seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
James 5:1 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.
Here's the link to the commentary. The wages of the laborers… you kept back by fraud: They had withheld the wages of their laborers. They lived indulgently without regard for others (as the man in Jesus’ story about the rich man and Lazarus, Luke 16:19-31). They had condemned and murdered from their position of power.
“Deferring payment is a sort of defrauding, as it bereaves the creditor of the benefit of improvement; and so they are taxed here with injustice, as well as covetousness, in that they lived upon other men’s labours, and starved the poor to enrich themselves.” (Poole)
I've heard of people like this. There's more than one man in particular, roaming the earth today.... who would rather file suits against people rather than pay them what is due. This man claims to be really rich, but he spends a lot of his time with his team of ever changing, non-paid, lawyers trying to get out of paying his debts. He claims to be rich and famous.... and people treat him like he has tons of money.... but he's finding it harder and harder to find a lawyer.This man, who is roaming the earth today, would pay his debts by putting people in powerful positions so they can "rule" the way he wants them to rule. His "contributions" to the judges keeps him from being indicted here on earth.
We see it on TV all the time. It's a common theme on the Western Channel shows. The rich man owns the town.... and he'll hire an "enforcer" to make sure it stays that way. Accidents or law suits, take your pick, will happen to those who would stand up to him. Why he'd throw his own mother out on the street if she didn't pay her rent on the first day of the month. He'd put his own daughter in the saloon so the other man can ogle at her, like Herrod and his step daughter, so his buddies will happily leave him and his business alone.
When this man meets Jesus face to face, however, he will find that Jesus isn't intrigued at all by riches. Jesus was there when that gold was formed in the earth. He knows how to make His own gold, that outshines anything on earth. He knows the formula.
Jesus will be the prosecuting attorney at this rich man's "judgement". The rich man can't bargain with putting lawyers on the bench... Jesus is bigger and badder than any judge someone can buy. Jesus will lay out the rich man's crimes.... and the rich man will beg those he robbed to see it his way... but Jesus is the prosecuting attorney... and the rich man's money is not enticing to Him. After all, Jesus lives in Heavenly Excellence... What could a human offer Him?
What goes around comes around.
Isaiah 3:11 Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them! They will be paid back for what their hands have done.
The rich man will beg.
