Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Hear and Heed the Word: don't be quick to speak or get angry against it

I started looking at James 1:19 again this morning. It has come to my mind recently for various reasons. Here's what I've observed:

Jas 1:19 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;

quick:

1) quick, fleet, speedy

hear:

2) to hear
2b) to attend to, consider what is or has been said
2c) to understand, perceive the sense of what is said

slow:

1) slow
2) metaphorically dull, inactive, in mind
2a) stupid, slow to apprehend or believe

As in: Luk 24:25 And He said to them, "O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!

anger:

1) anger, the natural disposition, temper, character
2) movement or agitation of the soul, impulse, desire, any violent emotion, but especially anger

The context is: persevering under trials and dealing with temptation and sin. In a word: sanctification after one is regenerated by the Word of Truth.

Jas 1:2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
Jas 1:3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
Jas 1:4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Jas 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Jas 1:12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
Jas 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
Jas 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
Jas 1:15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
Jas 1:16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
Jas 1:17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow
.
Jas 1:18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.
Jas 1:19 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;
Jas 1:20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.
Jas 1:21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.
Jas 1:22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
Jas 1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
Jas 1:24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

It seems like it could be understood this way:

Everyone should be swift to attend to and accept the preaching and wisdom of the Word of Truth, be inactive in speaking and inactive in anger to what is being said.

If you seek God for wisdom during a trial, then be silent and listen---HEED---the wisdom from God through the Word of Truth. Otherwise you are a double-minded man, tossed about by the wind and should not expect anything from the Lord.


Gil Rugh, pastor of Indian Hills Community Church in NE, points out:


my beloved brethren (cf. v.16) James is going to have some harsh things to say to them and he wants them to know that he addresses them out of love.

But indicates that their knowledge regarding salvation was not enough. They must allow the Word to continue to work in their lives to produce the growth that God intends for His children.

God never intends for us as His children to stop with knowledge, but rather we are to allow His truth to be a dynamic force for change in our lives (cf. 1 Cor. 8:1).

be quick to hear -- The context seems to indicate that the primary reference is to hearing the Word of God. This was the subject of verse 18 and will be the subject of verse 21.

They are to be eager and attentive to the Word as it is presented to them. This is a picture of a people who want more of God's Word and are ready to listen.


slow to speak -- This pictures a person who gives careful consideration before he speaks. Most of us are all too ready to give our opinions on a subject, whether we know much about it or not. Here we are admonished to allow ample time for thought before we speak.

slow to anger -- There are two words in Greek for anger. One, thumos, denotes the more violent, passionate outbursts of anger. The word used here, orge, is the more settled and persistent kind of hostility.

A person should not allow himself to be provoked too quickly by what he hears. We see this with unbelievers who are easily antagonized and angered by the Word of God. However, sometimes we as believers are guilty of the same kind of attitude. With improper attitudes taking hold in us, we find ourselves easily antagonized by the Word......
Humility is the opposite of the quality demonstrated by a person who, in anger, is aggressively asserting himself. It is represented by the meek and gentle person who is teachable. "Prautes describes the perfect conquest and control of everything in a man's nature which would be a hindrance to his seeing, hearing and obeying the truth" (Barclay).

receive (aorist imperative) -- This is the basic command in the verse around which everything else revolves. The word means "to welcome or receive into one's home." It also means "to take in hand" or "to grasp."

This word is used of the response of the Bereans to the Word as preached by Paul and Silas in Acts 17:11. James wanted these believers to act upon the Word they had received. Like many believers today, they were remaining passive regarding the great truth they had.

the word implanted -- This is the Word as it has been implanted in the heart. The Word was implanted in their hearts at the time of the new birth (v. 18). But that was the beginning of a process, not the end.

End quote.

I highly suggest reading the whole article for the more thorough treatment of this passage and the context.

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