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Spr 4:5-12. ‘Verkry wysheid, verkry insig; vergeet nie en

wyk nie af van die woorde van my mond nie: verlaat dit nie, dan sal dit jou bewaar; kry dit lief, dan sal dit jou bewaak. Die beginsel van die wysheid is: Verwerf wysheid en verwerf insig deur al wat jy besit. Hou dit hoog, dan sal dit jou verhoog; dit sal jou eer as jy dit omhels.

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Dit sal ‘n lieflike krans gee vir jou hoof, dit sal jou ‘n sierlike kroon verskaf. Hoor, my seun, en neem my woorde aan; dan sal die lewensjare vir jou vermeerder word. In die weg van die wysheid onderrig ek jou, ek laat jou die spore van opregtheid betree; as jy loop, sal jou treë nie belemmer

word nie, en as jy hardloop, sal jy nie struikel nie.’

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Jak 4:11-5:20. ‘Broeders, moenie van mekaar kwaad

spreek nie. Dié wat kwaad spreek van sy broeder en sy broeder oordeel, spreek kwaad van die wet en oordeel die wet; en as jy die wet oordeel, is jy nie ‘n dader van die wet nie, maar ‘n regter. Een is die Wetgewer, Hy wat mag het om te red en te verderf. Maar jy, wie is jy wat ‘n ander oordeel?

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Kom nou, julle wat sê: Vandag of môre sal ons na dié en dié stad gaan en daar een jaar deurbring en handel drywe en wins maak - julle wat nie eens weet wat môre sal gebeur nie. Want hoedanig is julle lewe? Dit is tog maar ‘n damp wat vir ‘n kort tydjie verskyn en daarna verdwyn. In plaas dat julle sê: As die Here wil en ons lewe, dan sal ons dit of dat doen. Maar nou roem julle in jul grootpratery. Al sulke roem is verkeerd. Wie dan weet om goed te doen en dit nie doen nie, vir hom is dit sonde.

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Kom nou, julle rykes, ween en huil oor die ellendes wat oor julle kom. Julle rykdom is bedorwe, en julle klere is deur die motte verniel. Julle goud en silwer is verroes, en hulle roes sal tot ‘n getuienis teen julle wees en sal soos ‘n vuur julle vlees verteer. Julle het skatte vergader in die laaste dae. Kyk, die loon van die arbeiders wat julle lande afgeoes het, wat deur julle agtergehou is, roep uit; en die geroep van die maaiers het gekom tot in die ore van die Here van die leërskare. Julle het op die aarde ‘n weelderige en losbandige lewe gelei; julle het jul harte vet gevoer soos op ‘n slagdag. Veroordeel, vermoor het julle die regverdige; hy versit hom nie teen julle nie.

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Wees dan geduldig, broeders, tot op die wederkoms van die Here. Kyk, die landbouer wag op die kostelike vrug van die aarde en het geduld daarmee totdat dit die vroeë en die laat reën ontvang het. Julle moet ook geduldig wees; versterk julle harte, want die wederkoms van die Here is naby. Moenie teen mekaar sug nie, broeders, sodat julle nie veroordeel word nie. Kyk, die Regter staan voor die deur. Neem as voorbeeld van lyding, my broeders, en van geduld die profete wat in die Naam van die Here gespreek het. Kyk, ons reken hulle geluksalig wat verdra. Julle het gehoor van die lydsaamheid van Job, en julle het die einddoel van die Here met hom gesien, dat die Here vol medelye en ontferming is.

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Maar bo alles, my broeders, moenie sweer nie: nie by die hemel nie, ook nie by die aarde nie en ook geen ander eed nie; maar laat julle ja ja wees en julle nee nee, sodat julle nie onder ‘n oordeel val nie.

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Is daar iemand onder julle wat ly? Laat hom bid. Is iemand opgeruimd? Laat hom psalmsing. Is daar iemand siek onder julle? Laat hom die ouderlinge van die gemeente inroep, en laat hulle oor hom bid nadat hulle hom in die Naam van die Here met olie gesalf het. En die gebed van die geloof sal die kranke red, en die Here sal hom oprig. Selfs as hy sonde gedoen het, sal dit hom vergewe word.

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Bely mekaar julle misdade en bid vir mekaar, sodat julle gesond kan word. Die vurige gebed van ‘n regverdige het groot krag. Elía was ‘n mens net soos ons, en hy het ernstig gebid dat dit nie moes reën nie, en dit het op die aarde drie jaar en ses maande lank nie gereën nie; en hy het weer gebid, en die hemel het reën gegee en die aarde het sy vrug laat uitspruit.

