Theme: COMMENTARY ON JAMES CHAPTERS 3 - 5
Text: “Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endured. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord: that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” – James 5:10, 11.
Comment: The servants of God go through many persecutions at the instance of satan the devil. A number of them and their works of faith are listed in Hebrews chapter 11. Towards the end of the chapter spoke of the prophets subdued kingdoms, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, turned to flight the armies of the aliens and women received their dead raised to life again. Many others were tortured and subjected to cruel mockings and scourgings, moreover of bonds and imprisonment. (Hebrews 11:32-38) These are the clouds of witnesses mentioned by St. Paul in Hebrews chapter 12, from whom we should draw encouragement lest anyone should become weary and faint along the way.
Job, the patriarch and prophet of God, was deprived of wealth and health, and at once plunged into deep affliction within a day by wave after wave of the Devil’s onslaughts. Yet he remained faithful to God. The case of Job teaches us that the devil is the cause of our troubles; that he could do us nothing except God allows it and we should allow ourselves to be diverted by fiery trials in that if we look to God in our afflictions He would certainly help us. – Job 1:1-21; 2:1-10; 27:3-6; 42:10-17.