James 5:7-9

HOLD YOURSELF IN CHECK

Text 5:7-9

James 5:7

Be patient therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receive the early and latter rain.

8.

Be ye also patient; establish your hearts; for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

9.

Murmur not, brethren, one against another that we be not judged: behold the judge standeth before the doors.

Queries

401.

From your previous studies in this book, see if you can remember the true meaning of patience as it is used in the Scriptures.

402.

To whom is James speaking in James 5:7 ff?

403.

What is a husbandman? (If you are not sure, the context explains it. Note what the husbandman does).

404.

How does the coming of the Lord in this section tie in with the warning to the rich in the previous section?

405.

Note the therefore that introduces the reason for the former debate with the non-present rich unbeliever.

406.

What is the reason given?

407.

With what is Jesus comparing the end of the world in James 5:7?

408.

Note the repetition of the word patient in both the admonition and the illustration.

409.

When the husbandman is patient over the fruit of harvest to come, what does this signify? (Remember the Biblical meaning of patience).

410.

James 5:8 says be ye also patient, why do we need this admonition?

411.

How can we establish our hearts?

412.

How can he say the coming of the Lord is at hand when Matthew 24:29 ff says that certain things will come to pass before the coming of the Lord?

413.

Was the coming of the Lord really at hand when nearly two thousand years have passed since this was written?

414.

Is the coming of the Lord at hand today? What would we do in preparation?

415.

How would the expected coming of the Lord keep the brethren from murmuring?

416.

What might tempt us to murmur against one another?

417.

For what were the Israelites judged in the wilderness? (See Numbers 14:29; Deuteronomy 1:27; 1 Corinthians 10:10).

418.

What is the significance of the phrase standeth before the doors?

Paraphrases

A. James 5:7.

Don-'t be quick-tempered, but hold your mind in check until Christ is present again. See how the farmer does not expect his harvest on the day he plants but he is longsuffering in watching for it, giving it time to mature after the spring and summer rains.

8.

In the same way you should hold yourself in check, also; and strengthen your spirits: for Christ will soon be present with us.

9.

Don-'t groan in complaints because of your impatience, brethren, or you will risk the condemnation of the Lord when He comes. Consider He is just around the corner and could come at any moment.

B.*James 5:7.

But on the other hand, you, dear brothers, be patient until the Lord returns. Be like a patient farmer who expects to wait until the autumn for his precious harvest to ripen.

8.

Yes, be patient. And take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.

9.

Don-'t grumble about each other, brothers. Are you yourselves above criticism? For see! the great Judge is coming, He is almost here; (let Him do whatever criticizing must be done).

Summary

And now brethren, speaking to you: be patient and constant with mutual forbearance; in view of the certainty and nearness of Christ's coming.

Comment

When James here says, Be patient therefore. he uses a different word for patience than the ordinary word used in the Scripture. The ordinary word means to stick like glue, or to hang on like a bulldog. This word, however, leans a bit closer to our modern usage of the word patience. It means to have submission, or be long-tempered. There still is a close relation in the meaning of the two words with more similarity than difference. In the middle of the verse James uses the same word to describe the submission to circumstances of the husbandman.
There certainly is a sense in which the Christian should be meek and submissive; and this is one of them. When the circumstances of our environment become trying for us, we should execute all the more control to be meek and submissive to the will of the Lord. If we are convinced that God cares for us constantly and that all things both in heaven and on earth are under the authority of our Lord Christ Jesus, we should be all the more careful to be willing to submit ourselves to the trying circumstances He sees fit to allow us to bear. The key to contented living on this earth is not avoidances of trials, but rather the submission to the will of Christ that makes us content in whatever state we find ourselves. Impatience makes a person short-tempered; but James says here we should be long-tempered.

The reason for this holding of our mind in check is that the Lord will soon come. It will not be long, so hold out till He comes. Like a mother comforts her sick child, It will be just a few minutes, honey. The doctor just phoned and said he was on his way over. Don-'t cry, because I think I hear him coming now! So James comforts us in our trials of this life.

Isn-'t it deceptive? you may ask. James said He was coming soon. Now nearly two thousand years have passed, and He hasn-'t come yet! True enough. In Matthew 24:15-22 Jesus makes it clear that the imminent destruction of the temple would take place before the end of the world. After that, He could be expected at any moment. His coming would be sudden and would take people by surprise. James was not deceptive, however; for His coming was soon or imminent. And it still is. The admonition was not to watch for He would certainly come within a few days, but rather to watch therefore: for ye know not on what day your Lord cometh. (Matthew 24:42) Jesus could come shortly from the time you read this; or it could be that He shall come before you ever get opportunity to read this. Then again, it may be years away. Our business is to watch and be ready.

The illustration, like all of those Jesus uses, is very vivid and simple. The farmer does not begin to rail nor show impatience with his wife because there are no crops the week after he has planted. He patiently waits for the normal seasons of rain and sun. His patience holds out even through the second rainy season and the second crop.

Palestine, like many areas the world over, has two rainy seasons for crop growth, thus the reference to the early and latter rain. Grain was usually planted in time for the fall rains and matured with the latter rain of Spring. Even as the farmer is patient in waiting for his crops, so must we be patient in waiting for the Lord.
One of the immediate results of lack of patience is groaning in complaint. This murmuring often makes life miserable for those who are closest. In the church it takes the form of groaning against a brother. It is as if he were at fault. He is present and it is the most convenient opportunity for venting the impatience. Likewise; husband or wife may have the same impatient reaction against the one who is most convenient to them. The lack of contentment becomes a miserable tirade against the one they love best. Since such loose usage of the tongue is clearly forbidden in the Scripture, the saint's impatience may make him in danger of the judgment. Since the judge can be expected at any moment, why let the impatience lead him to action over which he may be judged?