Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
James 5:6 describes wealthy oppressors condemning and killing the just, righteous and innocent poor, while their victims offer no resistance. This greed, fraud and oppression belongs to the last days before Christ's second coming, and marks the present condition of the world and its great cities. It is done by amassing fortunes through extortion, fraud and robbery, keeping back wages, paying the lowest wages while exacting the highest prices, and also by neglect that leaves fellow beings to hunger, cold, nakedness and destitution while treasure is hoarded where it helps no one. The cries of the starving and suffering come before God, who marks every act of oppression and registers every deed and unjust gain in heaven. God has a controversy with the oppressors and will avenge, so that in the judgment their wrongdoing will be exposed face to face, the poor will condemn them, and their hoarded property will be swept away in retributive justice and coming misery.
Oppression Before Christ's Return
The verse describes wealthy oppressors condemning and killing the just, righteous, innocent poor, while the victim offers no resistance to them. This injustice belongs to the greed, fraud, and oppression prevailing in the last days before Christ's second coming. It is pictured as the present condition of the world and of large cities, where the rich pile up fortunes while the cries of starving people come before God.
The oppression is carried out by amassing fortunes through oppression, extortion, fraud, robbery and theft. It is done by keeping back by fraud the hire of the laborers who reaped their fields, withholding workers' wages so the rich can indulge extravagance or hoard wealth. It is done by paying the lowest wages while exacting the highest prices, acting from selfishness, avariciousness, covetousness and greed. The rich heap treasure together and hoard wealth that does no one any good, locking up thousands of dollars where it is of no use to anyone.
The rich condemn and kill the just by neglect, shutting their eyes to want and refusing to relieve suffering around them. They let fellow beings perish for lack of homes, food and clothing which they have power to give, leaving them to hunger, cold, nakedness and destitution. Multitudes are destitute of food, clothing, and shelter fit for a human being while in the same cities men of wealth have more than heart could wish. To add to their millions they rob the poor and put in operation plans that mean starvation to the poor, and the cries of the starving are nothing to them.
While the poor suffer, the oppressors live in luxury, extravagance, pleasure and wanton excess. They nourish their hearts as in a day of slaughter, living in pleasure on the earth and being wanton. Their means are turned to richly furnished houses, personal ornament, and sensual indulgence in tobacco, liquors, and other things that destroy the power of the brain, unbalance the mind, and debase the soul. They grasp all they can obtain and selfishly indulge themselves while neglecting God's heritage.
The verse also covers religious oppression, where those who disregard God's law oppose, hinder and condemn people who keep His commandments. They refuse to be practical Christians themselves and hinder those who would be, obstructing the work of truth. They condemn and kill the innocent while they do not resist, exalting themselves above people of moral worth, and religious faithfulness may bring such oppression from those who demand that commandment keepers disobey God.
Judgment and Faithful Stewardship
The cries of the starving and suffering rise up and come before God, and the condemnation and killing of the just without resistance belongs to that cry heard in heaven. The greed and oppression that amass fortunes through extortion, fraud, robbery and starvation schemes are not hidden, for the Lord marks every act of oppression and no cry of suffering is unheard by Him. Every such act of self-importance, crime, fraud, and hindering of the righteous is registered in heaven, with every unjust gain and every dollar entrusted for God's glory but turned to self recorded for review.
God has a controversy with those who use entrusted gifts for self-gratification and increasing gain while letting fellow beings perish around them, and He will avenge the death of His Son and of the just. When judgment sits and the books are opened and every case stands in review, their wrongdoing will be exposed and they will have a fearful account to settle. Those who schemed for more and more money will stand face to face with their deeds of oppression and injustice, and the poor who suffered hunger, cold, nakedness and destitution while wealth was squandered on pride, luxury and wanton excess will condemn those who wronged them. For those who condemned and killed the just and hoarded wealth through injustice there remain coming miseries, retributive justice according to works, and the sweeping away of hoarded property that helped no one.
This selfish course makes the rich unfaithful stewards of the Lord's entrusted capital and gifts, turning means given to honor the Creator by blessing the world into selfish gratification, richly furnished houses, personal ornament, and sensual indulgence that debases mind and soul. By shutting the eyes to want, withholding homes, food and clothing they had power to give, locking up thousands where it is of no use to anyone, paying the lowest wages while exacting the highest prices, and living in pleasure as in a day of slaughter, they crucify the Son of God afresh and put Him to open shame. Their avarice keeps entrusted capital from bringing increase to Him and leaves its owners in continual worry lest they lose their treasure. In God's own time every misappropriated gain stands as a swift witness against them, so that the worldly rich man who sold himself for paltry gain will be the poorest and most to be pitied before the judgment throne.
The guilty are therefore warned to weep and howl for the miseries that shall come upon them, and are required to put money into circulation to benefit and bless others so that by God's blessing it steadily increases and multiplies itself. The depiction of the misery their injustice brings is to be repeated as a warning and appeal.
