James 5:3, commentary and pictures

Gold and silver are cankered, corroded and decayed, showing earthly treasure to be uncertain, meager and soon passing away. The rust itself becomes a witness against its owners, testifying to unused abilities, neglected chances to help others, and hearts closed to suffering. That rust eating flesh like fire means coming judgment will consume the hoarders themselves and bring misery that makes the rich weep and howl. Heaping treasure together for the last days brings condemnation, curse and destruction rather than safety, for such treasure is laid up for judgment when the end is at hand. The warning falls especially on wealthy professed believers who cling to property instead of using it, for money is capital entrusted by God to advance His cause and bless others, while hoarding it is covetousness and idolatry rooted in fraud and oppression of laborers whose cries come into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

Canker, Witness, and Fire

Gold and silver kept for self are cankered, corroded and decayed, showing earthly treasure to be uncertain, meager and soon passing away. It is like money put into a bag with holes, unable to give lasting security, and wealth gained without godliness only brings harm. Hoarding of such wealth belongs among the signs of the last days, when colossal fortunes are built by greed, oppression, extortion and withholding workers' wages while laborers suffer and the poor cry out to God. Ambition, avarice and gain without godliness cloud the eye so that those who hold to the world for honor, position, business and daily bread sell the soul for little worldly gain instead of receiving eternal riches. Clinging to that treasure stops progress heavenward, holds the affections to earth, starves and dwarfs the soul for want of spiritual food, and puts the world between the soul and God.

The rust itself becomes evidence against its owners in God's judgment. It testifies to unused abilities, unused talents, neglected chances and neglected opportunities to help others and to people in need. It witnesses also to hearts closed to the suffering of others while wealth is accumulated. Hoarded wealth is therefore not merely useless but a curse and a snare to the soul in this life, drawing the affections away from heavenly treasure and bringing condemnation in the great day of God. Wealth is goods delivered by God to men, with power to get wealth, rain, sunlight and fruit given by Him, and He asks a return of His own in tithes and offerings, so that withholding robs God and must be made right by restitution and pardon.

The corrosion is pictured as fire consuming the flesh of the rich, meaning coming judgment will consume the hoarders themselves. Wealth stored up while people suffer, gained through robbery, extortion, injustice, dishonest practices, doing wrong to a neighbor and oppression of the poor, is corrupted and cankered unlawful gain registered in heaven. This belongs to greed, oppression and living in pleasure and wantonness that will prevail just before Christ's second coming, a condition already present in the world today, joined to keeping back the hire of laborers by fraud while the Lord hears the workers' cries. It applies where those who reject God's law oppress others and oppose those who obey Him, including for religious faith. Bringing such means into God's treasury to compromise with God does not make it pure but deceives the giver's own soul, and living in pleasure on such gain only nourishes the heart as in a day of slaughter, bringing miseries that cause the rich to weep and howl.

Heaping treasure together for the last days is storing wealth that brings condemnation, curse and destruction rather than safety or blessing, when it draws the heart away from heavenly treasure and is held by those who love neither God nor truth. Such stored riches are laid up for judgment, for the end of all things is at hand. Men of the world rush on to ruin through many schemes, confederacies and continually new devices brought in to make of no effect the counsel of God, heaping up treasures of gold and silver that will be consumed by the fires of the last days and whose destruction will testify against them. Piling up earthly wealth for the last days is therefore storing it for destruction, in contrast to using abilities to gain eternal treasure, and the image contrasts the luxury of the rich who have piled up treasure with a poor, ragged person.

Fraud and Oppression Context

The verse belongs to a picture of greed, extortion and luxurious living, in which wages are kept back by fraud from laborers who reaped the fields while the rich live extravagantly and in pleasure. The cries of the defrauded, starving, exploited and suffering come up before God and enter into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. It warns that fortunes are amassed through fraud, robbery and extortion while laborers are cheated, underpaid and made to suffer hunger, and that decayed gold and silver stand as evidence against the rich whose stored treasure brings judgment rather than protection.

The unjust gain condemned is grasping all that can be gotten, paying laborers as little as possible while charging as much as possible, and locking up thousands where they do no good to anyone. It includes grinding down the hireling, keeping back fair hire and fair wages by fraud, taking advantage wherever possible, and doing wrong to a neighbor by dishonest practices and oppression of the poor. The same guilt rests on those who exact more than real worth even from poor, distressed brethren instead of showing compassion, making allowance for a brother in need, and sparing the poor.

