Author: Charlie Garrett

Saturday, 14 September 2019

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. James 5:17

James just said in the previous verse that “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” Now, to show that this is supported by Scripture, he turns back to the idea of rains which he spoke of in verse 5:7. This time, it is concerning a drought upon the land at the time of Elijah. He says, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours.”

Here James uses a word found only elsewhere in Acts 14:15. It signifies similar passions or feelings. Thus, Elijah was just like anyone else. Being called as a prophet of God does not change the fact that he carried the same propensities, weaknesses, likes, and dislikes as any other person. And yet, despite his standard human nature, James says that “he prayed earnestly that it would not rain.”

The Greek reads in a standard Hebraic way of expression saying, “he prayed with a prayer.” Such repetition is a way of intensifying what is said. The prayer is not recorded in Scripture, but his statement that it would not rain is. There is no reason to assume that James is adding to Scripture by saying this. Any such drought would come as a response to Elijah’s prayer.

In John 11, Jesus said that Lazarus would rise. He could have simply called out for him to do so, but before he did, it says that He spoke to the Father in a prayer of thanks. James has made a logical deduction, based on the words of Elijah, that a prayer was what initiated the extended drought over the land. This becomes more obvious based on what will be said in the next verse, where James refers to Elijah’s prayer which ended the famine.

Finally, James shows the effectiveness of the prayer of this man whose nature was just like ours. He notes that “it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.” This is a treasure for us in the New Testament. The account of Elijah and the drought in 1 Kings doesn’t give the amount of time that the drought lasted; it merely says first in 1 Kings 17 –

“And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, ‘As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.’” 1 Kings 17:1

It next says in 1 Kings 18 –

“And it came to pass after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, ‘Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth.’” 1 Kings 18:1

All it says is “in the third year.” However, Jesus says in Luke 4 –

“But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; ²⁶ but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.” Luke 4:25

James repeats the words of Jesus, but this must have been commonly understood by the people. If Jesus erred in His words, He would have been called out by the people for His inaccuracy. As both Jesus and James give a specific time period, and as there is no record of their words being called into question, then there must be a reasonable explanation for the specificity of what they have said. Albert Barnes provides an obvious conclusion concerning the matter –

“Three years and six months – From 1 Kings 18:1, 1 Kings 18:45, it would seem that the rain fell on the ‘third year’ – that is, at the ‘end’ of the third year after the rain had ceased to fall at the usual time. There were two seasons of the year when rains fell in Judea – in October and April, called the ‘early’ and ‘latter’ rain; consequently there was an interval between them of six months. To the three years, therefore, when rain was withheld ‘at the usual times,’ are to be added the previous six months, when no rain fell as a matter of course, and consequently three years ‘and six months’ elapsed without rain.”

What Albert Barnes rightly deduces is that the land normally did not receive rain for six months each year. At the end of those six months, the people would be in high anticipation of the coming rains. However, Elijah told the people that the anticipated rains would not come. Instead, there would be a famine. This continued until the beginning of the normal rain season three years later. Thus, the entire period of there being no rain came to be three years and six months.

One cannot say that James is incorrect when he says, “and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.” Elijah did not say, “It will not rain for three years and six months.” He simply said, “there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.” It is irrelevant that the drought was three years from the time he spoke. What matters is that he spoke and the rains were withheld. The first six months being a normal cycle of no rain are simply added to his words, thus making a total of forty-two months for Israel’s time of famine.

Thus, the rains which finally came for Israel would have been the standard rains, normally expected at that time of year. The lesson had been given, the people were taught their lesson, and the normal cycle of life would – from that time forward – begin once again.

Life application: There are quite a few instances in the Bible where it is important to read both testaments in order to get the full picture of a particular issue. Certain psalms which record no author in the Old Testament are credited to David in the New. Various facts about Abraham and other OT figures can only be known by studying Acts, Hebrews, etc.

The point is that Elijah was merely a man. He may have been a prophet chosen by God, but he is only a man. By his word, it didn’t rain. James is saying that we are humans just like Elijah and therefore have the ability, by faith, to have effective prayer lives which can truly move mountains. If you feel your prayers are not being answered, make sure they align with God’s will and then have faith that they are heard and will be responded to according to His great plan for us.

In 2007 in Georgia, rainfall stopped and water became scarce. The leader of the state, Sonny Perdue, spoke these words on the capitol steps, “We do believe in miracles. We believe you are the miracle Creator – the Creator that established the water and the land, and the air, and even us. God, we need You, we need rain.” The next day it rained. Yes, God hears and responds to the prayers of His people when they humble themselves.

What a great and awesome God You are! That You would bend Your ear to the people You created and respond according to their pleas is simply amazing! How can we not praise You and give You the glory You are due! Thank You for the rain, thank You for healing, thank You for attending to our every need when asked in faith, and when it is according to Your will. Glory to You, O God! Amen.

