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Spr 4:5-12. ‘Verkrywysheid, verkryinsig; vergeetnie en wyknieaf van die woorde van my mondnie: verlaatditnie, dansalditjoubewaar; kryditlief,dansalditjoubewaak. Die beginsel van die wysheid is: Verwerfwysheid en verwerfinsigdeur al watjybesit. Houdithoog, dansalditjouverhoog; ditsaljoueer as jyditomhels.
Ditsal ‘n lieflikekrans gee virjou hoof, ditsaljou ‘n sierlike kroon verskaf. Hoor, my seun, en neem my woordeaan; dansal die lewensjarevirjouvermeerder word. In die weg van die wysheidonderrigekjou, eklaatjou die spore van opregtheidbetree; as jy loop, saljoutreëniebelemmer word nie, en as jyhardloop, saljyniestruikelnie.’
Jak 4:11-5:20. ‘Broeders, moenie van mekaarkwaadspreeknie.Diéwatkwaadspreek van sybroeder en sybroederoordeel, spreekkwaad van die wet en oordeel die wet; en as jy die wet oordeel, is jynie ‘n dader van die wet nie, maar ‘n regter. Een is die Wetgewer, Hywat mag het omte red en teverderf. Maar jy, wie is jywat ‘n anderoordeel?
Komnou, jullewatsê: Vandag of môresalonsnadié en diéstadgaan en daareenjaardeurbring en handeldrywe en wins maak - jullewatnieeensweetwatmôresalgebeurnie. Want hoedanig is jullelewe? Dit is tog maar ‘n damp watvir ‘n korttydjieverskyn en daarnaverdwyn. In plaasdatjullesê: As die Here wil en onslewe, dansalonsdit of datdoen. Maar nouroemjulle in julgrootpratery. Al sulkeroem is verkeerd. Wiedanweetomgoedtedoen en ditniedoennie, virhom is ditsonde.
Komnou, jullerykes, ween en huiloor die ellendeswatoorjullekom. Jullerykdom is bedorwe, en julleklere is deur die motteverniel. Jullegoud en silwer is verroes, en hulle roes sal tot ‘n getuienis teen jullewees en salsoos ‘n vuurjullevleesverteer. Julle het skattevergader in die laastedae. Kyk, die loon van die arbeiderswatjullelandeafgeoes het, watdeurjulleagtergehou is, roepuit; en die geroep van die maaiers het gekom tot in die ore van die Here van die leërskare. Julle het op die aarde ‘n weelderige en losbandigelewegelei; julle het julharte vet gevoersoos op ‘n slagdag. Veroordeel, vermoor het julle die regverdige; hyversithomnie teen jullenie.
Weesdangeduldig, broeders, tot op die wederkoms van die Here. Kyk, die landbouer wag op die kostelikevrug van die aarde en het gedulddaarmeetotdatdit die vroeë en die laatreënontvang het. Jullemoetookgeduldigwees; versterkjulleharte, want die wederkoms van die Here is naby. Moenie teen mekaarsugnie, broeders, sodatjullenieveroordeel word nie. Kyk, die Regterstaanvoor die deur. Neem as voorbeeld van lyding, my broeders, en van geduld die profetewat in die Naam van die Here gespreek het. Kyk, onsrekenhullegeluksaligwatverdra. Julle het gehoor van die lydsaamheid van Job, en julle het die einddoel van die Here met homgesien, dat die Here volmedelye en ontferming is.
Maar boalles, my broeders, moeniesweernie: nie by die hemelnie, ooknie by die aardenie en ookgeenandereednie; maar laatjullejajawees en julle nee nee, sodatjullenieonder ‘n oordeelvalnie.
Is daariemandonderjullewatly? Laathom bid. Is iemandopgeruimd? Laathompsalmsing. Is daariemandsiekonderjulle? Laathom die ouderlinge van die gemeenteinroep, en laathulleoorhom bid nadathullehom in die Naam van die Here met oliegesalf het. En die gebed van die geloofsal die kranke red, en die Here salhomoprig. Selfs as hysondegedoen het, saldithomvergewe word.
Bely mekaarjullemisdade en bid virmekaar, sodatjullegesondkan word. Die vurigegebed van ‘n regverdige het grootkrag. Elía was ‘n mens net soosons, en hy het ernstiggebiddatditniemoesreënnie, en dit het op die aardedriejaar en sesmaande lank niegereënnie; en hy het weergebid, en die hemel het reëngegee en die aarde het syvruglaatuitspruit.
