VI. MONEY AND PATIENT ENDURANCE 5:1-20

The final practical problem James addressed involves money. He wrote these instructions to appraise his readers of a danger, to inform them of the ramifications of the problem, and to exhort them to deal with the situation appropriately. This is his third reference to the rich and the poor (cf. 1:9-11; 2:1-12).¹⁷⁵

 A. Warnings for the Rich 5:1-6

It is characteristic of James' well-balanced style that he opened and closed his exhortations (in 2:1-5:6) with references to the rich. There is also a return in this chapter to encouragement to persevere in the will of God when tempted to depart from it (cf. ch. 1).

 B. The Proper Attitude 5:7-12

Essentially the attitude of the rich that James condemned was: Get all you can as fast as you can any way you can. In the following pericope he counselled a different attitude to urge his readers, rich and poor, to practice patience.

 C. The Proper Action 5:13-18

James encouraged his readers to pray as well as to be patient to enable them to overcome the temptation to live only for the present and to stop living by faith. James not only begins and ends his epistle with references to trials, but he "also begins (1:5-8) and ends (5:13-18) with prayer as the instrumental means for managing trials."¹⁹⁶