Daily Devotions
James
"Your riches are corrupted..."
Text: James 5:2
A STERN WORD
James was not one who sugar-coated his words. He was most direct and forthright when he addressed problems that were brought to his attention.
“Come now, you rich, weep and howl
for your miseries that are coming upon you!
Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.
Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion
will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire.
You have heaped up treasure in the last days.”
James 5:1-3
1. “Come now, you rich”
a) Few dared to address the rich in this manner.
b) James was bold when he wrote this stern word to warn the rich.
2. The problem was not being wealthy
a) The problem was how they amassed such wealth.
b) The root was the problem of corruption.
3. Features of wealth
a) “Garments are moth-eaten”
i) The poor do not have this problem because they do not own many clothes.
ii) The rich have so many clothes that they lay in disuse and consequently were moth-eaten.
b) “Your gold and silver are corroded”
i) These were caches of actual gold and silver pieces.
ii) The rich had so much that some were corroded because they were not in use.
4. Warning of judgment
a) They will be punished with “miseries”.
b) The corrupt rich will not escape Divine justice.
5. Witnesses against the rich
a) Their moth-eaten garments will testify against them.
b) The corrosion of their horde of gold and silver will also testify against them.
6. “You have heaped up treasures in the last days”
The “last days” was an expression used to describe “the end of the age” when the Lord Jesus returns. The corrupt rich obviously were not concerned about the last days, judging by the way they hoarded their wealth.