Thursday, May 14 — The Wages That Cry Out
James doesn't soften his words for the rich. And the part that should make us all stop is verse 4 — the unpaid wages of workers crying out to God.
James 5:1-11 — KJV 1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. 3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. 4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. 5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. 6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you. 7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. 9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. 10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. 11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
James 5:1-11 — WEB 1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming on you. 2 Your riches are corrupted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be for a testimony against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up your treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of those who reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Armies. 5 You have lived in luxury on the earth, and taken your pleasure. You have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and you have murdered the righteous one. He doesn't resist you. 7 Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receives the early and late rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Don't grumble, brothers, against one another, so that you won't be judged. Behold, the judge stands at the door. 10 Take, brothers, for an example of suffering and of perseverance, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we call them blessed who endured. You have heard of the perseverance of Job, and have seen the Lord in the outcome, and how the Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
James, traditionally believed to be the brother of Jesus and a leader of the Jerusalem church, wrote to scattered Jewish believers struggling under economic pressure. The early church included poor day laborers who had been cheated, widows with no protection, and small farmers losing their land. James writes with the bluntness of a prophet and the warmth of a pastor.
He opens chapter 5 with a thunderclap. Weep and howl, you rich, for your miseries are coming. Your hoarded wealth is rotting. Your fine garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroding — and the corrosion itself will testify against you in the day of judgment. Then comes the line that should land on every employer, every business owner, every manager and supervisor and homeowner who hires help: the wages of the workers who reaped your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, are crying out — and the cries have entered the ears of the Lord of armies.
In other words: the paychecks you held back, the hours you shaved off the timesheet, the contractor you "forgot" to pay, the worker you exploited because you knew they couldn't fight back — God hears all of it. The cries don't disappear. They reach heaven.
James pivots in verse 7 from warning to encouragement. To the workers, the cheated, the patient ones still waiting on justice, he says: be patient like the farmer waiting for the rain. Strengthen your hearts. The Lord is near. Don't grumble against each other in the meantime. Look at the prophets who suffered and stayed faithful. Look at Job, whose endurance we still talk about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
Sunday is closing in on us, and "The Christian Spirit in Industry" is sharpening into something costly. James will not let us read this passage as if it's only about other people. He's asking us — what does our money say about us? What do our employees say about us? What do the people who clean our offices, drive our deliveries, pick our food, and care for our children say about us when they go home?
There is good news in the patience James promises. But it does not let any of us off the hook for how we treat the worker.
Thought for the Day Heaven hears every paycheck that should have been paid.
Reflection Is there a worker, a debt, or a wage you've owed someone that needs to be made right?
Prayer Lord, You are the God who hears the cry of the worker. Search me. Show me where I have been careless or unjust with what I owe — money, time, recognition, fairness. Give me the courage to make it right. And give me patience when I am the one waiting on what was promised to me. Amen.
This week we walk toward Sunday's lesson: The Christian Spirit in Industry.