Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
James 5:5 describes rich oppressors living on earth in pleasure, luxury, wantonness and selfish indulgence while others suffer hunger, want and oppression under their power. They heap up immense fortunes and treasure by fraud, extortion and oppression, especially by fraudulently withholding the hire of the laborers who reaped their fields and robbing the poor to add to their millions. To nourish their hearts as in a day of slaughter means they pamper themselves and grow secure, complacent and heedless as judgment approaches, like animals fattened for slaughter, so their very prosperity fattens them for coming misery. This greed, oppression and self-indulgence marks the last days just before Christ's second coming, joined to condemning and killing the just who do not resist, for which God who hears every cry will condemn the oppressors and repay each according to deeds. The day of slaughter is the coming day of judgment and of God's wrath in the seven last plagues, when corrupted riches and cankered gold will witness against the rich and perish, while wealth is capital entrusted by God to relieve suffering and save souls, so James's warning of misery is to be repeated to call all to make peace with God and be ready to stand in that day.
Oppressors' Luxury Before the End
James 5:5 pictures wealthy people living on the earth in pleasure, luxury, wantonness, excess and selfish indulgence while others under their power suffer hunger, cold, want and oppression. They make themselves secure and complacent in extravagant ease, pampered and heedless while laborers suffer because wages are withheld and the poor lack life's necessities. Their self-indulgence leaves the just suffering under their power while starving humanity's cries rise before God.
They pile up immense fortunes and heap treasure by fraud, extortion and oppression. Especially they withhold by fraud the hire of the laborers who reaped their fields, leaving laborers unpaid while they live in luxury. They pay laborers as little as possible while exacting the highest prices themselves, robbing the poor to add to their millions, and practicing self-important crime and fraud to accomplish their ends.
To nourish their hearts as in a day of slaughter means they pamper themselves and grow secure, complacent and heedless as judgment approaches. They are like animals fattened for slaughter, their hearts made ready and fattened for judgment by abundance used for selfish pleasure. Their very prosperity fattens them for coming misery and judgment, so that extravagant ease itself prepares them for slaughter.
This greed, oppression and self-indulgence is the condition of the present world in the last days just before Christ's second coming. It characterizes a world that turns from God's purpose and disregards His law and oppresses those who obey it. It is joined to condemning and killing the just, who do not resist, for which God will condemn the oppressors and repay each according to deeds.
Day of Slaughter Explained
The day of slaughter is the coming day of judgment, the time of God's wrath poured out in the seven last plagues. In that day God draws a protective covering over His people to give them shelter, while those left without it face slaughter. Readiness is therefore urgent, even for children, who must make peace with God so they can stand in that day.
The Lord marks every act of oppression and no cry of suffering goes unheard by Him. He will suffer this oppression only for a time. In the last great day those who scheme to gain more and more by plans that starve the poor, who indulge themselves while hoarding wealth and letting the poor starve, will stand face to face with their own deeds of oppression and injustice and face judgment for them.
In that judgment every case stands in review before God, with retributive justice for abuses of His gifts, each repaid according to deeds. Means entrusted to be used to God's glory but appropriated to self is squandered and registered in heaven and will be required by the Master, and means gained by fraud, robbery, theft, wronging a neighbor whether believer or unbeliever, will be a swift witness against the rich. Corrupted riches and cankered gold and silver witness against those fattened by luxurious living for coming misery, and the great buildings and ocean steamers trusted in will perish at God's touch. Property built on oppression is not protected from His judgments, which can sweep it away. At the last judgment the poor, who suffered hunger and want while others lived extravagantly and neglected them, will condemn the selfish for dishonoring God and degrading themselves by pride and luxury.