Friday, 13 September 2019

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16

The words of James assume that this is referring to sickness which is a result of some sort of sin. Paul refers to such a situation in his first letter to the Corinthians –

“For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. ³⁰ For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.” 1 Corinthians 11:29, 30

John goes so far as to note sins that lead to death –

“If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. ¹⁷ All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.” 1 John 5:16, 17

For this reason, meaning sickness, James says first to “Confess your trespasses to one another.” Vincent’s Word Studies notes that “The preposition ἐξ, forth, out, implies full, frank, open confession, and so in every case of its use in the New Testament.” There is to be honesty in the confession by the one who is confessing. When one hides a matter, there can be no trust. Therefore, a full confession of the sin to one another is needed so that the prayers are unhindered. If those praying don’t have a knowledge of what is to be prayed for, how can healing for that particular affliction be brought before the Lord?

In James’ words, there can be no doubt that he is tying the sickness to some type of committed sin. But is this a particular punishment that God has brought upon the person because of the sin, or is it merely a consequence of the sin? In other words, if someone is doing something he should not be doing, like over-drinking, is this leading to the sickness? Or could it also be that the conscience is its own means of bringing about sickness? A guilty conscience can bring about all kinds of other health problems as well.

What is probably the case is that all three possibilities are on James’ mind. He notes that there is sickness, he notes that there is sin in the person’s life, and he notes that the two are connected. The actual reason for the sin leading to sickness is less important than the fact that the two are, in fact, connected. He calls for confession, he then calls for prayers by those who have heard the confession, and he says that healing can be effected through this.

With this understood, he then says that “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” The Greek rightly puts the stress elsewhere. The English Revised Version says, “The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working.” It is the working of a prayer in this regard which brings much about. Using the word “effective” does not convey the sense of operation, but the outcome of it, which is simply a truth which is then conveyed by the words “avails much.”

The idea here is that the prayer of “a righteous man,” meaning a believer in Christ, has great ability to bring about change. But it must be understood that God does not change. Therefore, a prayer is something that God knew would happen or would not happen. It is asked, “If God does not change, then why pray?” The answer is that God responds to prayers in the sense of having prefigured them into His unfolding plans. Just because God knows the outcome of things does not mean that those things do not need to occur. Prayer is what we do in the stream of time. The response to a prayer is what God has done outside of time. So be sure to pray. A prayer not made is a prayer that will not be responded to.

Life application: This verse pretty much sums up the entire biblical basis for Roman Catholic confessionals and priests serving as intermediaries in the forgiveness process. It is one verse, taken out of context, to justify this unscriptural practice.

Rather, the Bible very clearly proclaims in 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.” If Christ is our Mediator, then there is absolutely no need for priests to serve in this manner. Further, confession in a confessional is not what is implied here. Instead, healing and restoration can come about by simply getting the matter out, instead of carrying it inside – something that leads to stress, ulcers, neuroses, etc. Although descriptive in nature, the following account from Acts is what James is referring to –

“And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. ¹⁹ Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver.” Acts 19:18, 19

As you can see, these people openly confessed their wrongdoing. The result was that the “word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.” This is the goal of confession and prayers for healing – that the Lord may be glorified and that we may be healed. Take all things in context and do not be kept in bondage by misapplication of verses which leads to the gain of those who misapply them.

Thank You Jesus for being our Mediator! Help us to remember that it is God who forgives and it is You who sends our petitions to the Father. You are the Bridge of restoration and healing. All glory to You – our precious Mediator and Advocate on high! Amen.

Thursday, 12 September 2019

And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. James 5:15

This continues on from what James said in the previous verse. Taken together, these two verses read –

“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”

Understanding the context, James begins with the words, “And the prayer of faith.” According to Paul, whatever is not from faith is sin (see Romans 14:23). James is obviously speaking of believers, and that they have confidence in their prayers for healing and restoration. To waffle in such confidence would be sin, and the prayer would be wasted breath.

But even what “faith” means here must be understood properly. Is James saying, “You must have faith that the prayer is sufficient to heal”? In other words, is the faith referring to confidence in the fact that the person will be healed? No, this cannot be. That would make the prayer the effective means of healing. But prayer is to be to God, and it is God who heals. Therefore, the one who prays must have full confidence in God and in His ability to heal – whether He does so or not.

From there, James says that “the prayer of faith will save the sick.” The thought here is that when the prayer is made, it is made with confidence in God that He does hear, has heard, and will heal the one who is afflicted. James then says, “and the Lord will raise him up.” Note that it is the elders of the previous verse who have prayed, but it is the Lord who does the raising up. How vastly different than what is seen in Charismatic churches. Though they claim to heal in Jesus’ name, the focus is on the healer. The Lord is an afterthought.

