7)      “Brothers” are addressed again, at this point.  The focus now shifts back to the believers, who the letter was originally written to.  The oppression of the poor believers in v. 1-6 is what sets up this message of patience to the believers.  He warned the wicked rich of the coming judgment and now encourages the oppressed poor to wait patiently for it to take place.  James is telling them to be patient for as long as it takes; long term (till the Lord’s coming).  This patience goes beyond wanting to get even or even seeing justice prevail – rather, it is letting go of the hurt and anger and pain, knowing that God will take care of justice and judgment. 

Now he gives another example from nature to drive his point home.  A farmer must wait patiently for both the early and late rains before he can realize a yield.

8)      “You too, be patient and stand firm” – He applies the example of the farmer to the believers to show them that the time of God’s judgment and making things right is coming soon.  They (we) must wait patiently for it, knowing it is sure and imminent.  Having this knowledge and surety give us the strength to stand firm in the face of adversity, knowing that God will come through for us no matter what things seem like now.  Our faith is in the hope of His righteousness.  We are strengthened by the hope of this confident expectation – “the Lord’s coming is near!”

9)      An admonition is give here not to “grumble against each other.”  In tough times we may begin to get down on each other, not just complaining about the situation, but also groaning against one another.  This is a forbidden practice, and is brought more to their attention by the fact that they will be judged for such behavior.  In fact “the Judge is standing at the door.”  We have been talking about the coming of the Judge, the Lord.  If His return is right at the door and He is coming to judge, then we ought to be careful of how we act toward each other.  The church must follow the warnings of scripture and be ready for His return.

10)  As God so often does in His word, He not only tells what we need to know and do, but He also gives us examples to follow.  Here He says we should look at the prophets as examples of suffering for the cause of God.  Because of their obedience to the call to be representatives of God to humans, they suffered great ridicule and punishment, but responded to it with pure patience and faith in God.  We will be oppressed and mistreated if we choose to obey and follow the Lord.  Look at Jer. 20:2; Jer. 32:2; Jer. 38:6 at just one example from James group of “prophets.”  Jeremiah continued in his ministry without bitterness knowing God will make things right in His time.

11)  James uses a specific example in Job, who persevered throughout all kinds of adversity.  We can look back now at James 1:12 when he spoke of this perseverance through trials.  Here he is speaking of the patient self-restraint that keeps us from retaliating and causes us to wait on God, who is “full of compassion and mercy.”  Job does not appear in the Bible as a patient man, as we understand patience, however, he never looses sight that God is sovereign.  The final outcome for Job was that the Lord brought about twice as much as he did before (Job 42:10-17).   James is urging his readers to practice true patience instead of fighting back in the face of these trying circumstances that confront them.

12)  This verse deals with the making of oaths.  This was a practice of the time and James speaks against its continuance.  Jesus also dealt with a similar issue in Mt. 5:34-37 during the Sermon on the Mount.  The people were accustomed to make oaths regarding all kinds of minor issues.  This verse is not speaking against the taking of an oath in court or other official setting.  The Christian should be honest in all their speech and therefore never need to take an oath that what they are saying is true.  Our integrity in Christ should speak for us to others.  Our “yes” should be “yes” and our “no” should be “no.”  People should know unquestionably that what we say is true.  In a careless oath, people may tend to take the Lord’s name in vain (Ex. 20:7).  What is implied in our oath-making.