James 5:4

NIV: Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you.  The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.

Not only have the rich amassed their wealth, living for the here and now, seeking to fulfil all their desires, but they have also gained that wealth unjustly.  James is giving the example here of where the rich have failed to pay the workmen who laboured in the fields.  After all, if you have men working for you and then you fail to pay them, you come up with an excuse as to why they should not be paid (shoddy work, time wasting, and so on), then you have unjustly profited by their labours.    Exactly the same things are going on today.  You have employers who only pay the minimum wage, no matter what the work is.  There are those who make you lose 15 minutes pay if you are a few minutes late clocking in, others who use child labour, or make you stay late at work and then refuse to pay you because it is all part of your duties to complete the work.

But the thing to bear in mind here is that James is writing here to the believers in the twelve tribes of Israel.  He is not writing to the gentiles, to pagans but those who are professing a faith in Jesus Christ.  So when he is accusing the rich of becoming rich at the expense of the poor, he is firmly pointing the finger at Christians who cheat and rob their employees and others. 

Taking it a step further, it is an indictment against any Christian who leads a double life, saying one thing and doing another.  It is not just about the rich and how they have gained their wealth and are hoarding it.  It is about those of us who say we are Christians but our lives don't match with the words we speak.  It's about putting something other than God first in our loves.  

It is also an indictment against those who use the gospel for their own ends, to gain wealth, fame, notoriety.  False teachers who claim to follow Jesus when they are really serving their own ends, using the gospel as a means to get rich quick.  Look at how people can be misled by false teachers, how they can sound so credible, but when you check with the bible on the veracity of what they are saying, you realise they are twisting the word of God in order to make money.  When TV evangelists ask you to "sow a seed" , exactly where does the money go?  Does it go to help the poor, the needy, on mission work and so on  or does it go on fancy clothes, a big house, a flash car for the evangelist?  Are they living the high life on the donations of those who can ill afford to send the money but think they are furthering God's kingdom by sending money in?

Well, James is saying that if this is the case, if people have become rich by abusing others whilst professing to follow Jesus, then cries of those who have been oppressed, mistreated or robbed will reach the ears of God and His judgment is coming.

Imagine the reaction of the readers of James' letter if they had been doing just that!  For James is telling them that the very riches they have are crying out against them.  That those who have been robbed are also crying out to God.  No wonder those cries have reached the ears of God.