SPOILED
James 5:1-6
INTRODUCTION: “Spoil” has two meanings-both of which are applicable in this passage. The rich had spent their riches in self-indulgence (spoiling themselves). At the same time, their selfishness caused them to be hoarders. And because the rich were hoarding what they had accumulated their wealth has rotted (spoiled).
1) Spoiled happiness and spoiled riches (vs. 1-3).
• Your wealth has rotted away. James describes why they were going to be weeping and wailing-he saw where their selfish greed was going to take them. They would be brought to a place where what they trusted in would rot away. Part of the goods of the times would have been perishable things like food or clothing. They would build up and pack away and since they amassed more than they could use there was rot and decay. Their gold and silver became corroded. Among the ancients, the gold and silver which any one possessed was laid up in some secret and safe place. After sitting too long in a damp place the gold and silver would tarnish, contracting a dark color that resembled rust. All because they wanted it all to themselves and didn’t want to be rich toward anyone else. Luke 12:16-21.
• Their corrosion will eat your flesh like fire. That is, the rust or discoloration shall bear testimony against you that the money is not used as it should be, either in paying those to whom it is due, or in doing good to others. Fire, like wealth, is both useful and dangerous; depending on how it’s used. When we hoard our material goods, we don’t possess them, they possess us. Eventually, our love for them and our obsession with holding onto them consumes us; it eats away at us. The “eating away” aspect is described as being similar to our riches becoming “a canker that produces gangrenes and ulcers in their flesh, till it should be eaten away from their bones.” A young man was driving his BMW around a curve when he realized the car was out of control and about to plummet over a cliff. The young man jumped out, but in the process his left arm was severed from his body and stuck in the car as it crashed at the bottom. He stood there looking down at his burning BMW and said, “Oh, no! My car! My car!” A man, who had stopped to help, said, “Mister, you have just lost your left arm, and you’re crying about your car?” The young man looked down and said, “Oh no, my Rolex, my Rolex!” You have hoarded wealth. It’s not just the rich who are hoarders or misers. Any of us, regardless of our financial status can have the tendency to be this way. We hoard our “wealth”. We guard our possessions and are resistant to give to those who are in need. We find reasons why we need to hold onto what we have; just like a hoarder does. We could have 10 of something but we justify why we can’t give one of them to you. We stockpile our money instead of helping someone with a legitimate need. We stash our money instead of giving a portion of it to the church each Sunday. Perhaps we are all hoarders on some level. Corrie Ten Boom once said, "I have learned not to hold on to things in this life too tightly because it hurts when God pries my fingers loose from them." If we do this we won’t be spoiled.
2) Spoiled integrity (vs. 4).
• Withheld wages. The rich were taking advantage of and benefitting from the hard work of their employees but were withholding pay. In keeping wages from workers there is a lack of integrity and honesty. In this I have to ask myself, “Have I gained any of my wealth by dishonesty? Have I cheated anyone?” William Barclay writes that in Palestine the day laborer lived on the verge of starvation. His wage was small; it was impossible for him to save anything. Therefore, if his wage was held from him for the day, it meant he and his family would not eat. That’s why there were passages like Lev. 19:13 which says not to hold back the wages of a hired man. And Deuteronomy 24:14-15 which has to do with not taking advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy. And, Jeremiah 22:13 which says Woe to him who builds his place by unrighteousness and injustice, making his countrymen work for nothing. And in Mal. 3:5 God said he will pass judgment on those who defraud laborers of their wages. However, this principle applies to all of us, not just the rich boss. This deals with selfishness. This deals with looking out for oneself without giving thought for our fellow man. Prov. 3:27-28. Selfishness transcends socioeconomic status to include the rich, poor and middle class. Generosity isn’t about having enough to be generous with; it’s about being generous with what we do have. When we withhold our wealth it rots before our eyes but when we have a generous spirit others are blessed.
• The Lord hears our cries. Since the withheld wage meant that there would be no food for the day we can understand the reason for their cries. The cries that the Lord has heard are the cries of those who are hungry because they couldn’t eat today. The cries of mourners because their baby died of starvation. Perhaps the cries of those who were put out of their homes because they couldn’t pay the landlord. Perhaps you are here today and have felt oppressed. Perhaps you have been taken advantage of. Perhaps you have cried out to God in despair. You need not worry. The Lord hears you. Psalm 9:12 says that God does not ignore the cry of the afflicted. We don’t have to wonder if anyone notices or if anyone cares because we can rest assured that God does. Luke 18:1-8. If you’ve been crying out and have been wondering why God hasn’t delivered you yet take heart. Be patient and persistent, you will get justice. This verse also serves as a warning to those who are oppressing people, thinking that they can do it all day, every day because what are they going to do about it? The oppressed may not be able to take you down or take you out but the one who has heard their cries can. They oppressed have made their appeal to a higher authority and his power will do for them what they are powerless to do for themselves.
