This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
James – Wisdom is Faith in Action 12 – Patience In Suffering – Daily Wisdom
/:James: Wisdom is Faith In Action – Patience in Suffering
Suffering. So join me on page:James 5:7-12
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. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 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.
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.
Suppressing the Revenge Reflex
We’ve all experienced the hurt of mistreatment and misunderstanding. Such hurts come in various forms— an intolerable working situation, domestic conflicts, overbearing parents, rebellious children, a treacherous friend, a petty parishioner, and a gossipy neighbor. Our natural tendency is to retaliate—to return evil for evil, an eye for an eye. Or we bottle it up and allow a slow, bubbling ferment. (Shake a bottle of pop) But God has a better idea than either bottling up or bursting out! James reveals this alternative. He tells us what to do when we’ve been wronged and how to do it.
James 5:7 simultaneously connects and contrasts with the previous section. First, James changes his audience from “you rich people” (5:1) to brothers and sisters (5:7). You will remember that James addressed oppressive wealthy people in 5:1-6, exposing their wrongs and calling for repentant humiliation in light of the coming judgment of God. Now, beginning in 5:7, James addresses the victims of their ugliness: Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming.
James continues with the theme of Christ’s coming in judgment when he returns a second time. While persecutors should fear Christ’s coming, believers, anticipate it through patiently enduring suffering. Don’t miss that James has shifted to believers in this section. The man without Christ is frustrated if he tries to bring patience into persecution, mistreatment, or everyday afflictions. Yet, through the work of the Holy Spirit, the believer has the supernatural ability to endure the miseries of life, whether mild or extreme. How valuable is patience!
The appeal to “be patient” in 5:7 governs the rest of chapter 5 until the end of James. It’s the faith-inspired response to a variety of circumstances Christians must endure in this world, from putting up with suffering (5:7-11) to responding to sickness (5:14-15), from the temptation to flippancy (5:12) to the treatment of those who have strayed into sin (5:19-20). Finally, James answers a simple question in this section: “How can I do right when I’ve been done wrong?” (post). He answers this underlying question with four commands—two positives to embrace and two negatives to avoid.
Be patient. (POST) James illumines the first answer to responding right when we’ve been wronged with an illustration. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. Christians should “be patient” (5:8). The word translated patience comes from the Greek word makrothymeö, referring to the ability to wait in tranquility. In today’s vernacular, James says, “When something unjust takes place, have a long fuse. Don’t blow your top. Just Chill, or as Dad used to say, Hang Loose.”
But let’s face it, and we would instead take our offenders by the throat. God has a better plan: that we wait on Him. What does that mean? In the most ultimate sense, when Christ returns, He will mete justice on those who have persecuted His people (5:7). But patiently waiting on the Lord also has a here-and-now application. God has a way of working out His purposes and plans on an everyday scale, just as He will work out His grand plan on a cosmic scale. So, being patient in adverse circumstances means we deliberately allow God to handle the situation in His way and in His own time. Like the farmer waiting for a harvest, be patient.
Since most of us do not farm for a living, and even then, we can water the crops, we miss the meaning of the Autumn and Spring Rains.
JAMES 5:7
For thousands of years, farmers in the Holy Land have experienced an annual cycle of dry and rainy seasons. The dry season, running roughly from June through September, parched the soil. The rainy season, however, quenches the land in two six-week periods in October and November (the “autumn rains”) and then again in April and May (the “spring rains”). The autumn rains would allow the seeds to germinate. After a long wait, the spring rains would cause the plants to take root and grow. While the land was in its dry season for those five months, the farmers eagerly watched the skies for God to send rain and produce a bountiful crop. By their very occupation, farmers must be patient to survive.
the Old Testament Law (Deut.:ed down with pressures. Psalm: . I get the name from Genesis:
” vision, but “:
So we have had two positive commands, Be Patient and Stand Firm (point to signs)
Now let’s move on 5:9-10 and look at two to avoid
Don’t grumble. The third answer to how believers should respond to suffering, concerns our actions toward those around us. When your circumstances try your patience and you feel discouraged and frustrated by external pressures, the subsequent tendency is to grumble. Here, James refers to a more insidious phenomenon than silently holding a grudge against those who have wronged us. He warns us not to groan, grumble, or complain “against one another” (5:9).
Isn’t it odd that when a family, business, or church suffers hardship, the community members sometimes internalize their aggression and turn on each other? Or they turn on their leadership. Or they turn on their children, employees, or pets! So we vent our frustrations on those around us. On the outside, we may appear to have patience amid suffering, but on the inside, we’ve become a tightly wound spring, exploding at the slightest touch on those nearest us. (Just like this bottle of Pop exploding on you)
James has already dealt with the results of this complaining spirit in 4:11-12. The one who speaks against or judges a fellow Christian will be subject to the judgment of God (4:12). Equally serious, those who point fingers and complain against others will be subject to the disciplining hand of God (5:9). The Judge is Standing by the door! We’ve already seen that God doesn’t judge believers with condemnation or hell (Romans 8:1). However, He doesn’t let our bitterness and lousy behavior go without discipline, just as a loving father disciplines his children for their good (Hebrews 12:5-11).