Broeders, as eenonderjulle van die waarheidafgedwaal het en iemandhombekeer, laathyweetdat die eenwat ‘n sondaar van sydwaalwegbekeer, ‘n sieluit die doodsal red en ‘n menigtesondessalbedek.’
James also point out to us the difference between being tested and being tempted. He says that God can not and will never tempt us, but He will definitely test us. God tests us in the hope that we will pass the test, get stronger in character and grow spiritually, while he encourage us in the process and give us the power through the Holy Spirit to be victorious. On the other hand it is the devil who tempt us in the hope that we will fail and fall for the temptation, get discouraged, slide back spiritually while he condemns us all the way down the slippery slide.
That is why James says that we should rejoice when the tests come. And they usually come in the form of trouble! The whole underlying principle is that God wants to promote us in order to more effectively use us. However our enemy can only succeed in tempting us if there is something in us that he can use to make us want to take the bait.
So being in the world we face testing and temptation, one from God to mature us and the other from the devil to reduce us. And we need the wisdom to discern which is which.
James shows us that there are actually two kinds of wisdom - wisdom from above and wisdom from below. In other words, just as there are two kinds of trials - testing and temptation so there are two sorts of wisdom - demonic and divine. There is though a type of wisdom that comes from our own human experience, logic and insight. But that wisdom won’t take us very far. Proverbs puts it this way: ‘Lean not on your own understanding.’ Demonic wisdom on the other hand has as it’s driving force jealousy, envy and selfish ambition. It is ‘brilliant’ in it’s appearance, but is destructive in it’s application.
In contrast to the wisdom of the world, the wisdom of God is pure and brings life and peace. James says that if anyone lacks wisdom, they shouldn’t assume that they must stay that way. And the way to get it is to simply ask God for it, receiving it by faith! So wisdom is far more available than we realize. James says that it is a lovely wisdom that solves problems and that we should readily tap into that unlimited source of wisdom from God. So when we are in a tough spot, all we need to pray is ‘Lord, I need your wisdom’, and we will be astonished at the response.
On the surface and comparing with other books in the New Testament, the letter of James has been criticized as not being very ‘Christian’. There is not much about Christ or the gospel in it. There seems to be more emphasis on man’s activity than God’s, on deeds rather than doctrine and on works rather than faith. It does not mention key events, such as Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension, or the ministry of the Holy Spirit. It seems to be about doing good deeds. Notable thinkers and theologians have questioned whether the book describes Christianity as it is found in the rest of the Bible.
Firstly, James died in AD 62 so he definitely could not and did not read Paul’s letters on the subject although he knew Paul. So the ‘contradiction’ can’t be deliberate.
Secondly, that Paul was writing for Gentiles, whereas James was writing for Jewish believers, so their purpose was different. Paul was defending Gentiles from Jewish legalism, while James was defending Jews from Gentile licence. It is not surprising, therefore, that there is a difference in emphasis.
Thirdly, the word ‘works’ has several different meanings depending on the context in which it is used in the New Testament. When Paul uses it he refers to the works of the Law, while when James uses it he talks about the works of faith - that is, actions. That is why he can say that faith without actions is actually dead. That has nothing to do with the works of the Law by which especially Jews strive to become righteous before God. James uses a well know situation to illustrate the point - that in the same way love without actions is dead, faith without actions is dead too.
To illustrate this faith in action further James reaches back to the Scriptures of the Old Testament using Abraham, a good man and Rahab, a bad woman as examples. They both acted in faith when Abraham was prepared to take life and Rahab was prepared to save life. Abraham acted in faith when he prepared to kill his son, his only hope of descendants and the fulfilling of God’s promises. Rahab the prostitute also acted in faith when she hid the Hebrew spies, saved their lives and trusted them to save her from the coming invasion.
James is saying that faith is not something that you profess. It is absolutely necessary that believing in Jesus should result in the appropriate good deeds. Biblical faith is stepping out of the comfort, safety and security of the boat as Peter once did. So James is absolutely right when he says that faith without actions cannot save you, for such faith is as dead as a corpse. Faith is not reciting a creed once a week, it is acting in faith, demonstrating trust in the Lord. So with Paul and James, God is giving us two different angles on this crucial issue so that we get the whole truth in the correct balance.
The world’s motives, methods and morals will always be a challenge to believers in Christ and the pressures we face today is essentially the same as they were back in the first century. James is therefore a serious and sober warning to disciples of Christ about habits they fall into that undermine and eventually destroy their faith.
