In this verse and through 16, we have the man condemned who makes very careful plans, and boasts as if sure of accomplishment, but leaves the providence of the Lord completely out of it. James reminds such that they know nothing about tomorrow, and that life is very uncertain. As they make plans, they should remember to say, "If the Lord will."

"Go to now ..." "Go to now" is an interesting expression. James uses it again in addressing rich men in 5:1. We have it a few times in the Hebrew Bible, also. It is a term that infers dissatisfaction, almost contempt, for the actions of the one addressed. It is a term designed to get the reader's attention.

"... today ..." All we have is the present. Yesterday is gone; it cannot be brought back or altered. Events of yesterday cannot be undone. We should make the most of today. We cannot be sure of tomorrow; for us its sun may never rise. Unforeseen circumstances may make it necessary to change our plans completely. If possible, do what you know you should do today.

Suggestions for today: Naomi asked Ruth, "Where hast thou gleaned today?" (Ruth 2:19). Putting a spiritual application to this, may we ask, "Have you gleaned anything from the Word of God today?" This is a good thing to do today, tomorrow, and every day. The Lord Jesus says to Zacchaeus, "Today I must abide at thy house" (Luke 19:5). This speaks of fellowship with the Lord. Have we had fellowship with Him today? Let us never let a day go by without getting into His presence. In the parable of the two sons, we have the father saying to them, "Son, go work today in my vineyard" (Matt. 21:28). Many plan on serving the Lord in some special way some day. The day to start is today. Every day we should seek to do at least some little thing for Him, and we will be blessed, indeed.

"... tomorrow ..." Tomorrow has been called the devil's day. It speaks of procrastination or delay. Some are not ready to be saved today, but perhaps tomorrow. Day after day rolls by and they are not saved. It is always tomorrow, and finally, perhaps suddenly, “today” is gone and it is too late. With the Christian it sometimes goes the same way. He has every intention of doing something special, but not today. Perhaps it is to write a letter; visit a sick one; speak to that unsaved one – but not today. The days and years roll by and it never gets done. The old saying is true: “Procrastination is the thief of time." Do not put off until tomorrow what you should do today.

"... we will go into such a city ..." The men of our verse are not procrastinators, neither are they slothful; they are great planners. They meant to follow a set order; they intended to hold to it exactly. They fully expected to make a journey to a certain city. They were confident they would make the trip and get there, and they meant to start that or tomorrow. Only two things were wrong with these bustling traders, they: boasted about what they intended to accomplish and they forgot that God might intervene. They seemed to think that they controlled their own destiny – forgetting that tomorrow may never come; also that should it come, it might bring a surprise. They forgot that many have started on journeys, never reaching their destination. Even today, we often read of car, train, and plane accidents. Everyone plans on reaching their destination, but some do not. The story is told of two men who planned a fishing trip. They prepared for the trip all week, getting information on where the fishing was best and gathering supplies. Everything was in place on Friday, but without notice, one entered the hospital for major surgery – the trip canceled before it started! Sometimes the same is true in life!

"... and continue there a year ..." Now the men of our verse are going away beyond tomorrow. They have plans all set for a whole year. Not only are the plans all set, but they talk as though they will be there for that length of time, again forgetting that God might intervene. "Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue forever" (Ps. 49:11). They forget that God can say to them as He said to the rich farmer, "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee" (Luke 12:20). He, too, had great plans laid out for many years, but they never materialized. Better to leave our plans in the hands of the Lord, asking Him to lead, guide, and overrule if necessary.

"... and buy and sell, and get gain." Many of the Jews were shopkeepers. Some would travel from city to city selling their wares. James does not condemn this work, or the planning of it for years in advance. He does not mean to approve of slovenly business methods. There must be planning if business is to be carried on. However, it is wrong to boast of the future, as though you were the lord of it. Instead of buying or selling in the future, we might be in a sick bed. Instead of getting gain, we might suffer loss. Depressions do come!

The Lord intervenes: These traders were leaving God out of their plans, and forgetting that He could intervene. The people after the flood made great plans. Twice they said, "Go to." "Go to, let us make brick" (Gen. 11:3). Then in verse 4, "Go to, let us build a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven." But in verse 7, God also said, "Go to." He said, "Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language." Then we read in verse 8, "They left off to build the city." God spoiled their plans. This often happens. Willard Collins once said, "A man realized an ambition of many years. He built a beautiful new hardware store. A few months later he dropped dead while shoveling snow. Another man built a beautiful new home, but died just before he planned to move into it." How futile to plan without God.

"... get gain." To get gain is the ambition of most people. America has a reputation for loving the almighty dollar. It is not wrong to earn money or to have it, but it is wrong to love it. We must not let our desire to have it interfere with serving the Lord. Some are so busy chasing wealth they have little or no time for God. They cannot attend worship services, read the Bible, visit the sick, etc. They are just too busy.

