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4:1 From whence come wars and
fightings among you? come they not
hence, even of your
lusts that
war in your members? 4:2 Ye lust, and
have not: ye
kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and
war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
4:3 Ye ask, and
receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume
it upon your
lusts.
4:4 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.
4:5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that
dwelleth in us
lusteth to envy? 4:6 But he giveth more grace.
Wherefore he saith, God
resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the
humble.
4:7
Submit yourselves therefore to
God. Resist the devil, and he will
flee from you.
4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your
hands, ye
sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
4:9 Be
afflicted, and
mourn, and
weep: let your laughter be turned to
mourning, and your joy to
heaviness.
4:10
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you
up.
4:11 Speak not evil one of
another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of
his brother, and
judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and
judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the
law, but a judge.
4:12 There is one
lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who
art thou that judgest another? 4:13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or
to morrow we will go into such a
city, and continue there a year, and
buy and sell, and get gain: 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on
the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth
for a little time, and then
vanisheth away.
4:15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do
this, or that.
4:16 But now ye
rejoice in your
boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to
him it is
sin.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
James
Book: James
Chapter: 4
Overview:
Here are cautions against corrupt affections, and
Love of this
world, which is
Enmity to
God.
(1-10) Exhortations to undertake
No affairs of
Life, without constant regard to the will and
Providence of
God.
(11-17)
1-10 Since all wars and fightings come from the corruptions of
our own hearts, it is right to mortify those lusts that
War in
the members. Worldly and fleshly lusts are distempers, which will
not allow content or satisfaction. Sinful desires and affections
stop
Prayer, and the working of our desires toward
God. And let
us beware that we do not abuse or misuse the mercies received,
By the disposition of the
Heart when prayers are granted. When
men ask of
God prosperity, they often ask with wrong aims and
intentions. If we thus seek the things of this world, it is just
in
God to deny them. Unbelieving and cold desires
Beg denials;
and we may be sure that when prayers are rather the language of
lusts than of graces, they will return empty. Here is a decided
warning to avoid all criminal friendships with this world.
Worldly-mindedness is
Enmity to
God. An enemy may be reconciled,
but "
Enmity" never can be reconciled. A
Man may have a large
portion in things of this
Life, and yet be kept in the
Love of
God; but he who sets his
Heart upon the world, who will conform
to it rather than lose its friendship, is an enemy to
God.
So
that any one who resolves at all events to be upon friendly
terms with the world, must be the enemy of
God. Did then the
Jews, or the loose professors of Christianity, think the
Scripture spake in vain against this worldly-mindedness? or does
the Holy
Spirit who dwells in all Christians, or the new nature
which he creates, produce such
Fruit? Natural corruption shows
itself
By envying. The
Spirit of the world teaches us to lay up,
or lay out for ourselves, according to our own fancies;
God the
Holy
Spirit teaches us to be willing to do good to all about us,
as we are able. The
Grace of
God will correct and cure the
Spirit By nature in us; and where he gives
Grace, he gives
another
Spirit than that of the world. The proud resist
God: in
their understanding they resist the truths of
God; in their will
they resist the laws of
God; in their passions they resist the
Providence of
God; therefore,
No wonder that
God resists the
proud. How wretched the state of those who make
God their enemy!
God will give more
Grace to the humble, because they see their
need of it, pray for it, are thankful for it, and such shall have
it. Submit to
God, ver. 7. Submit your understanding to the
Truth of
God; submit your wills to the will of his precept, the
will of his
Providence. Submit yourselves to
God, for he is
ready to do you good. If we yield to temptations, the
Devil will
continually follow us; but if we
Put On the whole
Armour of
God,
and stand out against him, he will leave us. Let sinners then
submit to
God, and seek his
Grace and favour; resisting the
Devil. All
Sin must be wept over; here, in godly sorrow, or,
hereafter, in eternal misery. And the
Lord will not refuse to
comfort one who really mourns for
Sin, or to exalt one who
humbles himself before him.
11-17 Our lips must be governed
By the
Law of kindness, as
Well
as
Truth and
Justice. Christians are brethren. And to break
God's commands, is to speak evil of them, and to
Judge them, as
if they laid too great a restraint upon us. We have the
Law of
God, which is a rule to all; let us not presume to set up our
own notions and opinions as a rule to those about us, and let us
be careful that we be not condemned of the
Lord. "Go to now," is
a
Call to any one to consider his conduct as being wrong. How
apt worldly and contriving men are to leave
God out of their
plans! How vain it is to look for any thing good without
God's
blessing and guidance! The frailty, shortness, and uncertainty
of
Life, ought to check the vanity and presumptuous confidence
of all projects for futurity. We can fix the
Hour and minute of
the
Sun's rising and setting to-morrow, but we cannot fix the
certain time of a vapour being scattered.
So short, unreal, and
fading is human
Life, and all the prosperity or enjoyment that
attends it; though bliss or woe for ever must be according to
our conduct during this fleeting moment. We are always to depend
On the will of
God. Our times are not in our own hands, but at
the disposal of
God. Our heads may be filled with cares and
contrivances for ourselves, or our families, or our friends; but
Providence often throws our plans into confusion. All we design,
and all we do, should be with submissive dependence
On God. It
is foolish, and it is hurtful, to boast of worldly things and
aspiring projects; it will bring great disappointment, and will
prove
Destruction in the
End. Omissions are sins which will be
brought into
Judgment, as
Well as commissions. He that does not
the good he knows should be done, as
Well as he who does the
evil he knows should not be done, will be condemned. Oh that we
were as careful not to omit
Prayer, and not to neglect to
meditate and examine our consciences, as we are not to commit
gross outward vices against
Light!