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James 1:1-4
1 James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings.
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
James (v.1) — The human author of this epistle was James, the Lord’s brother (half brother). It is important to understand that after the birth of Christ, Mary and Joseph began a normal marriage relationship and had other children … (Mark 6:3-4). … In spite of the fact that the Lord’s brothers and sisters unknowingly lived in the presence of perfection for thirty years, they all rejected Him as the Messiah (John 7:5). It was not until after Christ’s resurrection that some of His siblings responded to Him in faith. After the Lord had appeared to the five hundred brethren in Galilee, Paul says, “He was seen of James” (1 Corinthians 15:7). This provides us with some of the most compelling evidence of Christ’s resurrection, simply because the unbelief of James vanished like a vapor when his Brother appeared to him during His post-resurrection ministry. — Sadler, pages 18-19
bondservant (v.1) = literally, “a slave, one who belongs to another” but here, figuratively, “a fully devoted servant, one who gives himself up wholly to another’s will.”
the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad (v.1) — The Diaspora. This was a specific historical event, like “The Depression.”
There was a localized persecution of the Jews after the stoning of Stephen (Acts 8:1), followed by a much broader scattering of the Kingdom church under the emperor Claudius around AD 44. — Grace, page 2195.
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These writings [the Hebrew epistles — Hebrews to Revelation], which are numbered with the prophetic Scriptures, have a twofold purpose. They were practical exhortations for the kingdom saints during the first century, but more importantly, they are instructions and warnings for the future kingdom saints who will be called upon to endure the coming Tribulation. — Sadler, page 17
joy (v.2) = cheerfulness, calm delight
James isn’t advocating some type of prideful denial in suffering. He doesn’t say the trial is all joy, but to “count it all joy.” They were to look at the trials with a proper attitude, understanding that it would ultimately work out for their good. As difficult as they are to endure, God has a purpose in trials. — Sadler, page 27.
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Obviously, we do not rejoice because of the trials themselves, but because of what God will produce in us if we respond to them properly. — Grace, page 2195.
fall into (v.2) = encounter, are surrounded by. These trials cannot be anticipated. We cannot know when they will occur or what sort of trials they will be.
trials (v.2) — … A “trial” sent by God which serves to test or prove a believer’s faith (See Genesis 22:1 cf. Hebrews 11:17). … James also adds that there were … various types of trials that his hearers were being called upon to endure. … James wanted his readers to understand that trials are unpredictable and come in many different forms.
knowing (v.3) = experiential knowledge, not merely the accumulation of facts. To know through first-hand experience.
testing (v.3) = trying, proving
Patience (v.3) does not mean waiting without anxiety, but to endure adverse circumstances without letting them sour the attitude. — KJC, page 1716.
perfect (v.4) = complete, mature, full-grown. Not sinlessness while we remain in our broken bodies on a broken world, but prepared to deal with trials.
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James — Introduction
A great deal of time and effort has been spent by a great many people to reconcile the teaching of James with the teaching of Paul. On the surface, the doctrines of the two men appear to disagree.
Paul stated unequivocally: ” For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9)”
James also allowed no wiggle room when he wrote: “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? … Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:14, 17-18).
Some people try to find a way to explain the differences away and claim there really isn’t any difference. Others (including Martin Luther) reduce James to a lesser place in the canon of Scripture.
There’s a third solution, one that requires no complex arguments to prove that the two men were really saying the same thing. It also does not require James to be relegated to a lesser position in Scripture. The solution is simply this: Paul and James were writing to different audiences regarding different gospels.
Clear evidence for this can be found in Galatians 2:7-9: “But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles), and when James, Cephas [Peter], and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.”
The Book of James is one of a group of books traditionally called the General Epistles … It has been the cause of much controversy in the church because of the failure of many to “rightly divide” the Scriptures. If we lump all the New Testament together and fail to distinguish between God’s prophetic program for Israel and his secret program for the church, the Body of Christ, we will think there is a contradiction between the clear message of salvation by faith alone in Paul’s epistles (Romans 4:1-8) and James’ emphasis on faith plus works (James 2:14-26). Those who do not understand the Apostle Paul’s distinct message and apostleship will be confused. Failing (or refusing) to see these distinctives has cause some to wonder if the Book of James should even be in the canon of Scripture. (The reformer Martin Luther went so far as to call it “an epistle of straw.”) However, once we understand Paul’s unique apostleship and message and God’s differing plans for Israel and the Body of Christ, these problems go away, and we realize that God indeed meant exactly what He said to whom He said it. — Grace, page 2195.
