4 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.
5 You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.
6 You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.
Sabaoth (v.4) = armies, hosts, an innumerable throng
James was infuriated when he discovered that the rich landowners were withholding wages from the poor, and the law justified his righteous anger.” “You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether one of your brethren or one of the aliens who is in your land within your gates. Each day you shall give him his wages, and not let the sun go down on it, for he is poor and has set his heart on it; lest he cry out against you to the Lord, and it be sin to you” (Deuteronomy 24:14-15).
The rich would often withhold wages until the next day when their memory of the preceding day wasn’t as clear concerning what they had agreed to pay. By doing so, they were robbing the poor of what rightfully belonged to them. Thus, their riches were unjustly gained at the expense of the poor. According to the law, this was a sin. The hired servant dared not complain … because he feared he would not be hired the next day. But the hired servant did have recourse: he could take the injustice that was done to him to the Lord. … James tell sus they cried unto the Lord of Sabbath. This particular title is borrowed from the Old Testament where it is translated Lord of hosts, the One who created the sun, moon, and stars. The same God who spoke and worlds came into being is also deeply concerned about the mistreatment of the poor and needy. — Sadler, pages 128-129
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An ox greedily eats the rich herbage on the very day that it is to be slaughtered, so the senseless rich indulged their passions … on the very eve of the coming judgment (v.5). — Williams, page 996.
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The “day of slaughter” refers to the day of Israel’s judgment. The picture here is that they have been unknowingly fattening themselves as a sheep or ox does in preparation for its own day of slaughter. Their ignorance in going their own way without considering God (as in James 4:13-16) and building up earthly treasure is like that of the rich fool in Luke 12:15-21). — Grace, page 2201.
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