This greed and oppression will prevail just before Christ's second coming, marking the last days and the nearness of the end. The hoarding of wealth through every species of oppression and extortion, the piling up of colossal fortunes, and the corrosion of gold and silver testifying against their owners belong to that setting. What the verse pictures exists today and is already present in the world.

The riches so condemned are gained through breaking God's law, disregarding His Sabbath, neglecting the needy and the poor, and opposing those who obey Him, including because of their religious faith. Wealth hoarded for earthly advantage in that way becomes corrupt, its corrosion is evidence of guilt bringing judgment as fire consuming flesh, and in the final crisis it is swept away, scattered and consumed by calamity and fire with God not protecting the possessions of lawbreakers. Left destitute, the rich lament the loss of wealth rather than sin and neglect of others, having sought earthly riches rather than becoming rich toward God.

Hoarding in Last Days

The warning falls with particular force on wealthy people who profess present truth and look for the Lord's coming, including Sabbath-keepers who cling fast to farms and cattle, gold and silver, mansions and bank stock instead of using means when opportunity is given to advance the cause and help the needy. Giving a little now and then to ease conscience while selfishly retaining substance is not sacrifice, and offering riches later when the work is closing and truth is going forth in mighty power will be too late and will not be accepted, because help was withheld when suffering was present and good could have been done. The same guilt rests on those who exact more than real worth from poor and distressed brethren instead of showing compassion and making allowance for a brother in need, for kindly acts that spare the poor will be approved and will not lose their reward.

Such hoarding shows love for the world greater than love for God, for truth, and for fellow men. It is covetousness, selfishness and avariciousness, which is idolatry, loving neither God nor people nor truth, shutting the eyes to perishing fellow beings who could be given homes, food and clothing while spending on self for pleasure and self-gratification. It draws the heart away from heavenly treasure, for holding perishable substance fast for self forfeits treasure in heaven, while selling and giving to those in need lays it up there.

Hoarding means locking up thousands where they do no good to anyone, so capital entrusted by the Lord brings Him no increase instead of being put into circulation to benefit and bless others and thereby steadily increase and multiply. Money so held fails to accomplish its appointed work, and those who hold it live in continual worry and fear of losing it. The hoard is gathered by grasping all that can be gotten, paying laborers as little as possible while charging as much as possible, and unselfish work for others, by contrast, increases intelligence and knowledge of God, for giving brings return.

Economy is right, but stretching economy into closeness, meanness and stinginess merely to add to heaped treasures displeases God. It becomes sinful when saving is for the sole purpose of increasing riches, and the goods so kept are the Lord's goods which will shortly consume their owners like fire unless they act as faithful stewards and make a right disposal of them. This is especially grievous when those called to speak the truth and watch for souls waste precious time worth far more than the little saved.

Judgment Upon Hoarded Wealth

Every selfish act of covetous extortion, robbery, theft and fraud is registered in heaven, and unlawful gain heaped together by doing wrong to a neighbor, by dishonest practices, by oppression of the poor and by keeping back the hire of laborers is corrupted and cankered there. When the books are opened and every case stands in review before God, the corrosion stands as a swift witness against its owners, leaving a fearful account to settle in the last great day. Those who scheme to obtain more and more money by plans that mean starvation to the poor will in that day stand face to face with their deeds of oppression and injustice.

The Lord has a controversy with such users of His gifts, marks every act of oppression, and no cry of suffering is unheard by Him. Every dollar was entrusted to be blessed to His glory, and whatever has been appropriated to glorifying self instead of put to good use was His means squandered and will be required back by the Master in retributive justice in His own time. He turns to such hoarders in anger and wrath, forsakes those He can no longer use, and meets them with vengeance for condemning and killing the just.

As the work closes and truth goes forth in mighty power, hoarded money and property will no longer be wanted or useful for God's cause, and God lets such clingers to earthly treasure go. When they then bring their riches and lay them at the feet of God's servants begging acceptance, they will not be accepted, because they withheld help when the needy suffered and good could have been done. Giving only then, after refusing earlier opportunities to do good and to advance the cause, is too late, and holding perishable substance for self forfeits treasure in heaven.

Hoarded wealth and property stored up for the last days will be consumed by the fires of the last days, swept away, scattered, laid in ruins and destroyed by God's judgment through calamity. God can destroy gathered property with a touch of His hand, and its destruction and loss stand as a witness against those who stored it up. Grand houses built for pride and worldly honor vanish with earthly gains gained through breaking God's law, disregarding His Sabbath, neglecting the needy and opposing those who obey Him, leaving the rich destitute. Their regret is for losing their wealth, not for sin or neglect of other people, as they lament their scattered gold and silver.

