The Book of James

Weep and Howl!

Lesson #10 for December 6, 2014

Scriptures: James 5:1-6; Psalm 73:3-19; 1 Samuel 25:2-11; Leviticus 19:13; Luke 16:19-31; Matthew 5:39[i].

1.    Have you ever wished that you could win the lottery? Or, perhaps, win a lot of money on a quiz show? Studies have shown that suddenly receiving a lot of money can ruin one’s life! Why do we need money? We need enough to comfortably eat, house, and clothe ourselves and our families. We need money for transportation, and all of this must come after paying tithes and offerings to the church as well as taxes. Often, the greatest happiness in life does not come from money. Think of times when you have received loving words, an encouraging smile, a listening ear, unexpected kindnesses, warm acceptance and love, respect, a sympathetic touch or even a hug, and genuine friendship. How much do these things cost?

2.    What is the most important thing in your life? What gives you the most happiness? People are willing to sacrifice even life itself sometimes to get fame, fortune (wealth), or health. Some have even been reported as saying: “I’m going to practice health reform, even if it kills me!”

3.    The Bible suggests that God can give us faith, hope, wisdom, patience, love, contentment, and many other blessings. How does God give those gifts? Can we see in our own lives how God has given them to us? Do you find that “God’s gifts” are the most important things in your life? Why? Or, why not? How many of our daily activities are truly unselfish, acting out of conscious principle, and showing to others that we are truly doing what is right because it is right?

4.    Read James 5:1ii. While we do not like to think about it, James 1:10-11iii reminds us that our lives could end at any moment. In the passage for this week (James 5:1-6), James addressed those who live just prior to Christ’s return. What do other Bible writers say about those who hoard wealth at that point in earth’s history? (See Luke 17:27-29; 2 Timothy 3:1-2; Revelation 18:3,7iv.) Unfortunately, Revelation 3:17[v] suggests that this will be a special problem among God’s end-time church. It is very interesting to note that the Greek word for miseries in James 5:1vi comes from the same root that is used to describe end-time Christians in the message to Laodicea as recorded in Revelation 3:17. Is this talking about material possessions? Or, spiritual possessions? What is your attitude toward money?

5.    Many of the Bible’s most famous people were either rich and/or served in high positions in their governments. Would these messages apply to them? Why? Or, why not? In what sense are the people in our day “wretched”? The Greek term could be translated “worn out from hard labor.” Could those words apply to us as we sit watching TV with the remote in hand? Do those words in Revelation apply only to Christians? Or, perhaps, only to our church? Aren’t we supposed to be warning the world about what is coming?

6.    How do you think James regarded his financial situation? We believe that he was the leader of the church in Jerusalem. So many church leaders in our day are rich and increased with goods! Do you think James was poor? Compare the situation of Peter in Acts 3:1-10vii. Look at what happened to people’s wealth in Germany right after World War II.

7.    Why do some people seem to be getting richer and richer while others are getting poorer and poorer? Is it possible for us to do anything about that here and now? Read Psalm 73:3-9viii. Should we be rejoicing that God will one day deal with those who oppress us?

8.    The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk lived during a very difficult time. While there are no clearly datable events or persons mentioned in the book, textual evidence seems to suggest that he lived and prophesied just before the Babylonians conquered Judea for the first time in 605 B.C. He cried out with questions to God. (See Habakkuk 1:2-4,13-14ix.) God’s answer is surprising. (Habakkuk 2:2-4)[x] But, the most incredible part of the book is the last couple of verses. T ry to imagine what it would be like to be a subsistence farmer whose only wealth is what his land and his animals produce and what it would be like if he has no crops and all his animals die! (See Habakkuk 3:17-19xi.) Could 21st century Adventist Christians ever face such a crisis? What about Revelation 13:16-17xii? Contrast Revelation 14:9-11xiii.

