Dependency on God James 1:9-11

Dependency on God

James 1:9-11

“The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position.  But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower.  For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant.  Its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed.  In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.”

The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position…

Some Bible teachers say James is moving away from the context of trials to another subject, but a closer look at these verses shows us otherwise.  The phrase “humble circumstances” here is a reference to a person who is poor.  James is saying the Christian brother who is poor economically, who does not have much in life, should take pride in his high position.  The idea behind the phrase “take pride” is the poor person should rejoice.  James’ congregation in Jerusalem had been scattered because of persecution and many of those believers in his church had been poor.  What little they had was left behind as they fled to live in safer areas outside of Judea.  Here James reminds them to rejoice in their trials… and not only rejoice, but to boast in their trials because God has exalted them.

John MacArthur in his sermon titled “From Trouble to Triumph” defines the text in James as meaning: “...if you're poor, you're socially humiliated, you're economically humiliated. Accept that humiliation because poverty is a short-lived trial, it's just for this life. And those who are poor and in Christ have the hope of eternal riches. In other words, don't look to draw joy out of this world, and you'll never be disappointed. If you're looking for your joy in the circumstances of life, you're never going to have true joy. If you attach joy to any earthly possession, any earthly economic status, you miss the point. Accept your humiliation, it's good for you, it keeps your focus where it ought to be and it makes the spiritual realities and the eternal riches all the more precious.” 

...But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position...

Now before you start feeling all warm and gushy inside about feeling a connection with the poverty stricken people James is addressing, let us examine a comparison between the typical poor person in Jesus’ day and the living standards of today.  In biblical times most the average poor person lived in simple one room stone houses with little to no furniture.  Beds would usually be made of straw and covered with a goats hair blanket.  A woven straw mat on the floor would constitute the dining room table.  Homes were heated by burning straw, wood, or dried animal dung.  Most families lived day to day on the wages made working in the fields.  

Compare the poor of Jesus' day to those who are categorized as poor by the United States Census Bureau. According to the Heritage Foundation, "The Census Bureau's poverty report dramatically understates the living standards of low income Americans.  Here is a sample of facts that will not be mentioned in next week's poverty report.  38 percent of the persons whom the Census Bureau identifies as "poor" own their own homes with a median value of $39,200, 62 percent of "poor" households own a car, 14 percent own two or more cars.  Nearly half of all "poor" households have air-conditioning, 31 percent have microwave ovens, and nationwide, some 22,000 "poor" households have heated swimming pools or Jacuzzis."

Sorry to burst your bubble but most of us fall under the category of the wealthy in this passage.  The average “poor person” of today’s society would have been considered very wealthy in the time of Jesus, so this next portion of the verse is more applicable to you and me.  

James reminds the rich person to rejoice also, but instead of rejoicing in the high position God places the poor, the rich rejoice in their low position.  This low position carries the idea that the rich person will not be able to use his or her money to achieve success in Christ.  The rich person rejoices and takes pride in understanding that, even though they have money, they are still utterly dependent on God for his provision.  The trials and testings  sent by God to the rich person will make sure his or her hope is not in earthly riches.

It was a common belief in the Jewish world at the time of Christ that the wealthy had the daily blessing of God while the poor did not.  People actually believed the rich were closer to God and thought He smiled favorably upon them, prospering them, while the poor continued to struggle financially and in need of God’s blessing.  I know a lot of Christians who still lean toward that myth today.  Why do you think so many people, including Christians, desire wealth?  James clearly points out in this passage that whether you are rich or poor you will still be tested by God.  He wants both the rich and the poor to be dependent on Him and His provision.

 ...because he (the rich) will pass away like a wild flower.  For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant.  Its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed.  In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.”

James continues his teaching of this principle by giving an example of how quickly a dependency on money can fail us.  In Israel and several other desert regions of the world there is a condition called the "simoom".  A simoom is a strong, dry, dust-laden local wind that blows in from the desert.  Its temperature can exceed 130°F and the humidity may fall below 10%.  The storm moves in cyclone (circular) form, carrying clouds of dust and sand, and produces a suffocating effect on humans, plants, and animals.  The name means "poison wind" and is given because the sudden onset of a simoom can also cause heat stroke. This is attributed to how the hot wind brings more heat to the body than can be disposed of by the natural evaporation of perspiration.

James references a wildflower hit by this simoom, destroying it in a matter of seconds.  Just as the wildflower can be destroyed so quickly, the rich man’s wealth can disappear just as fast.  His wealth can be gone in an instant… “even while he goes about his business”.  Putting faith in money and possessions is foolish and dangerous.  The Lord wants to build our faith and develop our maturity as a believer.  The end result of maturity in the believer is proven by loosening your grip (need) on money and placing more dependence the daily on God’s provision.

References: 
Grace To You. (1999, February 14). How to Endure Trials, Part 3. Retrieved from http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/90-207/how-to-endure-trials-part-3

Rector, R. (1990, September 21). How "Poor" are America's Poor? Retrieved from http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/1990/09/how-poor-are-americas-poor