Money does not satisfy: 1 Timothy 6 is a good chapter. Among other potent things, it says in verse 6, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” Godly contentment is better than any gain the world can give.

Scripture Reading: James 4:14 (KJV)

This verse emphasizes to the schemer, who does not plan with God that he knows nothing of the morrow, and that his life is at best very brief.

"... ye know not what shall be on the morrow ..." Life is full of surprises. Many a day has ended altogether differently than expected. There are startling events continually happening in business, political, and international affairs. We never know where trouble may break out. These things might suddenly change our plans. The last business depression made many suddenly poor. One man had a very good job as treasurer of a large manufacturing company. In the depression this company went bankrupt. He lost most of his money in failing stocks and bonds. He took the only available job, a night watchman in the factory where he had formerly been treasurer.

The future hidden: Perhaps it is well that tomorrow is hidden from us. If we knew the many disappointments that lie ahead, we might be too discouraged to go on. As we receive them one at a time, we manage to overcome them, but if we could see them all at once, they would look extremely black. Then again, if we could see all our successes, perhaps we would become vain. As one rises a bit at a time, it is not so apt to make him proud. May we be content to go on with the Lord one step at a time. Like the old hymn says:

Lead kindly light, amid encircling gloom, Lead Thou me on: The night is dark, and I am far from home; Lead Thou me on. Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see The distant scene, one step enough for me.

Not anxious for the morrow: There are some Christians who are not guilty of boasting and planning for tomorrow apart from God, but they are very much concerned or worried about it. They are fearful of a depression coming, or a war. The atom bomb has many very nervous. Others are worried about their position, or health, or family's future. This is to shut out God equally with the boasting schemer. The one is sure to do great things without God; the other is forgetting that his Lord is able to take care of him, and will let nothing happen to him except what is for his good. To the one, the Word says, "Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth" (Prov. 27:1); to the other, "Be not therefore anxious for the morrow: for the morrow will be anxious for itself" (Matt. 6:34 R.V.).

"... what is your life?" This is literally, "Of what nature is your life?" James answers this question in the latter part of the verse. It is designed to make the readers think. Life is a mystery. What do we know about it? What do we know of birth, or growth? How little we know of the wonders of the human body. Books have been written on this subject, but still life remains a great mystery. We live, we know not how.

The purpose of life: But what is the purpose of life? The Bible alone gives us the answers to this question. The chief purpose is to bring glory to God. It is the preparation for a life to come. It is here that we must trust Christ, preparing to meet God. Our place in heaven will be determined by our manner of life here. Realizing the brevity and uncertainty of life, how wise we are to trust Christ, and live primarily for Him. "... it is even a vapour ..." James likens life to a vapor that appears for a little time and is then gone: like a mist driven away by the new day's sun. Some refuse to admit they may soon be gone, yet everyday we hear of someone who is suddenly ushered into eternity.

No assurance of old age: As we look forward, 40, 50, 60 years seems a long time. Some foolishly look forward in life, fully expecting to get old, figuring they have a long time to live. But older people will tell you, as they look back, the time seems short. What assurance do we have that we will live to be old? Some do not. When asked why he tried to live close to God for so many years, an old servant of the Lord said: "When I was younger, three close friends suddenly passed away. First a young man who cared and provided for his ill mother, father and sister; then a young lady of 18; and then a brother in Christ of 19. This, more than any other thing I can think of, helped me see the need of living close to the Lord – that living close to and serving Him was the only worthwhile thing in the world."

Death comes to all ages: Continuing his explanation, the old Christian continued – On a hillside in central Texas there are five graves: One an infant, who lived only a few hours; a young lady who died at 18; a lady of 37; another of 64; and the last died at 95. The lady of 37 was the wife of a dear friend; the infant, his daughter. The others were, respectively, his sister, mother, and grand-mother. This has always kept me thinking about how the length of our sojourn here cannot be ascertained beforehand. The best thing is to be prepared to go at any time. Apart from the coming of the Lord, it is certain to come to each of us. And once death has come, the length of our life will be meaningless. Then the only thing that will matter is whether we have been on the Lord's side, living for Him.

Psalms 90: Psalms 90 is a great commentary on our verse. In verse 9, we read, "We spend our years as a tale that is told" – how fleeting! Verse 10 says: "The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is there strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away." Verse 12 is a wise exhortation in view of all this; "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." At best we will fly away soon, so let us spend our time for the Lord wisely.

The Lord is coming: Besides death there is the possibility of the coming of the Lord. This will be a dread day for the lost, but a happy one for Christians. If the Lord should come, that would be the end of our present plans. The world, the Jew, and the church, seem always to be in the condition described in the Word at the time of the Lord's coming – showing the folly of boasting about tomorrow, and leaving the Lord out of our plans.