9.    Are there any gross injustices in your environment or even in the wider world that upset you and make you angry? Is it fair that people in some parts of the world are being killed just because their beliefs are different from those of others? Is there any possibility that all injustice will be corrected before Jesus comes again? If not, is working to hasten the second coming (See 2 Peter 3:10-12xiv.) the best way of dealing with injustice in this world?

10.    Read James 5:2-3xv. How were the wealthy people described in these verses gaining that wealth? Did it seem to be doing them any good? Can you name some people in the Bible who clearly misused the wealth that God gave them? Consider Nabal (1 Samuel 25:2-11xvi) and Hezekiah. (2 Kings 20:12-19xvii)

11.    Nabal and Hezekiah created disasters from their wealth. Peter, depending completely on the Lord, apparently was not concerned even though he had no money at all! Which of these two situations best describes us today? In our situation, is our money proving to be a blessing? Or, a curse? Will it someday be a witness against us? (James 5:3xviii)

12.    What will ultimately happen to all the wealth that has been amassed by everyone living on this earth? (Luke 12:33,39xix) Should we have more faith in these words from the Bible or in our bank accounts? When the offering plate comes around, do we think about Mark 12:41-44xx?

13.    Ask yourself this question: What is my true attitude toward money? How much of our time and effort is directed toward getting more of it? Do we really need more of it?

14.    What kinds of wealthy people were being addressed by James? James described wealthy merchants (James 1:11xxi); business owners who were willing to sue in order to protect their investments (James 2:6xxii); and even employers who were withholding wages from their laborers (James 5:4xxiii). The Bible is very clear about what God thinks about people who withhold wages from laborers. Read Leviticus 19:13; Deuteronomy 24:14-15; Jeremiah 22:13; James 5:4xxiv.

15.    How many of the early Christians do you think actually worked for wages which they needed to buy food? Subsistence farmers in our day who live in places like Africa and India usually grow their own food but depend on their wages to buy other necessities. James made it very clear that to withhold wages from a worker who needs it to meet his family’s necessities is not only a crime against that person and his family but against God Himself!

Riches bring with them great responsibilities. To obtain wealth by unjust dealing, by overreaching in trade, by oppressing the widow and the fatherless, or by hoarding up riches and neglecting the wants of the needy, will eventually bring the just retribution described by the inspired apostle: “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.” [James 5:1]—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, p. 682. [Content in brackets is added.]

16.    Ask yourself this question: In my monetary dealings with other people, what am I saying to them and to the rest of the world about my Christianity? Are you reflecting the character and actions of Jesus Christ?

17.    In our business transactions, do we as Seventh-day Adventist Christians always deal fairly with others?

In trading with the merchants at_, Brother and Sister_do not take a course which is pleasing to God. They will dicker to get things as cheap as they possibly can, and linger over a difference of a few pennies, and talk in regard to it as though money was their all—their god. If they could only be brought back, unobserved, to hear the remarks that are made after they leave, they would get a clearer idea of the influence of penuriousness. Our faith is brought into disrepute, and [239] God is blasphemed by some on account of this close, penny dealing. Angels turn away in disgust. Everything in heaven is noble and elevated. All seek the interest and happiness of others. No one devotes himself to looking out and caring for self. It is the chief joy of all holy beings to witness the joy and happiness of those around them.—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, p. 238.2. [Bold type is added.]

18.    Read James 5:5, Ezekiel 16:49-50; Amos 4:1-3xxv. These verses clearly link fatness and drunkenness to preparation for slaughter. Our world has become expert at fattening up animals for slaughter. Is that what is happening to the rich in our day? When will the slaughter come?

19.    Read Luke 16:19-31xxvi, the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Contrary to popular opinion, the real focus of the parable is this life, not the afterlife. In fact, the original Greek makes no mention of “heaven” and “hell” at all. Both the rich man and Lazarus are depicted in the same place (vs. 23)—the grave (hades). The chasm separating them symbolizes the fact that after a person dies, his or her eternal destiny is fixed. Therefore, how we treat people in this life (as described in “Moses and the prophets,” vss. 29, 31, NKJV) is extremely important. There is no future life in which we can make up for what we failed to do in this one: “He who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” (1 John 4:20, NKJV). Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide, page 84.

