James 5:7-11

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.

As we approach the conclusion of the letter of James, in the verses before us, it seems that James has come full circle. He began the letter addressing believers who were scattered throughout the world because of persecution, encouraging and instructing them about how they were to endure trials. In fact, the entire letter is to be understood in that context. It is really all about how believers demonstrate true faith as they live in the world. That faith is demonstrated in perseverance and patience that manifests itself in Christian conduct. How we respond to God’s Word, how we treat one another, how we talk, and how we live our lives bears witness to the reality of Jesus Christ in a world that is opposed to Him. Here, in verses 7-11, James calls on believers to “be patient” as they wait for “the coming of the Lord.” Thomas a Kempis once wrote about the kind of patience James calls for, “He deserves not the name of patient who is only willing to suffer as much as he thinks proper, and for whom he pleases. The truly patient man asks (nothing) from whom he suffers, (whether) his superior, his equal, or his inferior…But from whomever, or how much, or how often wrong is done to him, he accepts it all as from the hand of God, and counts it gain!” What does this kind of patience require? James gives to us three things to draw out of our text this week.

First, this kind of patience requires faith in the promises of God. The command to “Be patient” here utilizes a different word than the word used for patience in James 1:1-8. Here, the word has to do with a passive waiting, whereas the former word had to do with enduring and persevering under trial. Put together, the words describe both the responsibility of the believer in trials to endure and press on and the importance of expectant trust in God and what He has promised. He uses a farming analogy that all of his readers would have been familiar with. In the Middle East, the “early and latter rain” described the climate of the eastern half of the Mediterranean basin. The early rains came in late October thru early November and the latter rains in March and April. Farmers had to responsibly toil the ground and sow seed to make preparation for harvesting crops. However, they still had to rely on the rains to come at the appropriate times. They had a responsibility to control what they could control, but had to trust in the Lord to bring the rains at the right times. Believers have the same responsibility. We are called to live a certain way and carry out certain tasks in the age in which we live, but we must also understand that as we do so, God is going to accomplish His purposes for human history. He will send Jesus at an appointed time and we are to make ourselves ready for it. James probably has in view here the mistreatment of the wealthy just described in the first six verses of the chapter. In those verses, he reminds the wealthy who are misusing their wealth and abusing the laborers that they will be judged for their sin. That judgment will inevitably commence when Christ returns. As Christians, all that we can endure in this life will inevitably come to an end. One day Jesus will come again to take us to be with Him forever. We are to patiently wait for it as we endure trials and faithfully live for Him until He returns as He promised.

Next, this patience requires forgiveness for the people of God. As believers endure the struggles from the outside world, we will also face the struggles within the Christian community that inevitably arise from fallen human beings, albeit redeemed human beings, living life together. To all believers in the midst of struggles within and without the Church, James gives the instruction to “Grudge not one against another.” The word “grudge” means “to groan,” “to grumble,” or “to complain” against. He says not to do this so that we won’t be “condemned” or “judged.” The word carries the same meaning as the murmuring described in the Old Testament when the people of Israel murmured against Moses and against God in the wilderness (Exodus 15:24; 16:2-3; 17:2-4; Numbers 14:1-3, 27-29; 16-17; 1 Corinthians 10:10-11). It is common when things get hard that we vent our frustrations on those closest to us. To grumble against one another in the body of Christ is to turn on each other and be guilty of sin. James is speaking to the abuses of the tongue (3:1-12); fighting (4:1-3); slander (4:11-12); and selfishness (5:1-6) that he has already addressed in the letter. It is lashing out in response to someone’s mistreatment or inconveniencing of us. He reminds us that we are not fit to take matters into our own hands having already written, “For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God” (James 1:20). The Judge standing at the door was the place the judge went right before entering the judgment hall or court room. It describes Jesus about to return as Judge. Christ is the only Judge and He is coming soon. Believers should be patient with one another and forgive one another, not grudge against each other.

Lastly, this patience requires faithfulness to the plan of God. In case we think that we have it harder than others, James calls our attention to the prophets of God in the Old Testament. Virtually all of the prophets were hated, ignored, persecuted, and made to suffer by the people that they were sent to. Hebrews 11:32-40 describes some of the mistreatment they endured, but James says that they are to be counted as “happy” or “blessed.” This is because they suffered for doing the will of God (Matthew 5:10-12). A lot of people get this confused and think that anytime they encounter opposition they think they are suffering for Jesus. A lot of our suffering and opposition comes from our own sin. To truly suffer for righteousness’s sake is a blessed thing. James pulls Job out of the lot of godly men in the Old Testament. Job suffered a tremendous amount. He lost nearly everything, including his health, yet James reminds us of God’s good purposes for such suffering. Job went through all that he went through that he might know more of God. Suffering has a way of producing godliness in our lives. It matures us in the faith and teaches us how to trust God. We must learn to submit to His good plan, which is not to make us comfortable here, but to make us more like Christ (Romans 8:28-29).

Are you patiently waiting for the coming of Christ? Are you faithfully enduring, trusting in the promises of God? Are you exercising patience and forgiveness toward the people of God? Are you faithful to God’s plan in your life to make you more like Christ? When Christ returns, may we be found patiently waiting for Him.