James 1:9-11 – “Dangerous Tools”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

⁹And let the brother the one being in lowliness be exulting in the height of him ¹⁰but the rich in his lowliness because as a flower of [the] field he will pass away; ¹¹for the sun rises together with the scorching wind and parches the field, and its flower drops off and the beauty of its face perishes. Thus also the rich one will wither away in his going.

This has been a particularly interesting study. It has caused me to think thoughts I never thought before. I’ve certainly known this passage for years and have been very aware of its point, but I realize I have never thought deeply about it. And thinking deeply on Scripture invariably means to probe deeply into my own heart, my own thoughts, my own values, my own perceptions of reality, to hone off rough edges, to clarify what (I may have never even realized) was unclear, and to allow me (hopefully) to live more deliberately.

I think I have understood (particularly from James 1:1-8) the eternal and immediate values of hardship and troubles in our lives. When James says, “The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position,” he could be speaking of that brother’s position in Christ, that, regardless of his earthly estate, he has been raised with Christ, seated with Him in the heavenlies, made a child of God, a joint-heir with Christ, … all of those wonderful things. All of that is certainly true. But, James being a very practical book, I think the emphasis is more on the matter of the present world rather than purely eternal matters. That being the case, I am inclined to see that the poor man’s “height” is actually in his deprivations. James goes on to say in 2:5, “Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith …?”

It is a great advantage in this world to be poor, in whatever way. I think it was John Calvin who said something like, “It must needs be that we meet with much trouble in this world, for our hearts are full of much iniquity.” We need constantly to be in the Lord’s training program, to have troubles burning out the idols of our hearts, to help us learn to be happily dependent on God. If we’ll allow them, troubles can be great wealth to us. They can gain for us that which matters most – character. If we have the spiritual eyes to see it, we can, in our poverty, see our great wealth. “Let the poor man glory in his high position(!).” His poverty may be the very vehicle that keeps him “rich in faith.”

But what does it mean for the rich man to “glory in that he is made low”? James goes on for a sentence or two (or three) highlighting the transitoriness of wealth. “Here today, gone tomorrow.” The poor man’s poverty gains him faith, which is eternal. The rich man’s wealth is by its very nature temporary. Neither it nor anything it gains him is of any eternal value. Jesus warned against “the deceitfulness of riches.” They, like the devil himself, offer us everything our hearts could desire, but give us nothing of any lasting value. Rather they would steal our hearts away from God and be our eternal ruin.

Here’s the thought that has been rocking my world: What James is saying is that, with spiritual vision, we should see that to be wealthy is actually the lowest possible position. If we truly value spiritual things, if we value eternity, if we value character and a relationship with God, we should be terrified of wealth. Timothy was to warn rich believers “not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God …” (I Tim 6:17). This command came on the heels of Paul’s warning that “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” and that some, “eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (v10). Wealth is actually not something to long after but rather to dread! Hmmmm. That is a new thought to me.

I think it worth noting that “wealth” may take the form of many, many things besides money. I would suggest it could be anything we naturally value in this world, yet which is by its nature temporary. How many young women have we all known who were very beautiful, yet that very beauty was their ruin? Youth itself is a form of wealth, which, taken for granted, is often our ruin. Physical strength and good health can be “wealth” to us. Public applause and popularity are often our ruin. Movie stars, musicians, and professional athletes are all examples of people who have “everything” – stunning beauty, boundless riches, nearly supernatural talent, worldwide fame – and yet few of them “survive.” As the old people used to say, “It takes a steady hand to carry a full cup.”

Why don’t most of us go down like them in drug and alcohol addictions? How is it that we can stay married for a lifetime and they can’t stay married for 72 days? I thought they had “it all.” ? Does anyone else see what I mean if I say they have nothing at all? If you really want to be happy, to live a full life, to stay married for a lifetime, you would say, “Whatever they have, I don’t want it!” “Whatever they have that in the ends robs them of everything that mattered, whatever that is, I don’t want it!” And what is it? Wealth. To hold wealth (in any form) turns out to be the most dangerous, most undesirable, lowest estate you could possibly possess in this life. James says, “Let the poor man glory in his high position, but let the rich man glory that he is brought low.”

I think James is telling us that, wherever we find in our lives wealth, we should “make much” in our hearts of its danger. Rather than seeing it as our “high” position, we should rather see it as the lowest of lows. Wealth is something we must carry like nitroglycerine. We must see it for the enemy it may be. We must hold it with open hands before the Lord. No matter what it is, it is temporary. It is only “good” if the Lord, not our wealth, remains on the throne of our lives. Someone said, “The trick to having riches in your house is keeping them out of your heart.” Indeed, no man can serve two masters.

I guess I’ve known that there is great value in poverty and troubles and I have known that wealth should be seen as temporary. But I don’t think I’ve ever really thought to see wealth as something dangerous – dangerous to the point where I might even prefer to avoid it(!).

Hmmmm. Now, just to keep things in balance, we need to say that wealth in itself is not a bad thing. In the parable of the talents, one man was given five and ended up with ten, while someone else had only one. Joseph was a handsome man. David was a king. Job was the “richest man in the east.” Timothy wasn’t to command those rich in this world to “dispose of their riches” but rather “to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share” (I Tim 6:18). Wealth is certainly a good thing when it’s used for good. A wealthy person has great opportunity to do good. A beautiful girl can be quite the delight to her husband. A strong man can be a big help when it’s time to move the piano. Fame can be a great platform from which to glorify the Lord. So wealth, in and  of itself, and in whatever form it comes, is not necessarily a bad thing.

Having said all of the above, I think I see now how important it is to see our wealth as a dangerous tool to be used wisely, not something to clutch and be arrogant about. It’s not a bad thing, just a dangerous thing. It’s only good if it’s used for good, but that will likely only happen if we constantly remind ourselves of its danger, and, like it said above, while it’s in our house, we “keep it out of our hearts.”

Very, very interesting. The world makes a little tiny bit better sense to me.

I love studying the Bible. “And when you know the truth, the truth shall make you free.”