James then adds in a second thought by saying, “And if he has committed sins.” The structure of the Greek indicates “‘be in a state of having committed sins,’ that is, be under the consequences of sins committed” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown). In other words, if the person was a drunkard, and that was the cause of his affliction, or if the person is sick because of illegal drugs then the idea is that forgiveness is seen in the healing.

Having noted these things, the words here say, “will save the sick,” and “will raise him up.” These adamant words (many translations say “shall”) are to be taken in the light of God’s sovereignty. One cannot know if God intends for the sickness to continue in order to bring Him glory through it. It would be presumptuous and inappropriate to claim healing over the person. That is an implicit demand that God must respond according to our will, not His.

God did heal through the apostles. Such is true with Paul who is seen to have been the means of healing, raising a dead person, etc. However, Paul also almost lost a person, Epaphrodites, through sickness. The context of his words implies that he had no ability to bring about healing. That account is seen in Philippians 2:25-30.

Again, Paul is said to have left Trophimus sick in Miletus. That is found in 2 Timothy 4:20. And Paul also did not heal Timothy of his frequent stomach problems. Instead, he told Timothy to drink wine instead of just water (1 Timothy 5:23). Further, Paul had his own affliction in his body (see 2 Corinthians 12 and Galatians 4) that he desired to be removed. He asked the Lord three times to remove it, but in the end, it remained. Instead, he noted that the Lord’s grace was sufficient.

These are given to show us that James’ words here are not to be taken in the absolute sense, but are to allow room for God to decide what the outcome will be.

Life application: From the references to sickness which were not healed, it is clear that not all illnesses are covered in James’ words. All things are in the Lord’s providence and if it is His will to heal, then healing will come about.

There is no such thing as a “faith healer,” but there is “faith healing.” God responds according to His sovereign plan and not according to the wiles of TV evangelists and unscrupulous charlatans. Likewise, it is imprudent at best to hold to the doctrines of denominations that forbid medicines, surgery, and the healing hand of trained physicians.

Be careful to take all things in context and, above all, to acknowledge the Lord’s sovereignty in the healing process. Always let your prayers reflect that His will be done.

Heavenly Father, forgive us for not allowing Your hand of providence to rule our hearts when dealing with sickness, disease, and even death. Yes, you have instructed us to pray for healing and restoration, but too often we pray according to our desires without including Your will. Help us to always remember this in the future that You may be glorified. Amen.

Wednesday, 11 September 2019

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. James 5:14

James now prescribes treatment for those who are sick. He first asks a question concerning the matter, “Is anyone sick among you?” It is a general question directed to his readers. It cannot be that he is only speaking to the people alive at the time because the epistle is included in the Bible. However, this does not mean that it is an all-encompassing thought which can expect universal results. This is evident from other parts of Scripture.

However, as a general rule, he gives guidance concerning the sick person by saying, “Let him call for the elders of the church.” The word here is presbuteros. It signifies an elder, a mature man who is wise in judgment. The feminine singular of the word, presbytera, does not occur in Scripture. The feminine plural, presbyteras, is seen once in 1 Timothy 5:2, and it is referring to older women in the church, not women in a leadership capacity.

Noting these elder men here, however, does not mean that churches were bound to a certain type of structure. Variations of church structure are noted in Acts and in the epistles, and none is placed as the premier example of how a church is to be structured. In this case, James cites what he knows is the case with his audience, probably because the churches whose attendees were mostly Jewish would be structured in a manner similar to the synagogues.

And so, he continues by saying of the elders, “and let them pray over him.” Prayer is a thing which obviously assumes free will in man. These elders are told to pray, and they may do so or not. If they pray, their prayers are expected to be heard. And if heard, there will be hopes of a favorable result. God knows the end from the beginning, and the outcome of all things are known to Him in advance. And yet, if we are told to pray, then it means that God must have factored in the prayers of people before they were ever uttered.

James then says, “anointing him with oil.” This is a practice referred to in Isaiah 1:6, where he speaks of soothing wounds and bruises with ointment. Jesus referred to it in Luke 10:34, in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Mark again notes this in Mark 6:13, where it says that the apostles “cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.”

James then adds in that the oil is to be anointed “in the name of the Lord.” This is then in conjunction with the prayers themselves. The people are to pray, the afflicted area (or the afflicted one) is to be anointed with oil, and the name of the Lord is to be invoked in the process. James is relying on this means of treatment, combined with prayer, to obtain an expected result. That expected result will be seen in the next verse.

Life application: James’ words in this verse and the following two produce lots of tension and disagreement in denominations around the world. A conservative reading of these and all such verses is probably the best approach. Oil was used in ancient times as a healing agent just as Neosporin or Vicks VapoRub is today. This is the significance of Jesus’ words in Luke 10:34, referred to above. There it says –

“So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.”