20.    Read James 5:6xxvii. How often in our day do perpetrators of crimes blame their victims? Murderers claim self-defense. Sexual abusers blame the behavior of their victims as enticing them. Husbands and wives blame each other for failed marriages. Even those who killed Christian martyrs blamed the martyrs for heresy. (John 16:2xxviii). Will the day come when those who kill Seventh-day Adventists believe they are doing God’s will? Do we sometimes do things that we believe are right only to discover later that they were wrong?

21.    Read Matthew 5:39xxix. In our day, what does it mean to “turn the other cheek”? We are not literally being hit on the cheek. How do these words apply to us in the 21st century?

22.    It is important to notice that when we talk about wealth, the problem with the rich is their attitudes and actions-not their wealth per se. Read Matthew 5:3; James 2:5xxx. It is those who recognize their spiritual poverty who are rich in faith and will be heirs of the kingdom. It is not those who are “rich, and increased with goods” (Revelation 3:17xxxi) who will be in the kingdom. But, we must not forget that it is God who gives people the power to get wealth. (Deuteronomy 8:11-18xxxii)

Money has great value, because it can do great good. In the hands of God’s children it is food for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, and clothing for the naked.

It is a defense for the oppressed, and a means of help to the sick. But money is of no more value than sand, only as it is put to use in providing for the necessities of life, in blessing others, and advancing the cause of Christ.

Hoarded wealth is not merely useless, it is a curse. In this life it is a snare to the soul, drawing the affections away from the heavenly treasure. In the great day of God its witness to unused talents and neglected opportunities will condemn its possessor. The Scripture says, [James 5:1-4xxxiii quoted].

But Christ sanctions no lavish or careless use of means. His lesson in economy, “Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost,” is for all His followers. (John 6:12xxxiv.) He who realizes that his money is a talent from God will use it economically, and will feel it a duty to save that he may give.—Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 351.3-352.2. [Content in brackets is added.]

23.    Having said all that we have said about wealth and those who possess it, it is also true that “Many poor families are poor because they spend their money as soon as they receive it....When one becomes involved in debt, he is in one of Satan’s nets, which he sets for souls.”—Ellen G. White, The Adventist Home, p. 392.4-5.

24.    Can the church in some way preach a gospel to the poor (Luke 4:18) by helping them to get out of debt? Is that what it means to “set the oppressed free”?

25.    How can we tell if we are serving money or if it is serving us? Is it easy to tell who is our real master? (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13xxxv)

26.    If you are a Christian and relatively wealthy, how are you supposed to help the poor? Are we supposed to be handing out money? How often do we even think of the rich as weeping or lamenting? Don’t we usually think the rich are the ones who do not need to do that? What did James have in mind when he talked about weeping and howling? Aren’t those very audible and public displays of grief? We know that economic disparity in this world will never go away. So, what can we do about it? Wouldn’t it have been more helpful for James to say as Zacchaeus did that the rich should repay fourfold whatever they have taken by fraud as opposed to telling them to “weep and howl”?

27.    What do you think James would have said to the Laodiceans mentioned in Revelation 3? John suggested a very clear answer to the problem. But, are the white raiment, the eyesalve, and the gold of faith and love all that we need? What if all of us went to church as Peter and John did without even a single cent in our pockets? If that was true, how could a church building project be successful?