The ancient Hebrew prophets serve as an example to us of how to suffer with patience (James 5:10). “Prophets” often refer not merely to the prophetic office—people like Isaiah and Daniel—but also to the whole cast of Old Testament figures who spoke and acted on behalf of God (Matthew 5:17; Romans 1:2). Next, James zooms in on perhaps the greatest example of patient endurance under excruciating suffering —Job. Though Job endured incomprehensible personal, financial, and physical losses, he refused to give in to the revenge reflex, demonstrating his real faith through genuine patience. Finally, James reminds us that Job’s suffering was temporary, eventually giving way to an abundant blessing that reflected the compassion and mercy of God (James 5:11). In the same way, those who patiently endure hardship today without grumbling can rely on God’s promise of ultimate reward and blessing, whether in this life or the life to come. Grumbling or complaining is one habit worth breaking this year!
The return of Christ, the judgments and rewards of God, and the coming of the kingdom are repeated themes in James’s letter. Look for them the next time you read through James.
(Point to the previous posts)
Let us now look at verse 12. Do not swear. This final command related to how we should respond when we’ve been wronged refers to our tendency to make rash decisions and promises under duress. The word “swear” (omnyö) doesn’t refer primarily to the use of profanity. Instead, it means to “take an oath,” to grasp onto something with our words. It’s calling God into the circumstance and presenting Him to give validity to your commitments. For example, “I swear by God I’m not lying!” Or, “Before God, I’ll do this.” Or, “As God is my witness, this will never happen!” or as country fold would say, “I swear on a stack of Bibles,” or I swear on my momma's grave.” As with several points in his letter, James got his teaching on oaths from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount:
Matthew 5:34-37 But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.
We don’t know enough about the historical situation to determine exactly why they took oaths. However, we know his Jewish Christian readers were caught between Jewish and Gentile persecutors. They endured extreme religious, cultural, and economic pressures to deny Christ in their words or deeds. It may be that James’s prohibition of oath-taking related to going back on their confession of faith in Christ—or swearing allegiance to others outside the church. In this context, swearing would bring significant personal benefits—lessening suffering, persecution, hardship, or trial. But the cost would be abandoning their Savior.
I see in all this an appeal to simplicity of speech. Respond to the circumstances with a simple “yes” or “no.” Answer succinctly and with authenticity. Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are full of exhortations to limit our speech. Regarding the challenging circumstances, we find ourselves in; we’re wise to avoid long explanations, detailed excuses, and especially pious spiritualizing. This kind of overanalysis leads to stumbling in our words. We’ll find ourselves bringing God into circumstances to play a role on our terms. We’ll fall into the trap of making deals with God, promising Him all sorts of unnecessary things if He lightens the load. In the process, we think we’ve figured out what’s causing the suffering—and how we can weasel out of it. Resist this temptation to over-spiritualize and overanalyze.
Instead, stay quiet, sit back, and let God work out His purpose. Have patience.
APPLICATION: JAMES 5:7-12
In 5:7-12, James answers a simple question: “How can I do right when I’ve been done wrong?” (post) His answer comes in the form of four commands: be patient (5:7-8), Stand firm with courage (5:8), don’t grumble or complain (5:9-11), and don’t swear (5:12). In light of these practical exhortations, let me suggest four easy-to-understand applications.
First, don’t focus on the situation, or you’ll get angry. Instead, be patient! Yes, you’ve been wronged. Yes, you could express your anger through retaliation. But don’t. Resist the revenge reflex and let it go. Be patient.
principle (Genesis:Third, don’t focus on someone to blame, or you’ll grumble and complain. Instead, view others as a means God uses to shape your life. Just as the perpetrators of wrong are tools for your spiritual growth, those God has placed over you, around you, and under you can be tools to teach patient endurance. So don’t redirect your wrath toward them. Don’t put them down with your complaining, bitter spirit. Don’t shift the blame on others. Instead, view others as a means God uses to shape your inner person.
Fourth, don’t focus on the present. Instead, look to the future for insight. This is a challenging principle to apply when you’re in a crisis. So consider memorizing a few key verses to stitch this idea into the fabric of your heart.
Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. (Romans 8:18) (POST)
For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)
So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. (1 Peter 1:6-7)
Make this perspective found in these three passages change your mindset.
I don’t know what’s in store for you or me in the following weeks, months, and years. Neither do you. But God knows. It may be a court summons you don’t deserve. It may be an unwarranted rebuke from an employer—or an unexpected layoff. It may be a neighbor who causes you prolonged grief over some triviality. It may be a spouse who walks out, a child who rebels, or a parent who treats you like garbage. Whatever may come, the practical advice in James can get you through. Be patient. Stand firm with courage. Don’t hold a grudge. Don’t scheme to get out from under it.
Next week, we will explore our 2nd lesson in James about patience, Patience Through Prayer. I encourage you to read James 5:13-18. Then the following week, we will have our last lesson on James Patience in Correction. James 5:19-20