The war between capital and labor is not a new war. It is as old as sin. As old as human history is the unrest of the discontented. The fierce demand of the "have nots" from the "haves" has punctuated every century of the past, but the urgency of the demands and the passionate vehe mence are tremendously intensified today. The safety valves heretofore depended upon to relieve the pressure, in social, economic, and political palliatives, are now proving futile. Men are coming to fear that a world-shattering explosion is inevitable.
There is widespread and constantly deepening social discontent. There is the heaping up of enormous treasure for the few and deprivation of the many. There is a sinister, portentous feud between capital and labor. These things, or rather their accentuation, make our time different from all other times of which we have read, heard, seen, or known.
This is weighted with much significance to the student of prophecy. For this is the exact picture which the ancient prophets have painted of "the last days," "the time of the end," when "the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." That being true, what a time for great preaching is here, especially preaching which places these things before the world in the setting of the significant forecasts of Scripture ; preaching which accurately, convincingly, and comprehensively explains the meaning of prophetic passages which foretold these develop ments!
With a situation in the world which achieves the all-time record of industrial unrest, with strikes which influence every aspect of human life and endeavor, with capital and labor locked in a shat tering battle of Titanism, what a time is this for a conviction-carrying exegesis and presentation of James 5. Men everywhere can think of little else. Every man's peace is affected by it. Every home feels its influence. The papers are full of it. The ether waves carry it into every home. Law makers frenziedly endeavor to construct legislation to combat the epidemic. Governments and admin istrations rise and are broken, on this question.
To you and me has been made known the cause, the explanation, and the only solution. Then preach as you never have preached before—and preach the Word! Tell men what God's Word declares about the significance of this world-wide situation and what it portends. Men will listen, for you have the answer. Do not fail to give it to the world. Point your audience to James 5 :I-II. Here is a striking message for the toiler, the oppressor, the world, the church, and the individual Christian. It describes the "last days" as a time which will be marked by an unprecedented heaping together of riches, when men will amass treasure as never before ; a time of injustice and oppres sion, a time of slaughter and bloodshed, a time of "extravagance and luxury," a time of unfair and unjust labor discrimination. (Twentieth Century New Testament.) First of all, this is a message and a warning to the oppressive rich in verses 1-6. The warning of James is paralleled by Old Testa ment prophecies in Isaiah 33:1 and Habakkuk 2 :9-1 A.R.V.
These oppressors are bidden, "Weep and shriek over your impending miseries !" (Moffatt.) This they are to do, not in penitence, but in despair. Nowhere in this message to the rich is there the usual exhortation to repentance, or any hope held out of reconciliation to an offended God. There is only severe denunciation. This in itself is in dicatiVe of the time when this prophecy is to be fulfilled.
God's People to Wait Patiently
What a contrast between this Message and the one which immediately follows to God's faithful children ! These are bidden to wait patiently for the coming of the Lord as a day of release, of comfort.
Let us be careful when we present a message on the capital and labor issue. We should make it plain that the possession of wealth is no sin, and that the man who has wealth is not necessarily under any stigma. It is the misuse, or abuse, of wealth which brings God's anathema. Those to whom James' prophecy applies are those who are not faithful stewards of God's goods. Conse quently, while imagining themselves to be rich, they are really most poor and most miserable.
This is clearly the meaning of James. It is God who gives men power to accumulate riches. "It is He that giveth thee power to get wealth." Dent. 8:18. . (Eccl. 5:19.) And as wealth comes from God, so it is to be used for God, in accordance with His will. The severe denunciation of James is upon the rich who do not recognize this, but expend their wealth on themselves.
While this is done "here on earth," it does not go unnoticed in heaven. It is from heaven that the declaration of punishment comes. The thing which accentuates this monstrous folly is that "you have been storing up treasure in the very last days." (Moffatt.) There is a small but very important error in translation here. The Greek word is "in," not "for."
Those whose labor has produced the wealth are, by some manipulation or established system, pre vented from obtaining their proportionate share of that which they have produced. God makes a record of it. That record will have to be faced in the judgment.
More than once God has spoken about unjust labor relations. In particular He has spoken about the matter of "the wages of him that is hired." Lev. 19:13 (Mal. 3:5 ; Jer. 22:13).
Remedy Not in Human Organization
The remedy is not in human organization, in, combines of labor against combines of capital. The remedy is in God. It is in the coming of Christ. We should sound it out over all the world that there is no solution of social unrest, no "cure-all" for the problem of capital and labor, short of the return of our Lord.
It is not surprising, however, but quite to be expected, that oppressed men who are not ac quainted with God's plans and purposes' and who do not know His remedy for the ills of humanity, should take into their own hands the business of correcting untoward conditions. When large masses of men who are not influenced by religious considerations come to believe that they have been and are being victimized and exploited by the overprivileged minority, it is entirely human for them to organize to resist oppression and exploi tation. This is what is happening today.
Today labor is organized, and capital is organ ized. They are locked in a titantic struggle for the mastery. Each becomes stronger daily. Each becomes more determined to overwhelm the other. Their struggle is entering into every aspect of human life throughout all the world. It has be come the outstanding characteristic of our times. Most surely it is one of the factors which will produce that condition which will bring great hardship upon the people of God in which they will be unable to either buy or sell.
We must be careful not to inveigh against men. We must be careful not to take sides. We can and should point out, however, that industrial organization—look on it as we may as good or ban —is not the remedy for human injustice, human inequality, human oppression. It will not, it can not, cure the social unrest that curses the world. It will not bring classes together.
Whatever one may think of social conflict, what ever side he may take in it, one thing is plain. These events shout from the housetops that Christ's second coming is near at hand, even at the door. These are "the very last days." It is this to which James directs attention. It is this to which we must direct attention.
James does not overlook the need of counseling God's faithful people. Nor should we. Unlike those who are unacquainted with God's purposes and plans, the followers of the Lord do not take the popular course. They have no part in combi nations, in federations, in unions, in human organi zation, in fighting, in resistance, in violence. To them these very developments constitute a con vincing sign of the times. They stand apart from all the maneuvering for place and power. God has spoken to them, and they heed His counsel.
"For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying, Say ye not, A con federacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid." Isa. 8:11, 12.
God's people need not fear nor be afraid. In stead of being afraid of man or the strength of man, God's people are to heed His words : "Sanc tify the Lord of hosts Himself ; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread." Isa. 8:13.
So the people of God, ground as they may be between the upper and nether millstones of in dustrial conflict raging in these "last days," make God their refuge and turn to Him for guidance. They do not turn in vain. This word of counsel is sent them from heaven:
"Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and bath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." James 5:7, 8.
The "therefore" shows that this tender, sympa thetic exhortation is with reference to the oppres sion of unfair labor conditions. This counsel shows clearly that the course the Christian is to take in the industrial conflict of the present time is that which looks away from man to God. He will not fight. He will engage in no violence. He will not meet force with force. He will not place his reliance in human organization. James declares, "He doth not resist you." "He is not arraying himself against you." (Rotherham.) "He offers no resistance." (Weymouth.)
Greatly oppressed as the Christian worker may be, misunderstood by both sides, bewildered and buffeted, he finds consolation and relief in that which James was inspired to write—that his suffer ings will not last forever. Indeed, the end of them is near at hand in a complete and lasting relief and remedy—the return of his Lord. Further more, the end of them will bring more than relief. It will bring reward, eternal and satisfying.
The time of deliverance is near. That should be preached with unparalleled power just now in the midst of the turmoil of industrial conflict.