28.    Clearly, this lesson is focusing on attitudes and behaviors. Read James 5:2-6xxxvi once again. There are two lists in these verses. In verses 2 & 3, doom is pronounced on the wealth itself showing how it has become accursed. The second list in verses 4-6, tells us how that wealth was accumulated. James and John both suggested that the times they were talking about are the final days in this earth’s history. Don’t we think that is when we are living? Hopefully, no Seventh-day Adventist is involved in extortion, injustice, or murder. But, do we sometimes indulge self, gratify self, and feel very comfortable with the abundance we have? We know that wealth will never buy a place in the kingdom of God. (Matthew 16:26xxxvii)

29.    If the wealth which we hold not only materially but also spiritually has been given to us by God, what are we doing to share that wealth? Are we sharing our spiritual wealth as well as our material wealth? Shouldn’t we be doing that? How can we do that better?

© 2014, Kenneth Hart, MD, MA, MPH. Permission is hereby granted for any noncommercial use of these materials. Free distribution of all or of a portion of this material such as to a Bible study class is encouraged.

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i-James 5:1 And now, you rich people, listen to me! Weep and wail over the miseries that are coming upon you! 2 Your riches have rotted away, and your clothes have been eaten by moths. 3 Your gold and silver are covered with rust, and this rust will be a witness against you and will eat up your flesh like fire. You have piled up riches in these last days. 4 You have not paid any wages to those who work in your fields. Listen to their complaints! The cries of those who gather in your crops have reached the ears of God, the Lord Almighty. 5 Your life here on earth has been full of luxury and pleasure. You have made yourselves fat for the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered innocent people, and they do not resist you.

Psalm 73:3 because I was jealous of the proud when I saw that things go well for the wicked. 4 They do not suffer pain; they are strong and healthy. 5 They do not suffer as other people do; they do not have the troubles that others have. 6 And so they wear pride like a necklace and violence like a robe; 7 their hearts pour out evil, and their minds are busy with wicked schemes. 8 They laugh at other people and speak of evil things; they are proud and make plans to oppress others. 9 They speak evil of God in heaven and give arrogant orders to everyone on earth, 10 so that even God's people turn to them and eagerly believe whatever they say. 11 They say, "God will not know; the Most High will not find out." 12 That is what the wicked are like. They have plenty and are always getting more. 13 Is it for nothing, then, that I have kept myself pure and have not committed sin? 14 O God, you have made me suffer all day long; every morning you have punished me. 15 If I had said such things, I would not be acting as one of your people. 16 I tried to think this problem through, but it was too difficult for me 17 until I went into your Temple. Then I understood what will happen to the wicked. 18 You will put them in slippery places and make them fall to destruction! 19 They are instantly destroyed; they go down to a horrible end.

1 Samuel 25:2 There was a man of the clan of Caleb named Nabal, who was from the town of Maon, and who owned land near the town of Carmel. He was a very rich man, the owner of three thousand sheep and one thousand goats. His wife Abigail was beautiful and intelligent, but he was a mean, bad-tempered man. Nabal was shearing his sheep in Carmel, 4 and David, who was in the wilderness, heard about it, 5 so he sent ten young men with orders to go to Carmel, find Nabal, and give him his greetings. 6 He instructed them to say to Nabal: "David sends you greetings, my friend, with his best wishes for you, your family, and all that is yours. 7 He heard that you were shearing your sheep, and he wants you to know that your shepherds have been with us and we did not harm them. Nothing that belonged to them was stolen all the time they were at Carmel. 8 Just ask them, and they will tell you. We have come on a feast day, and David asks you to receive us kindly. Please give what you can to us your servants and to your dear friend David." 9 David's men delivered this message to Nabal in David's name. Then they waited there, 10 and Nabal finally answered, "David? Who is he? I've never heard of him! The country is full of runaway slaves nowadays! 11 I'm not going to take my bread and water, and the animals I have butchered for my sheepshearers, and give them to people who come from I don't know where!"

Leviticus 19:13 "Do not rob or take advantage of anyone. Do not hold back the wages of someone you have hired, not even for one night.

