Yesterday our devotion was “The Love of Money” we saw exhibited by the men in James 5. They obviously loved money, they had gotten it wrongfully, used it wrongfully, and we saw where these actions will lead to in the end.
Let me make it clear that the Bible does not discourage the acquiring of wealth. All throughout the Bible, we see the respect for personal property and private gain is maintained. We need to keep in mind we are given what we have to be used to minister to others and bring glory to God. However, it does condemn gaining by exploiting others. In James 5:4 they were holding back wages that were owed to their workers.
James 5:4 “Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.”
God strictly forbids this in several passages. The master was not to take advantage of someone that worked for him. They had been promised a certain amount, and that is what they should receive. The workers completed their work but had not been paid, and the tense of the verb “kept back” indicates that the laborers will never get what is due them. Understand that this violates the commandment “Thou shalt not steal.”
Deuteronomy 24:14 “Thou shalt not oppress a hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates:”
Now, before you write this passage off, and move on, there are a few things you need to consider. Let’s make an application where we live. If you have bills, you fit in this passage. If you have electricity, you hire an electric company, phone bill, credit card, house, or any other bill – you are an employer. Just like a boss pays his employees we need to pay our bills and pay them on time. All we do or say will be a reflection on our Master. We are either building up or tearing down the reputation of Jesus. When we say we will pay by a certain time it’s a very bad testimony to not do it. You have become a liar and a cheat.
I know sometimes there are situations that come up that we cannot avoid. If you can’t pay on time you must go and talk with those you owe. You must do without other things you don’t have to have, be an honest person, and pay your bill. For instance, I remember a lady coming to my house because she wanted to borrow some money to pay an electric bill. She claimed she had no money, yet every time I saw her she held a McDonald’s coke and her child was eating a “happy meal.” That was not a wise move!
Another method the rich used to gain wealth was to control the courts. James 5:6a “Ye have condemned and killed the just;” It was very much like our system today. They served under a modified golden rule “whoever has the gold makes the rules!” They usually have political power and get what they want. When God established Israel as a nation, He gave them a system of courts. He warned the judges not to be greedy, they were not to be partial to the rich or the poor, and bribery was strictly condemned! However, in James day it was easy to control the courts if you had enough money. The rich could get the best lawyers so those who were cheated were left with no help. The poor were not able to hire a lawyer so they stayed poor. Justice was not justice.
Today we live in a system very much like this. Almost daily we see corruption in government. Those that are guilty are put out of office and another is put in. It may get better for a brief time but usually, the injustice returns to hurt the innocent.
As Christians, it is our responsibility to be fair and honest with all those with whom we deal and to champion the cause for those who are mistreated.
