I can't think of any better way to start the new year than studying the word of God. James gives us wonderful advice for beginning the new year by reminding us that we are commanded to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
Yesterday he spoke of discrimination that was happening even in the church. Those with wealth and influence were being treated with favoritism while those who were poor were being pushed aside. This is where we pick up this morning. "Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?" (James 2:5) The Lord has a great deal of concern and compassion for the poor. He has given many instructions regarding the poor in the holy Scriptures. The Lord is the protector of the poor, "'Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise,' says the Lord. 'I will protect them from those who malign them.'" (Psalm 12:5) The Lord is a refuge for the poor, "You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge." (Psalm 14:6) The Lord is the rescuer of the poor, "My whole being will exclaim, 'Who is like You, Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them." (Psalm 35:10) The Lord is the Savior of the poor, "The good news is proclaimed to the poor." (Matthew 11:15, Luke 4:18, Luke 7:22) We sin against the Lord when we discriminate against the poor.
James isn't saying that God is more concerned with the salvation of the poor than with the salvation of the rich. But James knows how the world works. He knows the wealthy are often given preferential treatment, even in the church sometimes. If the wealthy are given the best seats in the house, and if the poor are pushed to the fringes of the crowd, are the poor even going to be able to hear the message that's being preached? In James's day they didn't have microphones and amplifiers that enabled every person in the building to hear the gospel clearly. But just because we have those things today doesn't mean it doesn't matter how we treat the poor who come into the building. There are other ways of crowding people out than by seating them far from the pulpit. Crowding them out of our hearts is where we first begin to go wrong, and when we crowd them out of our hearts our actions will soon show it. "But you have dishonored the poor." (James 2:6a)
Now the apostle reminds his readers that some of the wealthy people they are flattering and fawning over have actually obtained their wealth by dishonest means. "Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of Him to whom you belong?" (James 2:6b-7) The Lord Jesus spoke of the corruption of the wealthy religious leaders of Jerusalem and He spoke out against their oppression of the poor. It could be sects such as the Pharisees and Sadducees that James refers to in verses 6 and 7, for they could certainly be referred to as those who blaspheme the name of Christ. The majority of them never believed in the Lord Jesus, yet believers sometimes courted the favor of these wealthy and influential people. Remember, James is writing his letter to Jewish Christians. James lives in Jerusalem himself and daily observes the way those who are unscrupulous are exploiting the poor. So naturally he wants to know, "Why do you give these men the best seats in the house when they show up at your assemblies? They are probably not there to learn about Christ but to spy on you or stir up trouble. These are the same men who pervert justice in the courts and who don't care about the poverty of the widow and the orphan. These are the men who have rejected the Lord you serve."
I know quite a few people who are wealthy and who love the Lord with all their hearts, so James isn't saying it's a sin to be wealthy. If the Lord has blessed you in material ways, give thanks to Him and use your blessings to be a blessing to others. If you are not very well off, don't harbor envy or resentment toward those who are wealthy. The Lord is able to bless you spiritually in ways some of the wealthy will never know, for you have to remain close to Him at all times while you bring your daily financial needs to Him. Especially don't envy those who have become wealthy through dishonest means, for as the psalmist Asaph said after the Lord revealed to him that his envy of the wicked wealthy was wrong, "Surely You place them on slippery ground; You cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! They are like a dream when one awakes; when You arise, Lord, You will despise them as fantasies." (Psalm 73:18-20)
If we want to live in a way that pleases the Lord, we have to obey Him, and James reminds us of what He has said, "If you really keep the royal law of Scripture, 'Love your neighbor as yourself,' you are doing right." (James 2:8) This quote is from Leviticus 19:18. James is speaking to Jews and so he quotes one of the laws they know by heart. He is speaking to Jews who have become Christians and so he reminds them that the law of love was taken by Christ and put forth as a new commandment, or as an eleventh commandment if you want to look at it that way, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35)
What's the best way to have a blessed new year? We must obey the command of the Lord and love each other. If we love our neighbors as ourselves we will naturally treat them as Christ would have us treat them, for as the Apostle Paul said, "Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." (Romans 13:10)
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