (Luke 16:20–21). We are not told anyone gave him anything. There was feasting inside and suffering outside the gate of the wicked rich.

James says these rich people were living in luxury and self-indulgence. They pursued every form of the pleasures of sin. They satisfied their every sinful lust. They were unrestrained by the law of God. They did not seek the eternal pleasures of God that the psalmist spoke of: “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16:11, KJV).

Yet the most happy people on earth are the poor people of God. So we read in Hebrews 11, “[Moses] chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward” (vv. 25–26).

The wicked rich enjoy the pleasures of sin for a very little while; then they perish. The wicked rich are like cattle who are being fattened for imminent slaughter. Even on the very day of slaughter, cattle eat to the full, not knowing they will be killed the same day. The wicked rich live a life of luxury in the pursuit of the pleasures of sin. They have no time for God. They are too busy to go to a Bible-preaching church on Sunday morning. They spend all their time buying and selling, planting and harvesting, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, entertaining and being entertained—all of life. Paul tells us, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions” (Tit. 2:11–12). But the wicked rich says, “Yes! Yes!” to sin and worldly passions. And this grace teaches God’s people “to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” (v. 12). But the wicked rich say, “No! We will sin!”

Kings, presidents, and the rich live a soft life of luxury, a life of conspicuous consumption, without any self-denial. They are totally unaware of the judgment that is coming.

4) The wicked rich oppressed the poor believers

James says, “You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you” (v. 6). Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor believers, for theirs is the kingdom of God.” But the children of the devil oppose and oppress the people of God. Many Christians are being killed around the world even this day, and no one comes to their defense.

These wicked rich cheated the poor believers of their God-given land by using the courts, by bribing the judges, by legal assault. They cheated them of their wages; thus, they deprived them of their daily bread. In reality, they were murdering the righteous believers.

Consider the words of Joshua Ben Sira, a man who lived in the second century BC: “The bread of the needy is the life of the poor; whoever deprives them of it is a man of blood. To take a way a neighbor’s living is to murder him; to deprive an employee of his wages is to shed his blood” (Ecclesiasticus 34:21–22).² Yet the righteous did not oppose the rich, based on the words of Jesus. What did Jesus say? “But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matt. 5:39). Paul says the same thing: “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse” (Rom. 12:14).

Finally, the wicked opposed the Righteous One, Jesus Christ, and murdered him. Yet Christ died for our sins by divine decree. Wicked people also murdered Stephen, James the apostle, and James, the author of this epistle, in AD 62. They are murdering our brothers and sisters in this twenty-first century while the Western countries do nothing. So remember the words of Jesus. Keep this in mind, for the time is coming when they will oppose us too. Jesus said, “For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life” (Luke 21:15–19).

Soon the Righteous Judge will come to save his people and punish all the wicked, whether rich or poor.

The Judge

“The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty” (v. 4). The Righteous Judge is called here the Lord Sabaoth. The cries of the righteous have entered into the ears of the Lord of the angelic hosts of heaven. He is God Almighty. He sees all the sins of the wicked, and he will punish them on the last day.

The Lord Sabaoth is none other than our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. As we read in James 5:8, “You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.” We serve a mighty God. One angel of his army killed 185,000 soldiers of the Assyrian army of Sennacherib, who had mocked and defied the God of Israel. But Jesus Christ is given all authority in heaven and on earth: “Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son” (John 5:22). In Acts 10 we read, “’Christ commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead” (v. 42). We also read, “For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).

Did you say you don’t want to believe in Jesus Christ? He is coming to kill you. I have said this, and will say it again: There is no neutrality. Either you are on the side of Jesus Christ or you are under the control of the evil one.

The day of slaughter is coming. The day of burning is coming. The day of the Lord is imminent. He is the Lord Sabaoth, the Lord Almighty. Who can resist him? And even if he tarries, your own death is imminent. Don’t trust in wealth or brilliance or beauty or power. Repent and believe in the only Savior of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ, and be rich in God.

Luxury makes people fat, flabby, morally weak, and corrupt. What, then, should you do if you are wealthy? You should use your wealth to help the poor, especially those of the household of faith. Use your wealth for the propagation of the gospel. Hear what Jesus says to the church of Laodicea: “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see” (Rev. 3:17–18). And Paul says, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Tim. 6:17–19). They will enjoy great assurance of salvation, in other words.

To those who are rich, the counsel is: Don’t be proud. Don’t trust in uncertain wealth. Instead, trust in God, who richly provides all things for our enjoyment. Be rich in good deeds. Share your money generously so that you can have this great assurance that you are going to the very presence of God when you die. And may we all learn to say with Paul, “My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).

¹ “Misery” is plural in the Greek text.

² Quoted by Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of James, New Testament Commentary series (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1995), 162.