3) Spoiled lifestyle (vs. 5).
• Luxury and self-indulgence. James just said that he who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it sins. The rich boss sinned by not paying the workers what he should’ve and he sinned by fattening himself up and not being generous toward those in need. But really, this is how too many people in America are today. They have lived for personal pleasure. It’s not wrong to enjoy life and enjoy what God has given us. I don’t think it’s wrong to treat ourselves to something nice every once-in-a-while but we can certainly overdo it. And to indulge to the extent of amassing an excessive amount of material possessions while depriving others of the necessities of life is not right. John Jacob Astor said, “A man who has a million dollars is as well off as if he was rich.” News flash-if you have a million, you are rich. But, that would not be the case if I were comparing myself to someone who had 100 million. I wouldn’t think myself rich then. And so it is with us. Comparatively speaking, I would be considered exceedingly rich in many of the world’s nations. What some of us spend for our pleasures in one weekend could take care of an impoverished family for a month. All Americans, even those who are on P.A. are rich compared with most of the rest of the world. Yet we cry poor; we cry unfair. We’re conditioned to expect more. We demand to have more because we think we deserve it. And we are a country that is steeped in self-indulgence. We want to be comfortable; we want to be happy. We will spend oodles of money to eat well and be entertained but we have a problem sharing with others. 1st Tim. 6:17-19. Our focus needs to become being rich in good deeds, not in finances. We have the privilege to bless others.
• Fat for slaughter. They have fattened themselves and are unknowingly headed toward the slaughter house. They thought they were living high off the hog but they didn’t realize that they were the hog! And they were destined to face misery when the Lord Almighty intervened on behalf of the workers they were abusing. They would be weeping and wailing because the end in sight was not a happy one. There was this town that was having a wolf problem. They announced that there would be a bounty of $5,000 for each wolf captured alive. It turned Sam and Jed into fortune hunters. Day and night they scoured the mountains and forests looking for their valuable prey. Exhausted one night, they fell asleep dreaming of their potential fortune. Suddenly, Sam awoke to see about 50 wolves with flaming eyes and bared teeth surrounding them. He nudged his friend and said, Jed, wake up! We’re rich! Their desire to get rich unwittingly set the stage for their demise.
4) Spoiled lives (vs. 6). Because they were self-indulgers and hoarders and withholding wages from the poor they chose to spoil people’s lives. What’s sadder still is that these people weren’t doing damage to their enemies; they were harming those who were helping them! The workers were bringing gain to them but yet they were being unfairly treated like an enemy. The rich also used their influence and social standing to oppose the poor who dared to bring charges against them. “Condemn” is a judicial term and suggests that they may have perverted the legal processes to accumulate property and wealth. The wealthy often have political power and can buy what they want. You know the Golden Rule: ‘Whoever has the gold makes the rules!’ The destitute workers had the just cause, but the courts were controlled by the affluent. Therefore, the workers would’ve had no one to listen to them; no one who would be willing to hear their case and provide justice. Part of why the Lord hears their cries, is because he knew what it was like to have been wrongly accused and abused. Like Jesus had done before them, his people are now suffering unjustly. But those who are unjustly abused can take comfort in knowing that they share in a treatment, however minimal in comparison, to their Savior. And he will not ignore the oppressed; he will rescue them. Jesus knew what it was like for these workers.
5) Spoiled attitudes. This doesn’t mean the poor have good reason to despise the rich. We can read a passage like this and develop an attitude toward those who are wealthy. We conclude that all rich people are stuck-up and could care less about anyone but themselves. We stereotype and have attitudes toward anyone who has what we don’t. We conclude that rich people don’t understand what it’s like to be poor; that they had everything handed to them. This isn’t true. Many rich people have gotten where they are by the sweat of their brow; not because it was handed to them. And although some people got rich because it was handed to them, that’s really no different than the state of many “less fortunate” Americans today. They have had their “wealth” handed to them. It may not have come through their rich Uncle Art, but it did come through their rich Uncle Sam. But some people justify it and feel that they are owed this free money. They think they have the right to demand to be taken care of. I’m not talking about those who are legitimately disabled; that’s different. I’m talking about those who are able to better themselves but are choosing not to. They think that those who are better off should automatically just hand things over to them simply because they have it to give. This is the wrong attitude to have. No one owes you; no one is obligated to give to you because they have more than you. If I don’t want to help myself, if I have no ambition or motivation to improve my situation then it’s wrong for me to expect you to improve my situation. Why should I be helped when I’m not willing to help myself? If I expect you to take care of me without being responsible to try to help myself then it would actually be wrong for you to help me. Instead of having a spoiled attitude I need to rise above the challenges, work hard and make an honest living; much like many of those whom I have an attitude towards.
