seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
James 5:7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.
This is from the commentary.Do not swear: Many Jewish people in the time James wrote made distinctions between “binding oaths” and “non-binding oaths.” Oaths that did not include the name of God were considered non-binding, and to use such oaths was a way of “crossing your fingers behind your back” when telling a lie. It is these kinds of oaths that James condemned.
All I can think of this morning is a little boy wiggling in his shoes with his mom holding his hand saying "I didn't do it mommy, I swear!". It's the same as if he was saying "I promise" just to get mom to stop being angry with him. Little kids learn what "I promise" means from their parents. The point isn't the swearing.... it's the lying. The point isn't the swearing.... James is talking about ripping people off.
I think Jesus had to be really patient with his siblings. After all, He could do everything better than they could. No wonder they wanted to throw Him off a cliff. Now James must have a better understanding of His big brother. He's calling for us to be more like his big brother.
You know.... Joseph's brothers threw him in a pit, because he told them he had a dream that they would bow to him one day. Maybe James is thinking how lucky he is that he and his brothers didn't actually throw Jesus off the cliff.
It must have been hard to hold the Christian Church together when Jesus didn't return right away. They were expecting Jesus to return and lead them like a "king". They were expecting Jesus to take care of them.... feed and heal them... as He had before. Every day... it must have been harder to stay faithful. Every day... They waited to see Him round the corner. Every day they waited to see Him and His army of Angels take on the Romans and the Greeks and anyone else who wasn't part of their church.
He's coming back.... I swear!