Therefore, when it says that the elders of the church are to take the actions given in the verse, they should be read in the context of the time and situation. They were to pray over the afflicted person as indicated. Prayer is the Christian’s single most effective tool in the battle against illness. No matter how potent the medicine, no matter how skilled the doctor, no matter how tender the hands of the nurses – without the Lord’s providential blessing, then no healing will result.

Concerning the oil, however, as this is shown to be an ancient remedy for healing, then the symbolism of the gesture is that, in addition to prayer, effective medicines are to be given to the person. To assume that an application of oil is definitely going to produce the healing effects will lead to over-spiritualization of the account and even to disappointment and confusion if healing is not effected.

Oil of whatever type does not have any particular magic qualities, so be careful that the credit for any healing is directed to the Lord and that appropriate medical attention is given as well.

Christians need to exercise wisdom concerning illness, disease, and physical trauma which may occur. We are not to forsake the intelligence we have been given concerning seeking out trained doctors and other health-care officials. Likewise, we should not discount medicines which have been produced to bring about healing. Above all, however, let us never forget that prayer should be our first and last offering during the healing process.

Lord God, help us to be wise in seeking out cures for the healing of our afflictions. May we not assume that a supposed “faith-healer” has the answer to whatever ails us. Your word tells us to pray for healing, and we shall do so. But we also have the obvious responsibility to seek out those things which have been developed for our healing as well. Give us wisdom concerning the care of our bodies when such times arise. Amen.

Tuesday, 10 September 2019

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. James 5:13

James is now going to give a few verses of instruction for specific instances which may arise in the life of the believer. Although he states several of these almost as foregone conclusions concerning the results which can be expected, they are not necessarily to be taken in that light. This will be seen in the coming verses, such as praying for healing. James seems to indicate that taking certain actions will definitely result in receiving the desired healing. This, however, is certainly not the case.

For now, he begins with two questions, each of which is followed by an exhortation. His first question is, “Is anyone among you suffering?” The word translated as “suffering” is used twice by Paul in 2 Timothy 2:9 and then 2 Timothy 4:5. It signifies the experiencing of painful hardships.

The purpose of prayer in such an instance is to find relief or strength. It is certain that if one believes in the Lord and His ever-present nature with His people, then finding comfort and strength is going to happen. One cannot logically pray to God for comfort in his affliction and then not feel peace that the request has been heard. However, if relief from the suffering is what is desired, that may not come about.

Paul’s uses of the word imply that the suffering is ongoing. In fact, using the same word, Paul tells Timothy to “endure afflictions.” Therefore, it is expected that they will continue and not be taken away. James’ exhortation is one which is surely general in nature, and must be directed more to finding comfort in the affliction rather than it is for the affliction to be removed.

He then asks, “Is anyone cheerful?” The word here is opposite to the state of suffering which has just been stated, and so the exhortation is suited to the state. This is the last of three uses of the word in Scripture and it gives the sense of being in good spirits. James says that if one is in good spirits, he should sing psalms.

It is a single word, psalló. It signifies playing on a stringed instrument, plucking on it such as on a harp. It can also signify making music in general, or even the simple act of singing. It is where our word “psalm” comes from. The word comes from a root meaning “to rub.” Thus, one gets the sense of vibrations which turn into sound. Paul uses the word four times, all in relation to singing. This is its last use in Scripture.

James would have the person who is in good spirits make an external display of his state before God and man, returning music to the One who brought him to such a state.

Life application: The words of this verse ought to be the norm and not the exception, but as is too often the case among us, we fail to put the admonitions of the Bible into practice. Instead of praying when we have trouble we tend to fret, worry, lose sleep, get angry, etc. James tells us that when we face trouble we should pray. This should be the first and not the last thing we do when troubles come.

When times of joy and happiness come, we should sing songs of praise. Too often we skip this step and go on to celebrating with friends, reveling in our prosperity, and being excited about how well things are going. But the first thing we should do, and the thing we should constantly do, is to sing songs of praise. How often do you stop and really thank the Lord when something good comes your way? How often do you simply break out in a song of gratitude for the wonders that keep showing up on the doorstep of your life?

This isn’t something that only James thought of. Paul tells us to express our joy in this way in his writings. One example is found in Colossians –

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16

If you are facing troubles, get on your knees and pray. Ask friends to join you down there if the problem is big enough. God listens and He responds to the prayers of His children according to His wisdom. And when things get corrected and life hands you blessings and happiness, don’t forget to respond to the Lord with songs of joy and psalms of thanksgiving. He is worthy of the praise you send His way!

Heavenly Father, how often we fret, worry, and have stress when we ought to be sending our prayers to you. And likewise, how unfaithful we are to take time to acknowledge Your goodness to us with simple words of thanks or even songs of praise. Forgive us for our thoughtlessness, and turn our thoughts to correct priorities in the future. To Your honor we pray. Amen.