Luke 16:19 "There was once a rich man who dressed in the most expensive clothes and lived in great luxury every day. 20 There was also a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who used to be brought to the rich man's door, 21 hoping to eat the bits of food that fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the feast in heaven. The rich man died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, where he was in great pain, he looked up and saw Abraham, far away, with Lazarus at his side. 24 So he called out, "Father Abraham! Take pity on me, and send Lazarus to dip his finger in some water and cool off my tongue, because I am in great pain in this fire!' 25 But Abraham said, "Remember, my son, that in your lifetime you were given all the good things, while Lazarus got all the bad things. But now he is enjoying himself here, while you are in pain. 26 Besides all that, there is a deep pit lying between us, so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot do so, nor can anyone cross over to us from where you are.' 27 The rich man said, "Then I beg you, father Abraham, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28 where I have five brothers. Let him go and warn them so that they, at least, will not come to this place of pain.' 29 Abraham said, "Your brothers have Moses and the prophets to warn them; your brothers should listen to what they say.' 30 The rich man answered, "That is not enough, father Abraham! But if someone were to rise from death and go to them, then they would turn from their sins.' 31 But Abraham said, "If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone were to rise from death.' "

Matthew 5:39 But now I tell you: do not take revenge on someone who wrongs you. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, let him slap your left cheek too.

ii-James 5:1 And now, you rich people, listen to me! Weep and wail over the miseries that are coming upon you!

iii-James 1:10 and the rich Christians must be glad when God brings them down. For the rich will pass away like the flower of a wild plant. 11 The sun rises with its blazing heat and burns the plant; its flower falls off, and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way the rich will be destroyed while they go about their business.

iv-Luke 17:27 Everybody kept on eating and drinking, and men and women married, up to the very day Noah went into the boat and the flood came and killed them all. 28 It will be as it was in the time of Lot. Everybody kept on eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 On the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and killed them all.

2 Timothy 3:1 Remember that there will be difficult times in the last days. 2 People will be selfish, greedy, boastful, and conceited; they will be insulting, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, and irreligious;

Revelation 18:3 For all the nations have drunk her wine - the strong wine of her immoral lust. The kings of the earth practiced sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the world grew rich from her unrestrained lust." 7 Give her as much suffering and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. For she keeps telling herself: "Here I sit, a queen! I am no widow, I will never know grief!'

v-Revelation 3:17 You say, "I am rich and well off; I have all I need.' But you do not know how miserable and pitiful you are! You are poor, naked, and blind.

vi-James 5:1 And now, you rich people, listen to me! Weep and wail over the miseries that are coming upon you!

vii-Acts 3:1 One day Peter and John went to the Temple at three o'clock in the afternoon, the hour for prayer. 2 There at the Beautiful Gate, as it was called, was a man who had been lame all his life. Every day he was carried to the gate to beg for money from the people who were going into the Temple. 3 When he saw Peter and John going in, he begged them to give him something. 4 They looked straight at him, and Peter said, "Look at us!" 5 So he looked at them, expecting to get something from them. 6 But Peter said to him, "I have no money at all, but I give you what I have: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth I order you to get up and walk!" 7 Then he took him by his right hand and helped him up. At once the man's feet and ankles became strong; 8 he jumped up, stood on his feet, and started walking around. Then he went into the Temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God. 9 The people there saw him walking and praising God, 10 and when they recognized him as the beggar who had sat at the Beautiful Gate, they were all surprised and amazed at what had happened to him.

viii-Psalm 73:3 because I was jealous of the proud when I saw that things go well for the wicked. 4 They do not suffer pain; they are strong and healthy. 5 They do not suffer as other people do; they do not have the troubles that others have. 6 And so they wear pride like a necklace and violence like a robe; 7 their hearts pour out evil, and their minds are busy with wicked schemes. 8 They laugh at other people and speak of evil things; they are proud and make plans to oppress others. 9 They speak evil of God in heaven and give arrogant orders to everyone on earth,

ix-Habakkuk 1:2 O Lord, how long must I call for help before you listen, before you save us from violence? 3 Why do you make me see such trouble? How can you stand to look on such wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are all around me, and there is fighting and quarreling everywhere. 4 The law is weak and useless, and justice is never done. Evil people get the better of the righteous, and so justice is perverted. 13 But how can you stand these treacherous, evil men? Your eyes are too holy to look at evil, and you cannot stand the sight of people doing wrong. So why are you silent while they destroy people who are more righteous than they are? 14 How can you treat people like fish or like a swarm of insects that have no ruler to direct them?