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That there is a great difference between the great Pauline Epistles and the Epistle of James is seen at a glance. … The character of the Epistle of James is essentially Jewish. In the second chapter the word synagogue is used as the place of their assembly. … They were then still in the synagogue. Nothing about the Church, the body of Christ is mentioned in this epistle, nor do we find here the great doctrines of Christianity and the corresponding Christian relationship. The law is also prominent; and there are other Jewish features. … The character of the entire epistle corresponds with those to whom the epistle was originally addressed, “the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad.” It is evidently a document written at an early date during the transition period and before the great doctrinal epistles of the apostle to the Gentiles [Paul] had been produced, in which the fulness of redemption, the body of Christ, the church, and its unity and other cardinal doctrines of our faith are revealed. — Gaebelein, page 1123.
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Overwhelming evidence indicates that the author of James was … the half-brother of the Lord Jesus Himself. While James did not believe in the Lord during His earthly ministry (John 7:1-5), he came to believe after His resurrection and went on to become the leader of the Kingdom assembly in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13; 21:18; 1 Corinthians 15:7; Galatians 2:9). — Grace, page 2195.
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We know that the epistle had to be written before AD 62 because that is when James was martyred. Many believe that the book … was one of the earliest epistles written, and this does indeed seem to be the case. The book is addressed to the “twelve tribes which are scattered abroad.” This undoubtedly refers to the Jews who had been scattered throughout Gentile lands for centuries and to those who were recently scattered after the stoning of Stephen, around AD 35 (Acts 2:8-11, 8:1). The “flavor” of the book is Jewish, and there is no hint of the Jew-Gentile controversy, so it was most likely written before the Jewish Council, which was held in AD 49. All these points point to an earlier date of writing, probably before AD 40, but certainly no later than AD 49. — Grace, page 2195.
The Catholic church created so many myths and legends about the apostles that I’m hesitant to believe anything not stated in Scripture, but the death of James was recorded by the Jewish historian Josephus: “Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but on the road, so he assembled the Sanhedrin or judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others. and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned.”
The closing books of the Bible — Hebrews to Revelation — relate to the future, and will uphold the faith of the elect members of the Hebrew people and of the Gentiles who will love and confess the true Messiah, and brave the persecutions of the future false Messiah. These books specially belong to them, and will be understood by them. — Williams, page 992.
I have found myself avoiding James, not because I don’t think it belongs in Scripture, but because so many people (ignorantly or intentionally) misunderstand it that it feels like a minefield. I hope through this study to allow the Holy Spirit to teach me what it has for me.
The resources I’m using for this study:
Gaebelein’s Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, by Arno C. Gaebelein — Loizeaux Brothers (Gaebelein)
Grace Study Bible — Berean Bible Society (Grace)
King James Bible Commentary — Thomas Nelson Publishers (KJBC)
Studies in James, by Paul M. Sadler — Berean Bible Society (Sadler)
Williams’ Complete Bible Commentary, by George Williams — Kregel Publications (Williams)
When I quote from these works, I will use the word in the parentheses.
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Ecclesiastes 12:9-14
9 And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs.
10 The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright—words of truth.
11 The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd.
12 And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all.
14 For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.
These final six verses serve as the epilogue to the book.
proverbs (v.9) — Solomon also wrote most of the book of Proverbs.
acceptable (v.10) = understandable, appropriate for the readers
goads (v.11) = sharp sticks used to poke animals to make them move. Words of wisdom should prod believers to act properly.
nails (v.11) — Wisdom should make us secure and stable, the way a nail secures a board.
A study of man’s words (v.3) can never bring wisdom.
After all the things Solomon considered in his life, his conclusion was that the entire purpose of man is to fear God and obey Him. This is the “whole duty” (v.13) of man, the reason he exists.
And here is the “final answer” to man’s purpose: to know and obey God. Why? Because God will bring EVERYONE into judgment. At that day, will you be found in Christ and free from condemnation” (Romans 6:23; Philippians 3:9)? Or will you be found outside of Christ and condemned for eternity? (Revelation 20:12-15). — Grace, page 1182.