Stewardship and Solemn Warnings
Wealth is capital entrusted to honor God by blessing the world, relieving suffering people, meeting temporal and spiritual needs, and saving souls, and it is to be put out to usury into circulation to benefit and bless others and steadily increase and multiply itself. Selfishness, avariciousness, and covetousness, which is idolatry, are cherished when men grasp at all they can obtain, heap treasure together for the last days, and lock up thousands of dollars where it is of no use to anyone. Those who own such money live in continual worry lest they lose their treasure, so the Lord's entrusted capital fails to bring Him increase. Spending wealth on pride and luxury while neglecting the needy dishonors God and degrades the holder, and selfish use of wealth with withholding of laborers' wages is robbery against God. Every dollar appropriated to self is His means squandered and registered in heaven to be required by the Master, and means gained by fraud will be a swift witness in the day of judgment when every case stands in review before God with retributive justice for abuses of His gifts.
Money acquired by wronging a neighbor, whether believer or unbeliever, is unlawful gain registered in heaven. To think to compromise with God by bringing that means into His treasury deceives the soul, for God will not accept it.
The verse also applies to keeping wealth from those in need even when help could be given, while indulging self and living wantonly and fattening self for a day of slaughter as the cries of exploited laborers reach God. Costly homes, furniture, ornaments, and buildings stand as witnesses against those who feel no concern for the needy and for gospel work, who should instead practice self-denial and use means to relieve both temporal and spiritual needs. Luxurious living and extravagant dress mark the last days with indulgence and excess, consuming humility and other lowly qualities of character and diverting time from self-examination by God's law, prayer, and Scripture study. Those who profit from the drunkard lay a snare for his soul and build themselves up out of his property, living in luxury on what they have taken while the poor brethren they have robbed live in poverty and degradation, spending thousands to please and amuse themselves and gratify their fancies while the world is full of distress and poverty, and God will require at their hand all they have done to help speed the drunkard on the way to ruin.
The passage belongs to James's warning of misery to the wicked rich who have acted wickedly, which is to be repeated as a warning and appeal. The day of slaughter is a coming day of judgment, and all, even children, are called to make peace with God and be ready so they can stand in that day.
James 5:5 describes rich oppressors living on earth in pleasure, luxury, wantonness and selfish indulgence while others suffer hunger, want and oppression under their power. They heap up immense fortunes and treasure by fraud, extortion and oppression, especially by fraudulently withholding the hire of the laborers who reaped their fields and robbing the poor to add to their millions. To nourish their hearts as in a day of slaughter means they pamper themselves and grow secure, complacent and heedless as judgment approaches, like animals fattened for slaughter, so their very prosperity fattens them for coming misery. This greed, oppression and self-indulgence marks the last days just before Christ's second coming, joined to condemning and killing the just who do not resist, for which God who hears every cry will condemn the oppressors and repay each according to deeds. The day of slaughter is the coming day of judgment and of God's wrath in the seven last plagues, when corrupted riches and cankered gold will witness against the rich and perish, while wealth is capital entrusted by God to relieve suffering and save souls, so James's warning of misery is to be repeated to call all to make peace with God and be ready to stand in that day.
Oppressors' Luxury Before the End
James 5:5 pictures wealthy people living on the earth in pleasure, luxury, wantonness, excess and selfish indulgence while others under their power suffer hunger, cold, want and oppression. They make themselves secure and complacent in extravagant ease, pampered and heedless while laborers suffer because wages are withheld and the poor lack life's necessities. Their self-indulgence leaves the just suffering under their power while starving humanity's cries rise before God.
They pile up immense fortunes and heap treasure by fraud, extortion and oppression. Especially they withhold by fraud the hire of the laborers who reaped their fields, leaving laborers unpaid while they live in luxury. They pay laborers as little as possible while exacting the highest prices themselves, robbing the poor to add to their millions, and practicing self-important crime and fraud to accomplish their ends.
To nourish their hearts as in a day of slaughter means they pamper themselves and grow secure, complacent and heedless as judgment approaches. They are like animals fattened for slaughter, their hearts made ready and fattened for judgment by abundance used for selfish pleasure. Their very prosperity fattens them for coming misery and judgment, so that extravagant ease itself prepares them for slaughter.