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Broeders, as een onder julle van die waarheid afgedwaal het en iemand hom bekeer, laat hy weet dat die een wat ‘n sondaar van sy dwaalweg bekeer, ‘n siel uit die dood sal

red en ‘n menigte sondes sal bedek.’

  James also point out to us the difference between being tested and being tempted. He says that God can not and will never tempt us, but He will definitely test us. God tests us in the hope that we will pass the test, get stronger in character and grow spiritually, while he encourage us in the process and give us the power through the Holy Spirit to be victorious. On the other hand it is the devil who tempt us in the hope that we will fail and fall for the temptation, get discouraged, slide back spiritually while he condemns us all the way down the slippery slide.

  That is why James says that we should rejoice when the tests come. And they usually come in the form of trouble! The whole underlying principle is that God wants to promote us in order to more effectively use us. However our enemy can only succeed in tempting us if there is something in us that he can use to make us want to take the bait.

  So being in the world we face testing and temptation, one from God to mature us and the other from the devil to reduce us. And we need the wisdom to discern which is which.

  James shows us that there are actually two kinds of wisdom - wisdom from above and wisdom from below. In other words, just as there are two kinds of trials testing and temptation so there are two sorts of wisdom demonic and divine. There is though a type of wisdom that comes from our own human experience, logic and insight. But that wisdom won’t take us very far. Proverbs puts it this way: ‘Lean not on your own understanding.’ Demonic wisdom on the other hand has as it’s driving force jealousy, envy and selfish ambition. It is ‘brilliant’ in it’s appearance, but is destructive in it’s application.

  In contrast to the wisdom of the world, the wisdom of God is pure and brings life and peace. James says that if anyone lacks wisdom, they shouldn’t assume that they must stay that way. And the way to get it is to simply ask God for it, receiving it by faith! So wisdom is far more available than we realize. James says that it is a lovely wisdom that solves problems and that we should readily tap into that unlimited source of wisdom from God. So when we are in a tough spot, all we need to pray is ‘Lord, I need your wisdom’, and we will be astonished at the response.

  On the surface and comparing with other books in the New Testament, the letter of James has been criticized as not being very ‘Christian’. There is not much about Christ or the gospel in it. There seems to be more emphasis on man’s activity than God’s, on deeds rather than doctrine and on works rather than faith. It does not mention key events, such as Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension, or the ministry of the Holy Spirit. It seems to be about doing good deeds. Notable thinkers and theologians have questioned whether the book describes Christianity as it is found in the rest of the Bible.

  Firstly, James died in AD 62 so he definitely could not and did not read Paul’s letters on the subject although he knew Paul. So the ‘contradiction’ can’t be deliberate.

  Secondly, that Paul was writing for Gentiles, whereas James was writing for Jewish believers, so their purpose was different. Paul was defending Gentiles from Jewish legalism, while James was defending Jews from Gentile licence. It is not surprising, therefore, that there is a difference in emphasis.

  Thirdly, the word ‘works’ has several different meanings depending on the context in which it is used in the New Testament. When Paul uses it he refers to the works of the Law, while when James uses it he talks about the works of faith - that is, actions. That is why he can say that faith without actions is actually dead. That has nothing to do with the works of the Law by which especially Jews strive to become righteous before God. James uses a well know situation to illustrate the point - that in the same way love without actions is dead, faith without actions is dead too.

  To illustrate this faith in action further James reaches back to the Scriptures of the Old Testament using Abraham, a good man and Rahab, a bad woman as examples. They both acted in faith when Abraham was prepared to take life and Rahab was prepared to save life. Abraham acted in faith when he prepared to kill his son, his only hope of descendants and the fulfilling of God’s promises. Rahab the prostitute also acted in faith when she hid the Hebrew spies, saved their lives and trusted them to save her from the coming invasion.

  James is saying that faith is not something that you profess. It is absolutely necessary that believing in Jesus should result in the appropriate good deeds. Biblical faith is stepping out of the comfort, safety and security of the boat as Peter once did. So James is absolutely right when he says that faith without actions cannot save you, for such faith is as dead as a corpse. Faith is not reciting a creed once a week, it is acting in faith, demonstrating trust in the Lord. So with Paul and James, God is giving us two different angles on this crucial issue so that we get the whole truth in the correct balance.

  The world’s motives, methods and morals will always be a challenge to believers in Christ and the pressures we face today is essentially the same as they were back in the first century. James is therefore a serious and sober warning to disciples of Christ about habits they fall into that undermine and eventually destroy their faith.