Patience

Patience seems to be a theme of James chapter 5, and Job is given as a perfect example of patience under great stress. He spent a lifetime of faithful obedience to God and was the epitome of all that Jesus taught - loving God with all his heart and his neighbour as himself.

When tested by God, he showed remarkable patience and endurance with one serious trial after another. Even after the loss of his wealth and the deaths of all his children, his response was, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised" (Job 1:21). Then after being afflicted with boils all over his body and with his wife saying ‘curse God and die’ he responds with "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" (Job 2:10).

So, penniless, bereaved of his children and very sick, he still showed great patience. He trusted that he would eventually receive, the blessing from the Lord, even though he may have to wait for the resurrection to enjoy it. His example should be encouragement for us; because, if we allow it, God will shape our lives so that we may be fit to enjoy our ultimate and eternal blessing.( Job 1:21 Luke 8:15, Rom 2:7, 8:24-25, Gal 6­-9

James gives us Job as ‘an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.’(v10) and the patience of the faithful will soon be rewarded.

Jas 5:8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh….

Jas 5:9 behold, the judge standeth before the door.

And so, to help the faithful in their patient waiting, James recommends the power of prayer and gives the example of Elijah, who was a man like anyone else, and yet …

Jas 5:17-18 Elias (Elijah) was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

And Scripture provides numerous examples for us of the power of prayer. We are told that the prayers of a righteous or a justified man are powerful because God hears them.             Psalm 34:15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

Proverbs 15:29 The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.

Here are a few examples.
Joshua prayed and the sun stood still. Josh 10:12-13

Elijah prayed and the widow’s son came back to life.        1Kings 17:19-22
Elisha prayed and the Shunammite’s son was restored to life. 2Kings 4:32-35
Hezekiah prayed and his life was lengthened.                 2Kings 20:1-6
The ecclesia at Jerusalem prayed and Peter was released from prison. Acts 12:5,10

Today, we may or may not find our prayers answered so spectacularly, but nonetheless God hears them through the mediation of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ (1Tim 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus). And although our prayers may not seem to be granted, we can be sure that God’s will is being done and that our prayer will avail much, provided that we are considered righteous by God. And that takes us back to James chapter 3 where we read that Abraham’s faith was counted to him for righteousness.

So, may we take the example of Job and exhibit patience and faith, remembering our Lord who was the perfect example of suffering, affliction and patience. And having come into a relationship with God through belief, repentance and baptism, let us Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

V.11 Some contend that the Book of Job was an allegory and, therefore, Job was not a real person.  The fact that both James and Ezekiel (Eze 14:14,20) both talk about him suggest strongly that he did exist.

Peter  [UK]  Comment added in 2001  Reply to Peter

James 5:10,11.

These verses make it sound as though Job patiently endured his afflictions throughout the course of his book and due to this faithful perseverance is eventually blessed by God. But in reading through the dialogue part of the book (ch. 3-31), it did not really happen in that way. Job often seemed impatient and questioned God and His actions (admittedly while provoked by his 3 friends' inaccurate reasoning and false accusations). So why did James make these statements here about Job?

Job proves himself as having remarkable patience and steadfast endurance at the beginning of the book when touched up with one serious trial after another including the deaths of all his children by a great wind destroying their home. And yet his response was, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD  be praised" (Job 1:21). And after his bodily affliction of receiving boils from head to toe, there's this in response to his wife's plea to curse God and die. "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" (ch. 2:10).

But then within the intervening chapters, he never seems to me to be all that patient when spurred on by the arguments of the 3 so-called friends. It was not so much that he was right and they were wrong or even vice versa. All 4 proved to be wrong in a number of things they said according to God Himself. James' point here, though, is that Job persevered and his readers had heard of what God finally brought about due to Job's 2 confessions at the beginning of ch. 40 (Job 40:4,5) and after the conclusion of God's speech (Job 42:1-6). Then we have what God says to Eliphaz (1 of the 3) in 42:7 - "I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has." So, reading between the lines, it looks like all 4 (perhaps 5 including Elihu) heard what God said out of the whirlwind. Yet the only one to own up to his sinful speech - initially, that is - was Job. So might this not be the perseverant quality that James is commending him for? And as well there is his humility in praying for the 3 and their acceptance by God on that basis and their offering of pleasing sacrifices to Him (Job 42:8-10).

By no means, now, am I saying that I would have, under the same set of circumstances, done any better than Job. I have no doubts that his faith and deeds will secure him a place in God's Kingdom. But God's own reasoning with him and his own confessions of sin make me believe that he finally did come to realize that he went too far in some of those statements about himself and God in those middle chapters.

James is telling us the only lifestyle that will save is to, "fling off the dirty clothes of the old way of living, which were rotted through and through with lust's illusions, and, with (y)ourselves mentally and spiritually re-made, to put on the clean fresh clothes of the new life which was made by God's design for righteousness and the holiness which is no illusion" (Eph 4:22-24, J.B. Phillips). Hence, this is followed by James' admonition when to pray, how to pray, and why pray because this is the only way we may overcome instead of being overcome!

Valerie Mello [in isolation, TN, USA]  Comment added in 2012  Reply to Valerie

James 5:16. Scripture provides numerous examples for us of the power of prayer. We are told that the prayers of a righteous or a justified man are powerful because God hears them. Psa 34:15, Prov 15:29.
Here are a few examples.
     Joshua prayed and the sun stood still. Josh 10:12-13.
     Elijah prayed and the widow’s son came back to life. 1Kin 17:19-22.
     Elisha prayed and the Shunammite’s son was restored to life. 2Kin 4:32-35.
     Hezekiah prayed and his life was lengthened. 2Kin 20:1-6.
     The ecclesia at Jerusalem prayed and Peter was released from prison. Acts 12:5,10.