x-Habakkuk 2:2 The Lord gave me this answer: "Write down clearly on tablets what I reveal to you, so that it can be read at a glance. 3 Put it in writing, because it is not yet time for it to come true. But the time is coming quickly, and what I show you will come true. It may seem slow in coming, but wait for it; it will certainly take place, and it will not be delayed. 4 And this is the message: "Those who are evil will not survive, but those who are righteous will live because they are faithful to God.' "

xi-Habakkuk 3:17 Even though the fig trees have no fruit and no grapes grow on the vines, even though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no grain, even though the sheep all die and the cattle stalls are empty, 18 I will still be joyful and glad, because the Lord God is my savior. 19 The Sovereign Lord gives me strength. He makes me sure-footed as a deer and keeps me safe on the mountains.

xii-Revelation 13:16 The beast forced all the people, small and great, rich and poor, slave and free, to have a mark placed on their right hands or on their foreheads. 17 No one could buy or sell without this mark, that is, the beast's name or the number that stands for the name.

xiii-Revelation 14:9 A third angel followed the first two, saying in a loud voice, "Those who worship the beast and its image and receive the mark on their forehead or on their hand 10 will themselves drink God's wine, the wine of his fury, which he has poured at full strength into the cup of his anger! All who do this will be tormented in fire and sulfur before the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of the fire that torments them goes up forever and ever. There is no relief day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, for anyone who has the mark of its name."

xiv-2 Peter 3:10 But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that Day the heavens will disappear with a shrill noise, the heavenly bodies will burn up and be destroyed, and the earth with everything in it will vanish. 11 Since all these things will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people should you be? Your lives should be holy and dedicated to God, 12 as you wait for the Day of God and do your best to make it come soon - the Day when the heavens will burn up and be destroyed, and the heavenly bodies will be melted by the heat.

xv-James 5:2 Your riches have rotted away, and your clothes have been eaten by moths. 3 Your gold and silver are covered with rust, and this rust will be a witness against you and will eat up your flesh like fire. You have piled up riches in these last days.

xvi-1 Samuel 25:2 There was a man of the clan of Caleb named Nabal, who was from the town of Maon, and who owned land near the town of Carmel. He was a very rich man, the owner of three thousand sheep and one thousand goats. His wife Abigail was beautiful and intelligent, but he was a mean, bad-tempered man. Nabal was shearing his sheep in Carmel, 4 and David, who was in the wilderness, heard about it, 5 so he sent ten young men with orders to go to Carmel, find Nabal, and give him his greetings. 6 He instructed them to say to Nabal: "David sends you greetings, my friend, with his best wishes for you, your family, and all that is yours. 7 He heard that you were shearing your sheep, and he wants you to know that your shepherds have been with us and we did not harm them. Nothing that belonged to them was stolen all the time they were at Carmel. 8 Just ask them, and they will tell you. We have come on a feast day, and David asks you to receive us kindly. Please give what you can to us your servants and to your dear friend David." 9 David's men delivered this message to Nabal in David's name. Then they waited there, 10 and Nabal finally answered, "David? Who is he? I've never heard of him! The country is full of runaway slaves nowadays! 11 I'm not going to take my bread and water, and the animals I have butchered for my sheepshearers, and give them to people who come from I don't know where!"

