25.6

Rich and Poor in James (Box 25.7)

 

 

The Poor

• the lowly (1:9)
• orphans and widows (1:27)
• persons dressed in dirty clothes or naked (2:2, 15)
• those who lack daily food (2:15)
• day laborers defrauded of wages (5:4)
• dishonored by those who show partiality (2:3–4, 6, 9)
• will be raised up (1:9)
• focus of concern for pure and undefiled religion (1:27)
• bodily needs will be met by believers whose faith is not dead (2:14–17)
• chosen by God to be rich in faith (2:5)
• heirs of the kingdom promised to those who love God (2:5)
• cries have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts (5:4)

The Rich

• persons with gold rings and fine clothes (2:2)
• receive preferred treatment even in the church (2:3)
• live in luxury and pleasure (5:5)
• plan for a year how to do business and make money (4:13)
• oppress others and drag them into court (2:6)
• blaspheme the name of Christ (2:7)
• defraud workers of fair wages (5:4)
• condemn and murder the righteous, who do not resist (5:6)
• will disappear like a flower in the field (1:10)
• a mist that appears for a while and then vanishes (4:14)
• should boast in being brought low (1:10)
• should weep and wail for the miseries coming to them (5:1)
• riches will rot and clothes will be moth-eaten (5:2)
• gold and silver will rust and eat their flesh like fire (5:3)
• have fattened their hearts in a day of slaughter (5:5)