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).
Rich people are usually happy that they have wealth. However, James challenged his rich readers to weep and howl in anguish, not repentance. The Bible nowhere condemns the rich for being rich. Money is not evil (cf. 1 Tim. 6:10). Nevertheless God's Word consistently warns the rich of the temptations that financial abundance brings with it. These temptations include a false sense of security, a desire to control others, and personal pride. The rich should not rejoice too much. Material misery may be just around the corner (cf. 1:10-11).176
"The persons here addressed are not the same as those addressed in iv. 13. It is no longer the careless worldliness of the bustling trader which is condemned, but the more deadly worldliness of the unjust capitalist or landlord."177
5:2 The riches that rot are presumably perishable commodities such as food and drink. Garments were one of the most popular forms of wealth in the biblical world. People used them to pay for things. They were also heirlooms and popular presents (cf. Matt. 6:19).
5:3 Gold and silver do not literally rust. They corrode. Nevertheless corrosion does the same thing as rust. It destroys the value of the metal. Christians should use money, not hoard it. Therefore the presence of rust or corroded gold in the rich man's treasury will bear witness to his unfaithful stewardship of his wealth. James warned that the process that destroys gold and silver is the same process that destroys the people who collect these precious metals. Hoarding wealth is a particularly serious sin for Christians since we are living in the last days, the days immediately preceding the Lord's return. We should be using our money to get the Lord's work done, not to enable us to live lives of luxury and laziness (cf. Matt. 6:19-24).
"To lay up treasure in heaven means to use all that we have as stewards of God's wealth. You and I may possessmany things, but we do not ownthem. God is the Owner of everything, and we are His stewards.
"The Bible does not discourage saving, or even investing; but it does condemn hoarding."178
5:4 Some of James' readers were evidently getting rich by cheating their hired workers out of their fair wages (cf. Deut. 24:15). Cries for justice from these oppressed people had entered God's ears (cf. Gen. 4:5; 18:20-21). The title "Lord of Sabaoth"(lit. Lord of Hosts, i.e., Lord Almighty; cf. Isa. 5:9; Rom. 9:29) emphasizes the sovereign omnipotence of God. Although the oppressed may appear to have no defenders on earth, they have as their helper the Lord God omnipotent in heaven.
5:5 The rich are often soft and self-indulgent (cf. Luke 16:19-31; Amos 6:1-6). This is the connotation of luxury, a condition that our culture savors but Scripture condemns. "Wanton pleasure"implies extravagance and waste. In their greedy acquisitiveness the rich fatten themselves figuratively, and sometimes literally, not realizing that they are just preparing themselves for slaughter (judgment) like so many sacrificial animals.
"Like an OT prophet James denounces the wanton luxury of the rich, warning of their coming doom."179
This warning should challenge believers to avoid extravagance and self-indulgence when purchasing goods.
5:6 The oppression of the rich extends to putting to death those who stand in their way even though these people resist the rich righteously. As in 4:2, James may have been using "put to death"hyperbolically. Many Christians have experienced persecution from people who are trying to guard their own financial security (e.g., Acts 18:19-24; 19:23-28). However if day laborers do not get their wages daily, they can die.
". . . for day laboreres it was very serious not to find work or not to be paid. For this reason James personifies the salary, seeing it as the very blood of the exploited workers crying out pitifully. The case was the same for the peasants. The peasants die because they pour out their strength in their work, but the fruit of their work does not come back to them. They cannot regain their strength because the rich withhold their salaries. Therefore James accuses the rich of condemning and killing the just (5:6)."180
These are strong words of warning. James evidently believed that his readers were erring in this area of their lives and needed a severe shock. The Jews' gift for making money and their interest in this pursuit needed control. We need this warning too since modern culture values money very highly.
As with 1:10, there is a question about whether James was referring to rich Christians or rich unbelievers in this pericope. Here as there I tend to think that James was probably referring to rich Christians. He seems to be addressing his readers rather than "speaking rhetorically, formally addressing non-Christians in 1:10 as well as . . . in 5:1-6, but saying this really for the benefit of his Christian readers, who were suffering at the hands of rich persecutors."181
