James 5.12-18

Test Case #5: Wisdom for Making Oaths (James 5.12)

Today, we are looking at two test cases of living by wisdom. Remember that the goal of all these test cases is to show how living by the wisdom from above really works in all these specific situations. The two we are going to look at are wisdom in reference to making oaths and prayer. Both of them prove the point we are making all along, that....

Wisdom from above (thinking heavenly)--> truth---> good deeds --> Life

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Desires from Below---> leads to temptation----> leads to Sin-----> leads to Death. 

First, making oaths. James sums up this test case with one verse as follows:

 12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, or you will be condemned.

What is interesting to me is that he begins this test case with, “Above all”. Does this test case really sum up all that follows? Let’s review what we have looked at so far:

1. Wisdom in Judging (James 4.11-12)
2. Wisdom for Financial Planning (James 4.13-17)
3. Wisdom for Treating Workers with Respect (James 5.1-6)
4. Wisdom for Patience in Adversity (James 5.7-11)

This test case is alluding to Jesus’ words in his sermon on the mount. Look at what Jesus says:

33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ 34 But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

The point of this test case is that the kind of people that have to make oaths are those that you can’t trust. They slander people and judge them (Test case 1). They don’t pay their workers when they are supposed to and no one can trust their word (Test case 2). They care more about making money than about caring for others (Test case 3). Andy they grumble against each other (Test case 4). These kind of people can’t be trusted, and because of this their word means nothing. Because of this we force people to make oaths so that we think we can trust them. These kind of people are living according to their desires from below, which leads to death. 

But those who live according to the wisdom from above are trustworthy. They can say yes and everyone believes them. They don’t speak ill of people (Test case 1). They pay their workers when they said they would (Test case 2). They care more about others than about making money (Test case 3), and they remain faithful to God until he comes back (Test case 4). That is why James says “Above all”. If you want to be the kind of person that lives according to God’s wisdom from above, “Above all” your “yes” and “no” can be trusted because that is just the kind of person you are. Now what happens when things go wrong, when things are good or when people are sick? James instructs us how to live with wisdom in every situation of life, through the test case of prayer. 

Test Case #6: Wisdom for Prayer (James 5.13-18)

13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

 17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

First off, James shows that every situation in life should be drenched with prayer. When we are in trouble, we should pray. When we are happy, we should sing songs of praise in prayer. When we are sick, we should ask the elders to pray for us so we will be healed. Then, James gives the main idea for this test case. He says: “And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.” 

The wisdom from above tells us that in every situation, we must trust our God in prayer. We must take our concerns, troubles, requests and praises to God and trust that he will work out everything for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. His example of this kind of wisdom is Elijah. He says: 

17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

When the people of God pray in faith, God moves. Do you believe this? I know I say I do, but I don’t live this way. If we truly believed that if we pray in faith, God WILL move, why does the average American PREACHER pray only 7 minutes a day? We should be praying for the hungry to get food, for those in sex slavery to be freed. We should be praying for more churches to be planted in the least reached areas in the world. We should pray for more workers to be raised up and sent into the harvest field. We should be praying for our friends and family who do not know Jesus. Yet...we would rather sleep longer or fill our day with more menial desires from below instead of living with wisdom from above. Perhaps we feel like the Christian life is boring because we don’t live radical prayer lives which leads to radical lives. So pray something radical today. Who knows, God may move.