xvii-2 Kings 20:12 About that same time the king of Babylonia, Merodach Baladan, the son of Baladan, heard that King Hezekiah had been sick, so he sent him a letter and a present. 13 Hezekiah welcomed the messengers and showed them his wealth - his silver and gold, his spices and perfumes, and all his military equipment. There was nothing in his storerooms or anywhere in his kingdom that he did not show them. 14 Then the prophet Isaiah went to King Hezekiah and asked, "Where did these men come from and what did they say to you?" Hezekiah answered, "They came from a very distant country, from Babylonia." 15 "What did they see in the palace?" "They saw everything. There is nothing in the storerooms that I didn't show them." 16 Isaiah then told the king, "The Lord Almighty says that 17 a time is coming when everything in your palace, everything that your ancestors have stored up to this day, will be carried off to Babylonia. Nothing will be left. 18 Some of your own direct descendants will be taken away and made eunuchs to serve in the palace of the king of Babylonia." 19 King Hezekiah understood this to mean that there would be peace and security during his lifetime, so he replied, "The message you have given me from the Lord is good."

xviii-James 5:3 Your gold and silver are covered with rust, and this rust will be a witness against you and will eat up your flesh like fire. You have piled up riches in these last days.

xix-Luke 12:33 Sell all your belongings and give the money to the poor. Provide for yourselves purses that don't wear out, and save your riches in heaven, where they will never decrease, because no thief can get to them, and no moth can destroy them. 39 And you can be sure that if the owner of a house knew the time when the thief would come, he would not let the thief break into his house.

xx-Mark 12:41 As Jesus sat near the Temple treasury, he watched the people as they dropped in their money. Many rich men dropped in a lot of money; 42 then a poor widow came along and dropped in two little copper coins, worth about a penny. 43 He called his disciples together and said to them, "I tell you that this poor widow put more in the offering box than all the others. 44 For the others put in what they had to spare of their riches; but she, poor as she is, put in all she had - she gave all she had to live on."

xxi-James 1:11 The sun rises with its blazing heat and burns the plant; its flower falls off, and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way the rich will be destroyed while they go about their business.

xxii-James 2:6 But you dishonor the poor! Who are the ones who oppress you and drag you before the judges? The rich!

xxiii-James 5:4 You have not paid any wages to those who work in your fields. Listen to their complaints! The cries of those who gather in your crops have reached the ears of God, the Lord Almighty.

xxiv-Leviticus 19:13 "Do not rob or take advantage of anyone. Do not hold back the wages of someone you have hired, not even for one night.

Deuteronomy 24:14 "Do not cheat poor and needy hired servants, whether they are Israelites or foreigners living in one of your towns. 15 Each day before sunset pay them for that day's work; they need the money and have counted on getting it. If you do not pay them, they will cry out against you to the Lord, and you will be guilty of sin.

Jeremiah 22:13 Doomed is the one who builds his house by injustice and enlarges it by dishonesty; who makes his people work for nothing and does not pay their wages.

James 5:4 You have not paid any wages to those who work in your fields. Listen to their complaints! The cries of those who gather in your crops have reached the ears of God, the Lord Almighty.

xxv-James 5:5 Your life here on earth has been full of luxury and pleasure. You have made yourselves fat for the day of slaughter.

Ezekiel 16:49 She and her daughters were proud because they had plenty to eat and lived in peace and quiet, but they did not take care of the poor and the underprivileged. 50 They were proud and stubborn and did the things that I hate, so I destroyed them, as you well know.

Amos 4:1 Listen to this, you women of Samaria, who grow fat like the well-fed cows of Bashan, who mistreat the weak, oppress the poor, and demand that your husbands keep you supplied with liquor! 2 As the Sovereign Lord is holy, he has promised, "The days will come when they will drag you away with hooks; every one of you will be like a fish on a hook. 3 You will be dragged to the nearest break in the wall and thrown out."