This greed, oppression and self-indulgence is the condition of the present world in the last days just before Christ's second coming. It characterizes a world that turns from God's purpose and disregards His law and oppresses those who obey it. It is joined to condemning and killing the just, who do not resist, for which God will condemn the oppressors and repay each according to deeds.
Day of Slaughter Explained
The day of slaughter is the coming day of judgment, the time of God's wrath poured out in the seven last plagues. In that day God draws a protective covering over His people to give them shelter, while those left without it face slaughter. Readiness is therefore urgent, even for children, who must make peace with God so they can stand in that day.
The Lord marks every act of oppression and no cry of suffering goes unheard by Him. He will suffer this oppression only for a time. In the last great day those who scheme to gain more and more by plans that starve the poor, who indulge themselves while hoarding wealth and letting the poor starve, will stand face to face with their own deeds of oppression and injustice and face judgment for them.
In that judgment every case stands in review before God, with retributive justice for abuses of His gifts, each repaid according to deeds. Means entrusted to be used to God's glory but appropriated to self is squandered and registered in heaven and will be required by the Master, and means gained by fraud, robbery, theft, wronging a neighbor whether believer or unbeliever, will be a swift witness against the rich. Corrupted riches and cankered gold and silver witness against those fattened by luxurious living for coming misery, and the great buildings and ocean steamers trusted in will perish at God's touch. Property built on oppression is not protected from His judgments, which can sweep it away. At the last judgment the poor, who suffered hunger and want while others lived extravagantly and neglected them, will condemn the selfish for dishonoring God and degrading themselves by pride and luxury.
Stewardship and Solemn Warnings
Wealth is capital entrusted to honor God by blessing the world, relieving suffering people, meeting temporal and spiritual needs, and saving souls, and it is to be put out to usury into circulation to benefit and bless others and steadily increase and multiply itself. Selfishness, avariciousness, and covetousness, which is idolatry, are cherished when men grasp at all they can obtain, heap treasure together for the last days, and lock up thousands of dollars where it is of no use to anyone. Those who own such money live in continual worry lest they lose their treasure, so the Lord's entrusted capital fails to bring Him increase. Spending wealth on pride and luxury while neglecting the needy dishonors God and degrades the holder, and selfish use of wealth with withholding of laborers' wages is robbery against God. Every dollar appropriated to self is His means squandered and registered in heaven to be required by the Master, and means gained by fraud will be a swift witness in the day of judgment when every case stands in review before God with retributive justice for abuses of His gifts.
Money acquired by wronging a neighbor, whether believer or unbeliever, is unlawful gain registered in heaven. To think to compromise with God by bringing that means into His treasury deceives the soul, for God will not accept it.
The verse also applies to keeping wealth from those in need even when help could be given, while indulging self and living wantonly and fattening self for a day of slaughter as the cries of exploited laborers reach God. Costly homes, furniture, ornaments, and buildings stand as witnesses against those who feel no concern for the needy and for gospel work, who should instead practice self-denial and use means to relieve both temporal and spiritual needs. Luxurious living and extravagant dress mark the last days with indulgence and excess, consuming humility and other lowly qualities of character and diverting time from self-examination by God's law, prayer, and Scripture study. Those who profit from the drunkard lay a snare for his soul and build themselves up out of his property, living in luxury on what they have taken while the poor brethren they have robbed live in poverty and degradation, spending thousands to please and amuse themselves and gratify their fancies while the world is full of distress and poverty, and God will require at their hand all they have done to help speed the drunkard on the way to ruin.
The passage belongs to James's warning of misery to the wicked rich who have acted wickedly, which is to be repeated as a warning and appeal. The day of slaughter is a coming day of judgment, and all, even children, are called to make peace with God and be ready so they can stand in that day.