James 5:6 describes wealthy oppressors condemning and killing the just, righteous and innocent poor, while their victims offer no resistance. This greed, fraud and oppression belongs to the last days before Christ's second coming, and marks the present condition of the world and its great cities. It is done by amassing fortunes through extortion, fraud and robbery, keeping back wages, paying the lowest wages while exacting the highest prices, and also by neglect that leaves fellow beings to hunger, cold, nakedness and destitution while treasure is hoarded where it helps no one. The cries of the starving and suffering come before God, who marks every act of oppression and registers every deed and unjust gain in heaven. God has a controversy with the oppressors and will avenge, so that in the judgment their wrongdoing will be exposed face to face, the poor will condemn them, and their hoarded property will be swept away in retributive justice and coming misery.
Oppression Before Christ's Return
The verse describes wealthy oppressors condemning and killing the just, righteous, innocent poor, while the victim offers no resistance to them. This injustice belongs to the greed, fraud, and oppression prevailing in the last days before Christ's second coming. It is pictured as the present condition of the world and of large cities, where the rich pile up fortunes while the cries of starving people come before God.
The oppression is carried out by amassing fortunes through oppression, extortion, fraud, robbery and theft. It is done by keeping back by fraud the hire of the laborers who reaped their fields, withholding workers' wages so the rich can indulge extravagance or hoard wealth. It is done by paying the lowest wages while exacting the highest prices, acting from selfishness, avariciousness, covetousness and greed. The rich heap treasure together and hoard wealth that does no one any good, locking up thousands of dollars where it is of no use to anyone.
The rich condemn and kill the just by neglect, shutting their eyes to want and refusing to relieve suffering around them. They let fellow beings perish for lack of homes, food and clothing which they have power to give, leaving them to hunger, cold, nakedness and destitution. Multitudes are destitute of food, clothing, and shelter fit for a human being while in the same cities men of wealth have more than heart could wish. To add to their millions they rob the poor and put in operation plans that mean starvation to the poor, and the cries of the starving are nothing to them.
While the poor suffer, the oppressors live in luxury, extravagance, pleasure and wanton excess. They nourish their hearts as in a day of slaughter, living in pleasure on the earth and being wanton. Their means are turned to richly furnished houses, personal ornament, and sensual indulgence in tobacco, liquors, and other things that destroy the power of the brain, unbalance the mind, and debase the soul. They grasp all they can obtain and selfishly indulge themselves while neglecting God's heritage.
The verse also covers religious oppression, where those who disregard God's law oppose, hinder and condemn people who keep His commandments. They refuse to be practical Christians themselves and hinder those who would be, obstructing the work of truth. They condemn and kill the innocent while they do not resist, exalting themselves above people of moral worth, and religious faithfulness may bring such oppression from those who demand that commandment keepers disobey God.
Judgment and Faithful Stewardship
The cries of the starving and suffering rise up and come before God, and the condemnation and killing of the just without resistance belongs to that cry heard in heaven. The greed and oppression that amass fortunes through extortion, fraud, robbery and starvation schemes are not hidden, for the Lord marks every act of oppression and no cry of suffering is unheard by Him. Every such act of self-importance, crime, fraud, and hindering of the righteous is registered in heaven, with every unjust gain and every dollar entrusted for God's glory but turned to self recorded for review.
God has a controversy with those who use entrusted gifts for self-gratification and increasing gain while letting fellow beings perish around them, and He will avenge the death of His Son and of the just. When judgment sits and the books are opened and every case stands in review, their wrongdoing will be exposed and they will have a fearful account to settle. Those who schemed for more and more money will stand face to face with their deeds of oppression and injustice, and the poor who suffered hunger, cold, nakedness and destitution while wealth was squandered on pride, luxury and wanton excess will condemn those who wronged them. For those who condemned and killed the just and hoarded wealth through injustice there remain coming miseries, retributive justice according to works, and the sweeping away of hoarded property that helped no one.
This selfish course makes the rich unfaithful stewards of the Lord's entrusted capital and gifts, turning means given to honor the Creator by blessing the world into selfish gratification, richly furnished houses, personal ornament, and sensual indulgence that debases mind and soul. By shutting the eyes to want, withholding homes, food and clothing they had power to give, locking up thousands where it is of no use to anyone, paying the lowest wages while exacting the highest prices, and living in pleasure as in a day of slaughter, they crucify the Son of God afresh and put Him to open shame. Their avarice keeps entrusted capital from bringing increase to Him and leaves its owners in continual worry lest they lose their treasure. In God's own time every misappropriated gain stands as a swift witness against them, so that the worldly rich man who sold himself for paltry gain will be the poorest and most to be pitied before the judgment throne.
The guilty are therefore warned to weep and howl for the miseries that shall come upon them, and are required to put money into circulation to benefit and bless others so that by God's blessing it steadily increases and multiplies itself. The depiction of the misery their injustice brings is to be repeated as a warning and appeal.