DRAFT ONLY

Introduction
      In this small section of the letter of James, the writer takes time to denounce the exploiting activities of the rich. He is not denouncing wealth as such, rather he is attacking wealth obtained by corruption. He attacks ill-gotten gains and the motivations that drive us to those ends. So, the passage is a further expose of unrighteous behavior, which is the product of a "useless" faith.
      The passage is closely linked to a list of other sins outlined in 4:13-17. There is the defamation of fellow Christians, v11-12, and the presumption of status, v13-17. We certainly shouldn't fail to take note of v14, "You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." Status seems to fade in the face of such a truth.
      This package of sins is preceded by a very important passage, 4:6-10. The central truth of this passage is that God "gives grace to the humble." James lists sins which exist within the Christian fellowship and which expose the danger of a superficial faith. The faith that has no substance, a faith that cannot save, is a religious faith which does not issue in deeds of love. Such a religious faith is evidenced by a willingness to defame fellow believers, by a willingness to boast about ones status in the fellowship, and by a willingness to disadvantage others for ones own financial advantage. James calls on his readers to look at their lives and witness the corruption of their ways and fall in repentance before the living God. "Submit yourselves, then, to God .... Wash your hand's you sinners". If we are not to slander one another, be a status seeker or be enslaved by our possessions, then we must "Humble ourselves before the Lord , and he will lift us up". It is when we submit ourselves to God that we can "resist the devil, and he will flee from" us.
      So then, James seeks to expose a fruitless false faith which can only lead to destruction. At the same time he directs his readers to the grace of God for both salvation and the power to begin to live for God.
      One wonders whether the criticisms leveled in this passage are directed to believers or unbelievers. On this issue of wealth, it is possible he is directing his words to either his fellow Jewish believers or to his fellow Jews. It could be a poke at the wealthy Jews of Jerusalem. Even though James is a member of the Jewish sect of the "Way" (Christianity), he is none the less a Jew and as a members of God's historic people he has every right to speak to his fellow Jews. In a sense his words would then take on the nature of Prophecy. The rich and powerful of Jerusalem, those who persecute the Church and exploit the poor, have little time left. The hand of judgment hangs over them and soon their wealth will be as dust. Yet it does seem more likely that his words are directed to the wealthy members of the Christian fellowship. That would be the most natural reading.

The passage
      In v1 James directs his words to those who have gained their wealth by exploitation.
      Firstly, v2-3, he outlines a word of judgment about to come upon them. It is a horrible judgment. Note how James actually puts it in the past tense. It is already upon those who have gained their wealth through exploiting the poor. Note also the way wealth is identified. For a first century man the symbols of wealth could be seen in silver, gold and clothes. For us there are other symbols. It simple terms then, James' word is this; those who seek fulfillment in the now through the things of this world, stolen from those who have even less of this worlds things, will lose all in the coming day of judgment. In fact, such is a stupid way to live. Why hoard wealth for the last day so that someone else can take it from you?
      James now details the charge he has against the wealthy, v4-6.
      First, v4. Not only have they failed to show compassion toward the poor, but they have actually exploited them. The evil rich have used the effort of the poor to gain wealth for themselves. They have not paid just wages. The law of God demands a just recompense for a worker's expended effort. To do otherwise is to cause a hurt which in the end reaches the ear of God. The Scriptures are clear on this issue and thus the wealthy have no excuse. "He murders his neighbor who deprives him of his living, and he who defrauds a hireling of his wages is a shedder of blood", Lev.12:13, Deut.24:15, Jer.22:13, Mal.3:5.
      Second, v5-6. The rich have set themselves up in extravagant luxury while other have nothing. And worse still, it is a luxury gained by the exploitation and suffering of others. Again, such behavior is stupid, for all they are doing is fattening themselves for plunder.

Exploitation
      It is not easy in a complex society like ours to draw the line between enjoying a just share of the bounty of God's creation and over indulging in wealth. Usually we see the class above us as the indulgers, but rarely ourselves. Nor is it easy to draw the line between exploitation and just recompense. If we are workers we tend to see ourselves as the exploited poor, while if we are the bosses we tend to see ourselves as the real workers exploited by the lazy.
      It is clear that exploitation is rampant in our society, Only in the Kingdom of Heaven will greed no longer drive us. While we are here there is no hope whatsoever that exploitation could be legislated away. Initially it was the early industrialists who took the running on exploitation. Now big Government and big Unions get into the running as well. While the big boys are in there for their cut, we have our little go as well - if you can't beat them join them.
      The Company says, "Greed is good", so its "what the market will bare." The Union says, "how much can we squeeze out of the bosses". The Government says, "what new tax can we get out of them before they throw us out of power". (If only they would give us a four year term we could tax the pants off them for at least two years before we had to start playing the nice guy).
      The Biblical concept of just recompense has long since been lost in our society. People are no longer rewarded on the basis of their responsible contribution to society or their employer. Governments reward the irresponsible and the lazy while thieving (tax) from the thrifty and the diligent. Big business rewards the Union with the most muscle while charging the consumer the extra costs incurred. These days we charge the consumer that they can't afford, so that we can provide the finance to pay for what they could have afforded if the product had been fairly priced in the first place.
      The mega wealthy in Australia have gained their wealth through exploitation. Many of them have made it through the manipulation of the property market. Normal Australians have financed the mega wealthy by paying prices inflated by orchestrated supply and demand pressures. In all this, Governments have stood by and applauded the lives of the nouveau rich. From the planes of Canberra little can be seen.
      Through working hard and being diligent and thrifty we should be able to accumulate enough of this worlds wealth to satisfy our desires. Nothing more is asked of us other than not exploiting others in the process, and being willing to share something of our abundance with those who are less fortunate (not with those who won't work). The issue before us is how we accumulate our wealth and what motivates us to that end. If our wealth is gained at the expense of others then our wealth is corrupt. Just recompense must always be our aim. A fair days work for a fair days pay.

      Our passage for study reminds us of the following:
        1. The stupidity of hoarding. v1-3. The things of this world are subject to decay, so it is best to use what we have before we have little to use. cf. Matt.25:25-30, Luke.19:20-27.
        2. The sin of legal theft. v4. It is not a nice situation to find people who proclaim their religion, but who don't even pay their staff a fair recompense. They do not fulfill their honest obligations because they want to get more of this worlds things.
        3. The trap of pleasure. v5. As Richard Holloway puts it, "The pursuit of pleasure for its own sake is always ultimately unsatisfying... and becomes addictive." The reason for this is that if we "pursue pleasure we fail to get it", and this because you cannot "separate pleasure from the act that gives it." The person who exploits does so for self-pleasing. Such is selfish greed and, in the end, is not satisfying.
        4. Exploitation is as good as murder. v6. To manipulate the structure of a society from a position of power, eg. the legal system, so as to deprive the poor of the little they have to add to the excess of the rich, is as good as murder. In God's eyes it is that serious.

      It is not easy for a believer to function untainted from the materialism of this world. If we do find ourselves in the "pleasure trap", willing to exploit for self-pleasing, then we need to humble ourselves before the Lord. "Come near to God and he will come near to you" and "he will lift you up."