Daily Devotions
James
"But you have dishonoured the poor man."
Text: James 2:6
HONOURING THE POOR
James wrote to remind his readers that God honours those who love Him, even though they may be poor. The Lord never merely looks on the outside. He looks at the heart!
DISHONOURING THE POOR
Unfortunately, the poor have been despised simply because they are poor. And the rich are honoured simply because they are wealthy. James addressed this problem forthrightly.
“But you have dishonoured the poor man.
Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?
Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?”
James 2:6-7
1. “But you have dishonoured the poor man”
a) The dishonouring of the poor man was uncalled for.
b) The shabby treatment of the poor was certainly reprehensible.
2. A grim reminder of the activities of “the rich”
a) “Do not the rich oppress you”
i) The rich in this context refers to those who are non-believers.
ii) The rich could be unscrupulous in their dealings with the poor.
iii) They were not beyond being oppressive towards the poor.
b) “And drag you into the courts”
i) The rich made use of the law courts in their favour.
ii) Judges could be easily bribed to decide against the poor.
iii) The poor had little means to protect themselves against the rich.
c) “Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called”
i) The rich had no regard for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
ii) They abused the name of the Lord freely.
iii) They could even blaspheme the name of the Lord Jesus Christ without any qualms.
NO SENSE IN HONOURING THE RICH
To James, it made no sense to honour the rich simply because they were wealthy! The people to be honoured must never be measured against their wealth. This is especially so when the rich do not know the Lord and they dishonour His name through blasphemy!
THOSE WHO ARE WORTHY OF HONOUR
The Scriptures teach us that those who have faith are honoured by the Lord (Hebrews 11:6). We learn also that the Lord honours those who love Him (James 2:5). Let us learn how to give honour to those whom God will honour.