The Judge is standing at the door! - James 5:9
Briefly recalling his admonishments about harmful speech (see notes on James 3:1-12 and 4:11-12), James warns his
brothers and sisters not to
complain or
grumble like the Exodus community did in the wilderness (cf. Numbers 11, 14) as they journeyed towards the land of promise. Reminding them, “
the Judge is standing at the door,” James draws on Jesus’ teaching that the final vindication of the righteous is certain and imminent (cf. Lk 18:1-8).
Persevere - James 5:10-11
James uses two Old Testament examples to encourage patience and discourage complaining. First, though
prophets preached the Lord’s word in obscurity, and were persecuted (Matt. 5:12; 23:34; Acts 7:52; Heb. 11:32–38), they did not complain, but trusted in the Lord. The righteous and wise man
Job was afflicted in ways that would make anyone wish for death (Job 1:21, 22; 2:10), but persevered in looking for vindication from God. A wise and faithful community will follow the same path, looking to their
compassionate and merciful Lord to set things right on the last day.
Oaths - James 5:12
Drawing yet again from Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount (see Matt. 5:33-37), James warns against swearing
oaths by heaven, God’s throne, or the earth, its footstool in order to avoid
condemnation. Oaths are not inherently sinful, because God binds himself to oaths (Acts 2:30; Heb. 3:11, 18; 4:3; 6:13, 16; 7:21; Rev. 10:6). But, oaths should not be frivolous and are less necessary in communities where a person’s
yes means yes and no means no. See
WCF 21.5, 22.2; a 99, 102.
Wisdom and Prayer. - James 5:13-18
James closes his letter by orienting the hearts of the Christian community towards God in prayer at all times, in all circumstances. Whether in trials or prosperity, the wise seek God’s guidance, provision and ultimate vindication together.
Pray, sing, sick - James 5:13-14
Whether a member of the congregation is
suffering, or they are
cheerful, James directs both to God in prayers of petition and praise, respectively. After this general instruction, James addresses the
sick specifically. First, a sick member should call the
elders of the community to
pray over him or her. Elders are synonymous with overseers or bishops (Acts 20:17, 28; Tit. 1:5, 7; 1 Pet. 5:1-2), who are called by God to intercede regularly for the congregation (see Acts 6:3-4)). Second, the elders should
anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. While olive oil had a common medicinal purpose in the ancient world (see Mk 6:13 and Lk 10:34), anointing was also symbolic of the Holy Spirit’s presence and blessing. The consecration of people and objects with oil was required in the Old Testament (Ex. 40:13, 15; Num. 3:3). Thus, James instructs the leaders of the church to consecrate the sick person for God’s purposes. Doing so
in the name of the Lord attributes the healing power to the Lord and not to the oil or to the elders.
Prayer offered in faith - James 5:15-16
Echoing how the wise ask in faith and not with doubt (see notes on 1:7-8), the
prayer of faith refers to the intercession of the elders and the entire community as they pray for their sick brothers and sisters. Throughout his letter, James has been offering wise sayings, proverbial observations about what generally happens to the righteous and to the foolish. The
prayer of faith is not a formula for or a guarantee of healing, but prayers of confession and petitions for healing usually result in both physical and spiritual blessing. Acknowledging the holistic nature of our humanity and of God’s reign over all dimensions of life, James realizes there is often a correlation between sickness and sin (Prov. 3:12; 1 Cor. 11:29-30; Heb. 12:6). Yet, when
righteous people pray, it is
strong advocacy before God, because He inclines his ear to the righteous (cf. Ps 34:15; 1 Pet 3:12).
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