Grudging Before the Judge James 5:9

As James, the “servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ”, he addressed the idea of Jesus Christ “coming” again, and he told his readers to “be patient” and “establish” their “hearts” because “the coming of the Lord draws near”. In chapter five and verse nine of his letter, James turned his attention to people who hold “grudges” against one another where we read:

Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest you be condemned:

behold, the judge stands before the door.

The verse begins, “Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest you be condemned:” James began with the word, “Grudge not” or “do not sigh, murmur or cause grief” “one against another” which refers to “down from, through out, according to, toward and along each other reciprocally and mutually” “brethren” which means “fellow believers who are united to another by the bond of affection in Christ”, “lest” or “not in order, albeit and that” “you be condemned” which means “damned and sentenced in judgment”. James' readers were not to “sigh, murmur or cause grief” to each other lest they would “condemn” themselves in their actions.

The verse goes on to say, “behold, the judge stands before the door.” James continued, “behold” or “see and lo”, “the judge” which means “the one who passes or arrogates to himself judgment on anything; and arbiter” “stands” or “cause to place, put, set, make firm and establish” “before” or “in front of, prior to and above” “the door” which refers to “the gate and door of the kingdom of heaven (likened to a palace) and denotes the conditions which must be complied with in order to be received into the kingdom of God”. James exhorted his readers to remember that the ultimate “judge” is firmly established before the “door and gate” of the “Kingdom of God”.

When we think through these words of James, we understand we are never to hold “grudges” against others. When we do, we put ourselves in line to be “judged” by the ultimate “judge”, Jesus Christ. Let us be exhorted to lay aside our “murmurings” against one another and align ourselves with the one who “stands before” the entry “gate” of the Kingdom of God.

Next time James tells his readers to “the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.