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Human writings, however numerous, lead nowhere, and only produce weariness. The Divine writings lead to Christ and to heaven; they are words of delight; and they refresh and do not weary. Having heard all that can be said in favor of trying to secure happiness in this life by the use of material agents, the conclusion is that it is impossible; that the only happy life is one in fellowship with God and the Bible; that such fellowship produces the ideal man; and that any other life is madness, because there is a day coming when every action, however hidden, will be brought into the unsparing light of the throne of God and judged. — Williams, page 449.
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Ecclesiastes 12:1-8
12 Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, “I have no pleasure in them”:
2 While the sun and the light, the moon and the stars, are not darkened, and the clouds do not return after the rain;
3 In the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men bow down; when the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look through the windows grow dim;
4 When the doors are shut in the streets, and the sound of grinding is low; when one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of music are brought low.
5 Also they are afraid of height, and of terrors in the way; when the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper is a burden, and desire fails. For man goes to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets.
6 Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the well.
7 Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.
8 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “All is vanity.”
Verses 2-5 describe old age; verses 6-7, death. Verse 2 pictures the depression and gloom which accompany old age. In youth life appears all brightness; and if there is rain, sunshine follows it. But not so in old age, clouds then return after rain, i.e., the mind loses its power of recovery and cheerfulness. “The keepers of the house” are the arms, the “strong men,” the legs, the “grinders,” the teeth, “the windows, the eyes (v.3). “The house,” more than once in the Bible, figures the human body. — Williams, page 448.
Verse 2 contrasts the light of youth with the darkness of old age.
keepers of the house tremble (v.3) — the hands shake
strong men bow down (v.3) — the legs become weak
Grinders cease because they are few (v.3) — the teeth fall out
windows grow dim (v.3) — eyesight gets worse
the sound of grinding is low (v.4) — loss of appetite
rises up at the sound of a bird (v.4) — sleeplessness
daughters of music are brought low (v.4) — loss of hearing
afraid of height, and of terrors in the way (v.5) — afraid of falling and afraid of traveling
almond tree blossoms (v.5) — hair turns white
the grasshopper is a burden (v.5) — feebleness
the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken (v.6) — probably the nervous system
the pitcher shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the well (v.6) — probably the circulatory system
dust (v.7) — the physical body (Genesis 3:19; Psalms 104:29)
Verse 7 describes the reverse, as it were, of the creation process. The “spirit” in this specific context of life “under the sun,” refers simply to the breath of life that God places into all living creatures, and not to the soul of man. — Grace, page 1182.
In verse 8, Solomon repeats the point he made in Ecclesiastes 1:2.
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Ecclesiastes 11:7-10
7 Truly the light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun;
8 But if a man lives many years and rejoices in them all, yet let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. All that is coming is vanity.
9 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these God will bring you into judgment.
10 Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh, for childhood and youth are vanity.
Life (“light,” v.7) is enjoyable, but remember that it is short compared to the time spent in death (“days of darkness”). … While believers know that life is indeed short (James 4:14), we do not despair because we know that our existence after our lives on earth will be far superior (2 Corinthians 4:17; Colossians 1:5). We are not living life “under the sun” with its attendant despair. Instead, we have the best of both worlds—enjoyment of all that life has to offer here and now followed by a glorious eternity in the presence of God (2 Corinthians 5:6; Ephesians 2:6).— Grace, page 1181.
Chapter 12 should probably begin with 11:9.
Rejoice in your youth. … Cheerfully enjoy all of God’s gifts. … Celebrate [your abilities] as the gifts of God but remember He has not given you these gifts to squander foolishly. There will be a day of accounting, so do all with a consciousness that at a future point you are to stand before the sovereign Judge of the universe. A man must put away from himself all that would be displeasing to God, for these things will ultimately blunt his ability to achieve true joy. — KJV Commentary, page 753.
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“Light” (v.7) means life and prosperity. “Darkness” (v.8) means adversity, old age, and death. “All that cometh is vanity” (v.8). This is true when God is suppressed. The child expects boyhood to give a satisfying happiness; the boy expects the same from youth; and the youth from manhood. But disappointment is met at every stage of life’s journey. … The verses that follow continue the argument of the emptiness of youth and maturity (v.10) even when furnished with all means for enjoyment (v.9).; and this emptiness is embittered by the consciousness of future judgment (v.9). The better path of turning away from pleasures which only irritate the mind, and injure the body (v.10), and of remembering God, in and from, boyhood, and before the advent of old age and death is set out in verses 1-7 of chapter 12. — Williams, page 448.
