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).
Elijah - James 5:17-18
Offering yet another illustration from the Old Testament, James reminds his readers of the prophet
Elijah, a human being like everyone else. However, because he
prayed earnestly and lived righteously, the Lord granted his request for a drought to punish King Ahab and for the
rain to return (1 Kings 17-18). James’ point is that Elijah had the same means of grace that is available to all who are wise -- prayer. See
WCF 21.3-4, 6;
WLC 178-196.
Concluding Exhortation. - James 5:19-20
In these final verses, James urges his readers to care for each other, safeguarding and redirecting wayward members away from foolish practices that undermine their character and community back to the way of wisdom.
Wander from the truth - James 5:19
To
wander from the truth refers back to the beginning of the letter and the
word of truth in 1:18. Throughout his letter, James has addressed the whole community correcting specific ways in which they either have or are able to wander from the ways of wisdom into sinful, destructive practices. See
WCF 17;
WLC 79;
CD 5.1-5.
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