Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you. Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. James 5: 1-8, NKJV.
Dear Father, as we look to You today, we ask that You will open our eyes to the signs that are fulfilling all around us. May we see, hear, and obey. This is our prayer in the blessed name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The sign that we are studying today, seem to be present in every age; in the wilderness wanderings, during the days of the prophets, during the days of the apostles, the time of the end, and at the end of time. This sin is especially prevalent, because it is the direct result of the selfishness of the human heart. As the coming of the Lord draws near, the hearts of men and women will become hardened! One of the signs of the last days, is that human beings will be “lovers of money” (2 Timothy 3: 2). And the Word of God tells us that, “the love of money, is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6: 10a).
In the early church, we have an example of the selfishness and greed of the human heart. On this occasion, Ananias and Sapphira, husband and wife, sold their land and brought, what was supposed to be the entire amount, to the apostles, to be distributed evenly. But they had both agreed to lie about the transaction, in order to keep back some of the money. This act of deceit cost them their lives (see Acts 5). Now you may say that this incident, and the behavior of the rich, in our Scripture, for today is completely different. I agree with you. What the two groups do have in common, however, is the desire to satisfy self at the expense of others.
God has given to some the talent of making good financial investments. The revenue from these investments are to be used to bless ourselves and others. They are not to be hoarded, until they become corroded. In the Book of Proverbs we read the following: “He who oppresses the poor to increase his riches, and he who gives to the rich, will surely come to poverty. . . Do not rob the poor because he is poor, nor oppress the afflicted at the gate; for the LORD will plead their cause, and plunder the soul of those who plunder them” (22: 16, 22, 23).
In the Levitical law we find the following instruction: ” ‘In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return to his possession. And if you sell anything to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor’s hand, you shall not oppress one another. According to the number of years after the Jubilee you shall buy from your neighbor, and according to the number of years of crops he shall sell to you. According to the multitude of years you shall increase its price, and according to the fewer number of years you shall diminish its price; for he sells to you according to the number of the years of the crops. Therefore you shall not oppress one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the LORD your God. ‘So you shall observe My statutes and keep My judgments, and perform them; and you will dwell in the land in safety. Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill, and dwell there in safety” (Leviticus 25: 13-19). Emphasis supplied.
The Master will soon return! At His coming, may He not find us oppressing one another (see Matthew 24: 48-51).