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youth (v.10) — Not the same word for youth used in v.9. Here it means “dark” or “black,” i.e., dark hair (as opposed to gray) and thus a young man. — Grace, page 1181.
vanity (v.12) = quickly disappearing.
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Ecclesiastes 11:1-6
1 Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.
2 Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, for you do not know what evil will be on the earth.
3 If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; and if a tree falls to the south or the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie.
4 He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.
5 As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes everything.
6 In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand; for you do not know which will prosper, either this or that, or whether both alike will be good.
Chapters 11-12 close the book with practical exhortation. Though we cannot know what the future holds, we are still to act wisely in view of it. Verse 1 seems to refer to making an investment (“cast your bread”) in merchandising across the seas (“upon the waters”) in expectation that a profit will be realized on it “after many days.” … Verse 1 speaks of the time required to see a return on the investment and verse 2 about the need for diversification. — Grace, page 1180.
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Cast your bread (v.1) — Sow without any hope of a harvest: do good even to them on whom your benefactions seem thrown away. — Treasury, page 427.
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If we wait until conditions are perfect (v.4), we will never do anything. We must act now and trust God for the outcome. — Grace, page 1181.
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We do not need to understand how or why God works to trust in His providential outworking of all things. … While we do not know the results of our efforts, we are to diligently apply ourselves and trust God for the outcome. — Grace, page 1181.
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… Busy oneself in reproductive industry (v.1), such as that of a farmer, and share with the poor the resulting profit (v.2). The clouds and the trees are pointed to (v.3) as illustrations of this life of industry and benevolence. The clouds fill themselves, they empty it out upon the thirsty earth. A tree, whether it happens to be in the cold north or the hot south, gives its fruit and shade to others. The argument of v.2 is that because a famine is possible, therefore surplus wealth should be generously distributed. … The argument of verse 3 is that if the lot of a tree happens to fall in the north or in the south of a land, its function is to grow and bear fruit and afford shade, and so benefit the people. A farmer that declines to work because of the wind or the rain (v.4) will not enjoy the full harvest that will reward the diligence of v.6. … It is as fruitless and as vain to waste time in trying to find out God’s secret purposes in the permission of evil as to try to ascertain how the bones of a child are formed prior to birth. — Williams, pages 447-448.
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Don’t stand gazing idly at the clouds, wondering when and where the rain is going to fall. Don’t allow your actions to be governed by the capricious conditions of life under the sun. Sow because it is the honorable thing to do. True, the value of what you are doing is shrouded in mystery, as is the formation of the child in the womb. Man does not know what God is doing, but that lack of knowledge is never to serve as a cause for inactivity. Man must do his work and enjoy the present life, though it is beyond his powers to determine the future. — KJV Commentary, pages 752-753.
My various commentaries see different shades of meaning in these verses. My take, after reading what they had to say, is this: Life isn’t predictable. We can never know the future. Our role in light of this is to do the next right thing. We should plan for the future while knowing that it will likely not pan out the way we expect it to. We should waste a lot of time trying to make sense of it all because we can’t.
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Ecclesiastes 10:16-20
16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and your princes feast in the morning!
17 Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles, and your princes feast at the proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness!
18 Because of laziness the building decays, and through idleness of hands the house leaks.
19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes merry; but money answers everything.
20 Do not curse the king, even in your thought; do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom; for a bird of the air may carry your voice, and a bird in flight may tell the matter.
child (v.16) — young in age or prone to immature behavior.
proper time (v.17) — at a time that doesn’t distract from their duties—as opposed to the behavior of the king in v.16.
Just as a house leaks and rots (v.18) because the owner is too lazy to maintain it, so a kingdom goes to ruin because of an indolent and foolish ruler. — Grace, page 1180.
