James 5: Robbed
In chapter 5 James turns on those who prosper through the labor of others but who refuse to pay wages to those workers. The issue is fundamentally practical because it concerns food and clothing, shelter and dignity and these are being kept from those who have earned them. This is robbery, however explained or explained away or however skillfully the employer talks his way out of his obligation. He might as well be mugging the worker as far as concrete results are concerned because in the end he is robbing the worker of what is rightfully his. Down the years countless workers have made the rich and powerful richer and more powerful and for sheerly self-serving reasons, with no sense of debt, the rich and powerful walked away and left the workers stunned, jobless and in dire straits.
The reverse is true! There is more than enough of those who prey on the elderly, the ignorant and the disadvantaged. He comes to fix a leak under the sink or a faulty switch in the bedroom or a few loose slates on the roof and the sly crook gouges the poor woman for work he has never done. A recent case here in the UK involved the life’s savings of an elderly gentleman. A carpenter/joiner came to fix some windows, as I recall, but ending up building a whole new staircase and putting in some new flooring. I say that as though he had finished the job but he never had. What made it especially galling was that the sweet-natured old man continued to speak of the crook as "a nice man, very kind and helpful," certainly words to that affect. He said it took all his savings but at least his house was fixed up, or nearly so. Some time after the television interview the man fell down the stairs and died. The matter is still being pursued. In James the employers took advantage of and robbed the workers and in this case—as in so many others—the worker took advantage of and robbed the vulnerable old man.
And there are those in unions who go far beyond the sometimes essential work that they do to ensure that the workers are not prey to predatory wealth and power. They become the predators and honest businessmen and women are intimidated into agreements that are near impossible, straight-jacketed by union rules and policies that claims rights to the point where community is lost and everyone loses.
The principles involved here are far-reaching because while there’s more than one way of robbing someone there are many things we can steal from people. There are those who have made us rich in freedom and education and health and we refuse to give them what is due them. I’m think immediately of parents that have spent their lives providing for and protecting their children and their due is withheld—robbed! Teachers have devoted their lives to give us a shot at a better life in spirit as well as in other ways and their due is withheld—robbed! Wives and husbands have given the best years of their lives in faithfulness and devotion and their due is withheld—robbed! Little and growing children came to us for shaping and protection, came to us because we invited them into our lives and made them dependent on us and their due is withheld—Robbed!
James had a word of consolation: the Lord is near! Yes, that’s all very well, but what about those who’ve already suffered the loss? The Lord is not only near he will right all wrongs! Think noble things of God. Don’t rob him of his due because he has shown himself worthy of it all in Jesus Christ.
©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.
Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, theabidingword.com.
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