The result is coming misery in which the rich weep and howl, nourishing their hearts as in a day of slaughter while living in pleasure and wantonness on such gain. In the day of judgment the worldly rich man will be the poorest and most to be pitied before the judgment throne, having sold himself for paltry gain, and his reward will be as his works have been. The poor will rise in judgment against those who wasted means on costly jewels and display and spent to gratify pride and ambition instead of helping the hungry and naked.

This portrayal of the misery of rich men who have done wickedly is to be repeated as a warning and appeal.

Stewardship and Proper Use

Money, with the power to get wealth, rain, sunlight and fruit, is goods and capital entrusted by God to honor Him by blessing the world, advancing His cause and kingdom, and helping the poor. It is to be put into circulation to benefit and bless others so that it will benefit still others, and by such blessing it steadily increases and multiplies. When it is locked away where it does no good to anyone it fails to accomplish its appointed work and brings its Lord no increase. Hoarded through injustice and oppression while people suffer, such stored gold and silver is corrupted, and its corrosion stands as fire consuming the rich in God's judgment in the last days.

Withholding what is due robs both fellow men and God, who asks a return of His own in tithes and offerings, and the wrong must be made right by restitution and pardon. Gold and silver heaped together for the last days by doing wrong to a neighbor, by dishonest practices and oppression of the poor, and by keeping back the hire of laborers by fraud, is corrupted and cankered unlawful gain registered in heaven. Its rust is a witness against its owners and eats their flesh as fire, bringing miseries that cause the rich to weep and howl. Bringing such means into God's treasury to make compromise with God does not make it pure but deceives the giver's own soul. Spending extravagantly on self while others lack food and basic necessities makes its holders accountable for robbing both their fellow people and God.

Perishable earthly substance held fast for self forfeits treasure in heaven, while selling, giving to those in need, and unselfish work for others gains eternal riches. Clinging to such treasure stops progress heavenward, holds the affections to earth, starves and dwarfs the soul for want of spiritual food, and puts the world between the soul and God. Hoarded wealth witnesses to unused abilities and neglected chances to help others and brings condemnation when it draws the heart away from heavenly treasure. Unselfish work for others increases intelligence and knowledge of God, for giving brings return. Those who pile up earthly wealth for the last days store it for destruction, in contrast to those who use their abilities to gain eternal treasure.

Growing benevolence with increasing riches counters the soul-corroding canker of covetousness, while hoarding strengthens that sin and turns wealth into spiritual injury and a curse rather than a blessing. Continually giving to benevolent purposes and sharing generously in supporting God's work and proclaiming the truth brings blessing from God, and they will soon lose what selfish keepers refuse to use. Kindly acts that spare the poor and distressed, make allowance for a brother in need, and do not exact full value or more than real worth are approved by God and will not lose their reward. Every selfish act and covetous extortion leaves a fearful account, so those who have taken a dishonest course must redeem the time by taking a very different course of mercy.

Warnings for Today

Wealth wasted on costly jewels and display while the poor go hungry and naked stands as evidence of selfishness and turning from God, violating justice and integrity and dishonoring Him and leaving the rich guilty before Him. Hoarded wealth spent on luxurious living and extravagant dress marks the last days, misusing time and means that should serve godly purposes and bringing judgment upon its owners. Extravagant homes, furnishings, and buildings will testify against those who have felt no touch of want while laborers and famine-stricken people lack food and support, for wealth is accountable when it is not used with self-denial and care for others. Such selfish use of money makes its holders accountable for robbing both their fellow people and God, and the poor will rise in judgment against those who spent their means to gratify pride and ambition instead of helping them.

Those who lay snares for the drunkard and build themselves up from his property, living in luxury while those they have robbed live in poverty and degradation, are storing up condemnation for the last days. God will require at the hand of everyone who for gain helps speed a soul on to ruin, including pleasure-lovers who spend thousands to please and amuse themselves while the world is full of distress and poverty. Means raised for appointed work but diverted from its proper channel becomes a severe fraudulent witness against untrustworthy handlers, standing recorded against its actors and bringing a terrible reaction. Every action is known, and every dollar of principal and interest should be placed where designed to be.

The end of all things is at hand while men of the world rush on to ruin, heaping up treasures of gold and silver that will be consumed by the fires of the last days. That heaping is rushed on through many schemes and confederacies and labor combinations, with new devices continually brought in to make of no effect the counsel of God.