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“Child” (v.16) should read as … “servant,” i.e., “a slave”; that is to say, a slave to vice. “Son of nobles” (v.17) should read as … “a free man”; that is, free from the bondage of vice and folly. The contrast is, at base, between folly and wisdom, not between childhood and nobility. When magistrates “eat in the morning” (v.16) it is, in the East, an evidence of neglect of duty; for that is the time when princes administer justice at the gate of a city. Honest princes (v.17) “eat in due season”; that is, they do not neglect duty in order to indulge appetite. The fabric of government and of the state (v.18), here compared to a neglected house, suffers serious damage when members of the government neglect duty and give themselves over to debauchery and pleasure (v.19). “Money answereth all things” (v.19), i.e., “money responds to all things”: that is, money can procure all the luxuries needed for banquetings and revelings. Verse 19 is, perhaps, to be understood as the drunken reply of the princely revelers to the rebuke contained in verse 18. — Williams, page 447.
answers (v.19) = supplies
It is hard to know exactly what is meant by “money answereth all things.” Some think it refers to money that supplies the aforementioned wine and food. Others think it refers to an unjust ruler who takes bribes. Perhaps it is best to simply take the words at face value—a reflection on the attitude of a person who lives life “under the sun” (without regard to God or eternity) and believes that money truly is the answer to every problem. — Grace, page 1180.
bird (v.20) — Maybe the source of the saying “a little bird told me …”
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Ecclesiastes 10:8-15
8 He who digs a pit will fall into it, and whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent.
9 He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits wood may be endangered by it.
10 If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but wisdom brings success.
11 A serpent may bite when it is not charmed; the babbler is no different.
12 The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool shall swallow him up;
13 The words of his mouth begin with foolishness, and the end of his talk is raving madness.
14 A fool also multiplies words. no man knows what is to be; who can tell him what will be after him?
15 The labor of fools wearies them, for they do not even know how to go to the city!
He who digs a pit will fall into it (v.8) — The plots of the wicked often backfire.
Verse 10 is saying that a sharpened axe makes it much easier to cut wood, and wisdom makes it much easier to accomplish any task.
babbler (v.11) = lit. “master of the tongue.” Here, the snake charmer.
swallow him up (v.12) — A fool’s words bring about his own downfall.
multiplies words (v.14) — from the context of the verse, woods that predict the future. Attempt to guess what will happen are foolish.
They do not even know how to go to the city (v.15) — A proverbial expression for one who was grossly ignorant of something that was very plain and obvious to everyone else. Fools exhaust themselves trying to figure out what should be obvious. Yet they want to “enlighten” everyone else when they have no clue. — Grace.
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In the East fences are made of loose stones, and serpents frequently hide in them (v.8). The point in verse 10 is that intelligence is better than coercion. The latter may succeed, but it costs effort and involves danger. The argument of verse 11 is that both a slanderer and a serpent may be skillfully avoided. Human science (vs.12-15) multiplies books and theories, and wearies itself in such labor. But its uselessness and ignorance are demonstrated by its inability to declare the future (v.14). — Williams, page 447.
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Ecclesiastes 10:1-7
10 Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, and cause it to give off a foul odor; so does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.
2 A wise man’s heart is at his right hand, but a fool’s heart at his left.
3 Even when a fool walks along the way, he lacks wisdom, and he shows everyone that he is a fool.
4 If the spirit of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your post; for conciliation pacifies great offenses.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, as an error proceeding from the ruler:
6 Folly is set in great dignity, while the rich sit in a lowly place.
7 I have seen servants on horses, while princes walk on the ground like servants.
From the disagreeable effect which the presence of dead flies (v.1) in precious moistures produces in the sultry climate of the East arose the Arabic proverb, “A fly is nothing, yet it produces loathsomeness.” The toleration of the slightest folly in the life of a man of reputation will soon cause his reputation to [stink]. — KJV Commentary, page 751.
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Like fine perfume, the purer one’s reputation, the greater its liability to ruin. The impact of folly is in direct proportion to one’s reputation; the greater one’s reputation for wisdom and honor, the more impact a little folly has on it. It only takes one moment to destroy a reputation that it took a lifetime to build. — Grace, page 1179.
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In the language of Scripture the right hand (v.2) suggests that which is honorable (Luke 1:11), and the left hand that which is sinister and evil (Matthew 25:41). — KJV Commentary, page 751.
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Even in the most ordinary affairs of life (“the walking by the way”), watchfulness, discretion, and intelligence are needed. The fool by his left-handed folly proclaims every day in in the ordinary affairs of life, that he is a fool (v.3). But the man of discretion, the right hand man, “Leaves not his place,” i.e., does not assert himself when attacked (v.4), but by gentleness escapes worse evils. — Williams, page 447.
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Verses 6-7 speak of the same thing: the error of a ruler in placing incompetent fools in positions of leadership and power while putting noble and qualified men in lowly positions. — Grace
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