59 James-04 Yada Yada

#TheScrolls #GospelsApostles #YadaYadaPauses #J

For reading purposes: James-04

Setting

Who:

Author:
- Biblical evidence points to a prominent Jewish-Christian leader like James the brother of Jesus,
- Origen (c. AD 185–253): First explicit attribution; quotes James as Scripture and links it to "James, who is called the brother of the Lord" (Commentary on John 19.6; cf. Ecclesiastical History via Eusebius).
- Eusebius of Caesarea (c. AD 265–340): In Ecclesiastical History (2.23.4–7, 25), states the epistle is "attributed to James, who was surnamed the brother of the Lord," noting its disputed canonicity but affirming authorship; quotes Hegesippus (c. AD 170) on James's martyrdom (AD 62) and leadership.
- Council of Carthage (AD 397): Canonizes the epistle, implicitly endorsing traditional authorship tied to James the Just.
Audience: The twelve tribes scattered abroad (James-01#v1, context for book)
- House of Judah
- House of Israel
Characters and People Groups:
- YHWH, God
- The Lord (Yeshua/Jesus Christ)
- Adulterers and adulteresses
- Friends of the world
- The Devil
- Brethren
- The humble
- The proud
- Judges
- The rich
- Merchants
- The poor
Symbolic Roles:
- Deceiver: The devil, the adversary
- Deceived: Friends of the world; adulterers and adulteresses
- Savior: God

What:

Main Storyline: Warning against worldliness, quarrels, pride, and judging others; call to submit to God, resist the adversary (devil), humble oneself, and repent.

When:

Date Authored: Circa AD 45–50
- (Traditional author: James, brother of Jesus, traditionally martyred AD 62; epistle is early, pre-Jerusalem Council [Acts 15, AD 49–50]; no mention of Gentile controversy).
Date takes place: Not specified

James 4 James-04

← James 03 | James | James 05 →

Where do wars and fightings^[1] among you come from?
- Don't they come from your pleasures that war in your members?
  - You lust^[2],
    - and don't have.
  - You murder and covet,
    - and can't obtain.
  - You fight and make war.
  - You don't have,
    - because you don't ask.
    - You ask,
      - and don't receive,
        
        because you ask with wrong motives,
        
        so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
You adulterers and adulteresses^[3],
- don't you know that friendship with the world
  - is hostility toward God?
    - Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world
      - makes himself an enemy of God.
  - Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain,
    - "The Spirit who lives in us
      - yearns jealously"?^[4]
    - But he gives more Grace^[5].
      - Therefore it says, "God resists the proud,
        
        but gives grace to the humble."
    - Be subject therefore to God. Commands (Mitzvot)
      - Resist the Devil //Accuser, slanderer (one who attacks with false or malicious charges)//, Commands (Mitzvot)
        
        and he will flee from you.
      - Draw near to God,
        
        and he will draw near to you.
      - Cleanse your hands,
        
        you sinners.
      - Purify your hearts, ^[6]
        
        you double-minded. ^[7]
      - Lament, mourn, and weep.
        
        Let your laughter be turned to mourning,
        
        and your joy to gloom.
      - Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord^[8],
    - and he will exalt you.
      - Don't speak against one another, Judgments (Mishpatim)
        
        brothers.
        
        He who speaks against a brother and Judge his brother,
        
        speaks against the law \Torah \ and judges the law.
        
        But if you judge the law,
        
        you are not a doer of the law,
        
        but a judge.
    - Only one is the lawgiver,
      - who is able to
        
        save
        
        and to destroy.
        
        But who are you to judge another?

Notice what it says ... The Set-Apart Breath of YHWH (aka Holy Spirit) is INSIDE but there is a war INSIDE. The Holy Spirit WANTS you to listen, yearns for it. Just as YHWH yearned for the love of Israel in the Old Testament. Yah was a jealous god, and now His Set Apart Spirit is a jealous spirit because we follow our OWN pleasures.

The Devil - the slander - in this case is our own pleasures, our own desires.

Don't speak against one another - take a stand, bear record against: Deut-19#v15-19 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin that he sins. At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established. Matt-18#v15-20.

Matt-1815-20 and Deut-1915-19.png

Speak against the law ... Slandering or condemning a brother violates this command → you speak against the law by disobeying it. Lev-19#v16 The law = Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (James 2:8; Leviticus 19:18).

Judge the law ... By condemning your brother, you sit in judgment over him as if you are above the law. This usurps God’s role as the only Lawgiver and Judge (James 4:12: “There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?”). You judge the law by acting as if it’s invalid or insufficient — you set yourself above it.

Not a doer… but a judge” Doer = one who obeys the law (James 1:22–25). Judge = one who critiques or overrides the law. You cannot obey a law you’ve dethroned.

Come now, you who say,
- "Today or tomorrow
  - let's go into this city,
  - and spend a year there,
    - trade,
    - and make a profit."
- Whereas you don't know what your life will be like tomorrow.
  - For what is your life?
  - For you are a vapor that appears
    - for a little time,
    - and then vanishes away.
- For you ought to say, ^[9]
  - "If the Lord wills,
    - we will both live,
    - and do this or that."
- But now you glory
  - in your boasting^[10].
    - All such boasting is evil.
  - To him therefore who knows to do good,
    - and doesn't do it,
      - to him it is sin.^[11]

← James 03 | James | James 05 →

Connections

Chaos From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence ↩︎
Unrighteous Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. ↩︎
Unrighteous Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. ↩︎
Idiom the spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy – the human spirit he caused to dwell in us has a strong tendency toward envy or jealousy. ↩︎
Grace But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble ↩︎
Self Control Cleanse your hands… purify your hearts ↩︎
Idiom Cleanse your hands... purify your hearts – ritual and moral purification; outward actions and inward motives must both be made clean. ↩︎
Gentleness Humble yourselves ↩︎
Wisdom Ye ought to say, If the Lord will… ↩︎
Unrighteous But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. ↩︎
Unrighteous Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin ↩︎