2 Kings 13-14
The Bible is a multi-faceted book that teaches us many different things if we care to look. I firmly believe that one of its many purposes is to teach us about both the nature of God and the nature of man. We see both in this story of King Jehoahaz. In spite of God’s many warnings, Israel had continued in their disregard for Him and His commands. When God finally turned Israel over to King Hazael of Aram because of this, however, Jehoahaz “sought the LORD’s favor” (2 Kings 13:4). God saw how His people were being oppressed, so He responded to the King’s plea and “gave Israel a deliverer” (vs. 5).
This tells me that God does not desire to see His people in bondage. Instead, He is quick to forgive and ready to redeem. All He needs is a humbled heart. It also tells me that we humans are quick to run to God when we are in deep trouble, as Jehoahaz did. But what did Israel do when their former way of life, out from under the oppression of the Arameans, was restored? “They didn’t turn away from the sins that the house of Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit. Jehoahaz continued them, and the Asherah pole also remained standing in Samaria.” (2 Kings 13:6). Yup – it seems we humans are also quick to return to our old ways as soon as God gets us out of that deep trouble. So much for gratitude.
Now, I can choose to be haughty and say that those Israelites were stupid, stubborn, selfish, and hard of heart – which they were – and that I’m not like that. But I would be deceiving myself. I may not manifest those characteristics in the same ways they did, but they are human nature. So believe me, they are in me. It is important that I be aware of this and willing to admit it. Only then will I be intentional in seeking God’s help daily to walk in His nature instead of my own. The reality is that, but for the grace of God, I am in deep trouble every day of my life. That truth should move me to daily seek His favor. And I know that He is ready and willing to give it.
James 5
I was struggling with connecting the seemingly varied topics of this chapter. Then I noticed James’ use of the example of Job. His exhortation to “not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged” (James 5:9), made me recall how Job’s friends were quick to judge him and throw accusations at him in the midst of his suffering. So I stopped and looked at the rest of this chapter from the perspective of Job’s situation. Then it made a little more sense to me.
In addition to not putting each other down, James exhorts us to be patient and wait for God’s compassion and mercy. As they came for Job, so they will come for us. His directive to “not swear” (take vows or oaths) reminds me of how certain Job’s friends were of the character and nature of God. They used their presumptions to accuse Job. Perhaps James’ admonition is a caution against being too sure of ourselves. Instead, James says, when you suffer, simply pray; when you are cheerful, simply praise.
I had a lot of questions regarding his “Is anyone among you sick?” statements. But when I discovered that the word translated as “sick” here has a broader meaning of “weak”, his statements made a lot more sense to me, especially with the going theme. The one who is “sick” would be the person who is struggling in their faith. At such times it can be difficult to either pray or praise. In that case, we go to the elders of the church so that they can pray on his behalf. I don’t think James specified church elders because they were the leadership, as we think of today. In this context, the “sick” person is not being chastised but, rather, helped. James would have specified the elders because they were the ones chosen to minister to those who were suffering and struggling in the church.
Putting all of this together, I see this entire chapter as instruction from James on how we are to treat each other as members of Christ’s body. Life is a struggle and we need to help each other through it. We should not take advantage of each other. We should not grumble against, judge, and condemn one another. Instead, we are to stand united with patience, long-suffering, and humility. And we are to hold up the weak as we encourage one another toward God.