The Reward of the Oppressor

“Go to now, [ye] rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon [you]. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned [and] killed the just; [and] he doth not resist you.” (James 5:1-6 AV)

Yes my friends there are a great many injustices in the world. Many of those who have great riches have no concerns about the poor man’s sufferings. Instead he compounds his suffering that he may gain even more wealth. That is not to say that all men who have wealth fall into this sin. Certainly this is not the case. However, Scripture does not speak vainly when it says, “. . . The love of money is a root of all [kinds of] evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (1 Timothy 6:10 NKJV)

James gives these suffering believers a reason not to envy their oppressors by describing the rich man’s future reward. The description is not of a temporal reward, they will not have their wealth stripped from them in this life, but eternal damnation waits.

Friends, do not desire to be rich; desire only to walk with your God. Those who seek great wealth do so to their own sorrow. However those who seek eternal treasure, treasure in heaven shall have their reward many times beyond all the treasures of earth.

Remember when you are tempted to envy or hate your oppressors, they have fattened their hearts for the slaughter. Pray for grace to open their eyes that they might escape the damnation that awaits them. If you are saved today, grace set you free. Grace opened your eyes, and without it you would fair no better than the rich man will.