James 5:1-6--Warning to the Rich

James 5:1-6 English Standard Version (ESV)
Warning to the Rich
1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

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James has just finished talking about boasting and trusting in oneself instead of God.  One of the main places this comes about is when those who are wealthy put their trust in their riches and stop thinking they need to rely on God to meet their needs.  They stop seeing their riches as a blessing from God and instead look at it as something they have earned, but no amount of money will save the rich from the judgement of the Lord and no man can take his riches with him, and even if we could they would not impress God.  All of our material possessions will corrode or rot--it is the nature of this fallen world.
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Remember Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount about not laying up treasures for ourselves here on earth, but to lay up treasures in heaven because where our treasure is, there our heart will be also.  The people who are boasting in the previous chapters who are self-reliant are the ones who focus on acquiring wealth, but then have much to worry about and their heart is usually not at peace.  God sees not only the pride of these men but the way in which they took advantage of other people for financial gain--denying people their just wages while indulging themselves and some have even killed to get ahead in business.  God sees all these things and will get justice for those who are innocent.

Let me wrap up by saying that money and even wealth themselves are not evil, and there are some very godly people who God has entrusted with great riches because He knows they will use them to bless others, but it is very difficult for a rich man to feel like he needs God.  Don't assume all people with money are evil, but understand that they may have a harder time accepting the gospel.