xxvi-Luke 16:19 "There was once a rich man who dressed in the most expensive clothes and lived in great luxury every day. 20 There was also a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who used to be brought to the rich man's door, 21 hoping to eat the bits of food that fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the feast in heaven. The rich man died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, where he was in great pain, he looked up and saw Abraham, far away, with Lazarus at his side. 24 So he called out, "Father Abraham! Take pity on me, and send Lazarus to dip his finger in some water and cool off my tongue, because I am in great pain in this fire!' 25 But Abraham said, "Remember, my son, that in your lifetime you were given all the good things, while Lazarus got all the bad things. But now he is enjoying himself here, while you are in pain. 26 Besides all that, there is a deep pit lying between us, so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot do so, nor can anyone cross over to us from where you are.' 27 The rich man said, "Then I beg you, father Abraham, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28 where I have five brothers. Let him go and warn them so that they, at least, will not come to this place of pain.' 29 Abraham said, "Your brothers have Moses and the prophets to warn them; your brothers should listen to what they say.' 30 The rich man answered, "That is not enough, father Abraham! But if someone were to rise from death and go to them, then they would turn from their sins.' 31 But Abraham said, "If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone were to rise from death.' "

xxvii-James 5:6 You have condemned and murdered innocent people, and they do not resist you.

xxviii-John 16:2 You will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time will come when those who kill you will think that by doing this they are serving God.

xxix-Matthew 5:39 But now I tell you: do not take revenge on someone who wrongs you. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, let him slap your left cheek too.

xxx-Matthew 5:3 "Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them!

James 2:5 Listen, my dear friends! God chose the poor people of this world to be rich in faith and to possess the kingdom which he promised to those who love him.

xxxi-Revelation 3:17 You say, "I am rich and well off; I have all I need.' But you do not know how miserable and pitiful you are! You are poor, naked, and blind.

xxxii-Deuteronomy 8:11 "Make certain that you do not forget the Lord your God; do not fail to obey any of his laws that I am giving you today. 12 When you have all you want to eat and have built good houses to live in 13 and when your cattle and sheep, your silver and gold, and all your other possessions have increased, 14 be sure that you do not become proud and forget the Lord your God who rescued you from Egypt, where you were slaves. 15 He led you through that vast and terrifying desert where there were poisonous snakes and scorpions. In that dry and waterless land he made water flow out of solid rock for you. 16 In the desert he gave you manna to eat, food that your ancestors had never eaten. He sent hardships on you to test you, so that in the end he could bless you with good things. 17 So then, you must never think that you have made yourselves wealthy by your own power and strength. 18 Remember that it is the Lord your God who gives you the power to become rich. He does this because he is still faithful today to the covenant that he made with your ancestors.

xxxiii-James 5:1 And now, you rich people, listen to me! Weep and wail over the miseries that are coming upon you! 2 Your riches have rotted away, and your clothes have been eaten by moths. 3 Your gold and silver are covered with rust, and this rust will be a witness against you and will eat up your flesh like fire. You have piled up riches in these last days. 4 You have not paid any wages to those who work in your fields. Listen to their complaints! The cries of those who gather in your crops have reached the ears of God, the Lord Almighty.

xxxiv-John 6:12 When they were all full, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces left over; let us not waste a bit."

xxxv-Matthew 6:24 "You cannot be a slave of two masters; you will hate one and love the other; you will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Luke 16:13 "No servant can be the slave of two masters; such a slave will hate one and love the other or will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

xxxvi-James 5:2 Your riches have rotted away, and your clothes have been eaten by moths. 3 Your gold and silver are covered with rust, and this rust will be a witness against you and will eat up your flesh like fire. You have piled up riches in these last days. 4 You have not paid any wages to those who work in your fields. Listen to their complaints! The cries of those who gather in your crops have reached the ears of God, the Lord Almighty. 5 Your life here on earth has been full of luxury and pleasure. You have made yourselves fat for the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered innocent people, and they do not resist you.

xxxvii-Matthew 16:26 Will you gain anything if you win the whole world but lose your life? Of course not! There is nothing you can give to regain your life.

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