James 1:9-12
We stopped last week with verse 8 with James talking about enduring through trials. He warned against being a “double-minded” person because such a person is “unstable”. If you remember, an unstable person is one who is unwilling or unable to be controlled by another. This is the exact opposite of what the follower of Jesus is supposed to be. An authentic follower of Jesus is one who is completely controlled by Jesus. Now, James is going to talk about a different kind of trial.
In verse 9 James speaks of the brother of humble of circumstances boasting in his exaltation. We need to ask ourselves what “brother of humble circumstances” means. If we look at the KJV it says, “brother of low degree” and the NLT says, “believers who are poor”. What is being spoken of here is people who are poor.
When we speak of trials, we often think of temporary things such as a short illness, persecution, loss of a job, etc. Poverty, however, is often perpetual. It is often very difficult for a poor person to change their status. This would have been particularly true in the time of James’ writing.
To participate in Roman culture a person was required to worship at the imperial cult. This was something a Christian could not do. Therefore, earning an income would have been difficult, thereby rendering a lot of the early Christians in poverty. How they behaved and conducted themselves in their poverty was important.
A poor person might be tempted to steal, cheat, or compromise their faith to get what they needed instead of trusting Jesus to provide. James wants to encourage these people to trust in Jesus, to remain faithful because the earthly needs are not what is of ultimate importance. The poor, who remain faithful and are not unstable, will be able to boast in their exaltation.
The word exaltation literally means “high places”. In the Bible it speaks of God’s realm. This is obviously the highest realm. What is fascinating to realize is that the ones who are lowest in this realm get to be the highest in the highest realm. A servant, or slave, is lifted up above the wealthy.
In verse 10 James switches focus and speaks of the wealthy. The rich person boasts in his exaltation (CSB), low places (KJV), or are humbled (NLT). This word speaks of humbleness but can also mean “low places”, the opposite of exaltation.
This does not mean a rich person cannot be exalted, but what often happens is the rich person is focused first on remaining rich. This leads to being double-minded and unstable. As a result they will be like the flower in the field and pass away.
Verse 11 gives us one of James’ rich images, that of a flower in the field. He likely got this image from Isaiah 40:6-7. All the things of earth, to include people, are temporary and eventually pass away. The only thing that is eternal is Almighty God.
The interesting thing about this image is that the sun and the wind are both necessary for flowers to bloom. The wind carries the seeds and the sun’s rays provide growth. Too much of either, however, leads to death.
Here is the point I think James is making – God provides the necessary ingredients to survive but when those things become the object of worship or the ultimate thing we strive after, they become harmful. We require certain things in order to survive – food, clothing, shelter, and a few others. In order to get these things we need money.
To get money we either work to earn it or we steal it. God forbade stealing and ordained work. Even in this it is possible to lose focus on God. When the things we need to survive become our focus we try to get more money. To get more money we work more. Soon, work has consumed the entirety of our lives, there is no time to pray, there is no time to read the Bible, there is no time to go to church on Sunday. All of these activities take time away from work and work has become our priority. When we live a life without God we wither and die because all these things we strive after are not eternal.
This is not how God intends for His people to live. Instead, as James points out in verse 12, “blessed is the one endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life”. It is hard no to hear Jesus’ words in the Beatitudes here (Matt 5:3-10). The word “blessed” means “happy” or “fortunate” but what is really in view here is the fulfillment that comes from being a servant of Jesus, and a happy servant. I think of the word “wholeness” when I read “blessed”. The person who trusts in the Lord is made whole.
After this person has stood the test, they will receive the “crown of life”. We need to ask of this crown is an end-of-life reward or a current life reward. I’m not sure we need to choose as both are likely in view. Wholeness in God is both a now and later occurrence, but only for those who endure trials, again remember it is plural. These trials are not going to end until life is over. We also need to take note that this only applies to those who love Jesus.
To truly love Jesus is not just saying you love Jesus but to live it out. To truly love Jesus means you allow yourself to be completely controlled by Him. This means both our words and deeds are required. This is evidenced by Jesus’ own words to Peter. Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him to which Peter replied he did. Jesus then told Peter to “feed His sheep” (John 21:15-19). Loving Jesus means obedience, doing everything He says, being completely controlled by Him and not double-minded.
The last point to look at here is that this is a promise. God promises to make this happen. That is the greatest guarantee we receive. Through Jesus Christ all God’s promises are yes (2 Cor 1:20). Do we trust God enough to endure?