Scripture Reading: James 4:15 (KJV)

This verse does not say it is wrong to plan for the future, but that we should always remember we are in the hand of the Lord and death may overtake us at any time – we must plan accordingly.

"... ye ought to say, if the Lord will ..." There is no word for “ought” in the Greek, but it is rightly inserted to give the true sense in English. Let us acknowledge that all our time is in His hand. It is good, in speaking, writing, and living, to understand that all we propose to do is, “if the Lord will.” Quite often in writing we see the abbreviation, D.V. This stands for the Latin words, Deo Volente, which translated means, “God willing.”

Not mere words: It is good to always say, "Lord willing," but it must be from our hearts – not just on our lips. When we say these words, we must mean it from the depths of our being. It is better not to use these words at all, than to have them become mere form.

"... if the Lord will ..." The will of the Lord may be altogether different than we anticipate, and so a Christian should never plan without acknowledging it. If we plan without Him, mountains of difficulty may appear in our way. If we plan with Him, He can remove every obstacle. The story is told of a young man's family that went through much difficulty until his mother said, “This is not natural, it must be the hand of the Lord.” Her husband said, “I feel the same way. We better turn to the Lord.” And so they did. Their troubles seemed to melt away. The young man later said, “I almost hated to see our troubles go; they led us to Christ.”

His will is best: The Lord loves His children. He cares for them in the best possible way. He knows what is good for us – better than we do ourselves. "That good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God" (Rom. 12:2). Only if we make His will our will, can we have perfect peace under all circumstances. Such has been the comfort and support of many a child of God, down through the ages.

His will in business affairs: Some may say, "You should not mix religion and business," but our verse says leads us to include the Lord in all our business plans. Many a Christian business man has testified that the main reason for his success lay in the fact that he took the Lord into his business. Consider a few successful business men who often remarked how their business failed until they placed it in the hand of God—giving Him a due portion of the profits. The affairs of Potiphar's house prospered, because the Lord was with Joseph. When Joseph was in prison, he was soon made chief trustee. Why? Because the Lord makes everything prosper under His hand (Gen. 39). Joseph had to go through much trial, but the Lord set him on the throne of Egypt.

His will in national affairs: Politicians usually forget the Lord while making the laws of the land. They think they are in power in their own right, or by the right of the people. They should remember what Daniel said to Belshazzar, "The God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified. In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain" (Dan. 5:23, 30). Or they should remember what happened to King Herod on the day he gave a great oration, and when the people shouted, "It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave up the ghost" (Acts 12:22, 23). One is indeed blind if he cannot see the hand of the Lord in world events.

Chance: The world is always talking about chance and luck. The Christian knows there is no such thing, that all is in the hand of the Lord. We are not children of chance, but children of God – under His loving care. He has a purpose and a plan for our lives. We should seek to know His will, and be willing to walk in that direction. We should continually look to Him for strength, wisdom, and guidance. Even the ungodly are not out of His hands as we saw in connection with Belshazzar. He rules and overrules. Sometimes men decide things by the flip of a coin. The winner considers himself lucky, but the Word says, "The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord" (Prov. 16:33). We see this exemplified in connection with Jonah (Jonah 1:7).

Power behind His will: We may be determined to do some certain thing, but may lack power to execute it. The Lord has power to do His will, and if we are to really accomplish anything for Him, it must be by His power. The Lord said, "Without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5). With Him we can do wondrous things. Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4:13).

Knowledge of His will upholds the Christian: It is a great consolation to know that nothing happens apart from His will. If a child of God fails, there is no despair. If a child of God is sick, there is not a lose heart. If all is dark, we know He can send the light. If life is ebbing away, we do not fear, for He is with us (Ps. 23:4). A Christian can bear life going up or down – either way it is according to His will. Whatever His will, let us accept it graciously, not as something to be endured, but something to be enjoyed, because we know He means it all for our good (Rom. 8:28).

"... if the Lord will, we shall live ..." We should remind ourselves continually that our very breath is because of His will. Paul says to the idolatrous Athenians, "In him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28). The Christian oft times forgets this, and the unsaved seldom think of it.

Scripture Reading: James 4:16 (KJV)

Some of these Christians were not only forgetting to consider the Lord in their plans, and boasting about what they were going to do, but were ever glorying in their boasting. The Revised Version uses the word "glorying" instead of "rejoicing."

"... now ye rejoice in your boastings ..." Men boast of many things. They boast about what they have done, what they are doing, and what they intend to do. They boast about their ancestors, and their descendants. They boast about their nationality, and their race, about their looks and their strength. They boast of their achievements and capabilities, their possessions, their home, their car, their garden, their business. Some even boast of their mischief (Ps. 52:1). If we must glory let it be in the Lord (1 Cor. 1:31).

Examples of boasting: Nebuchadnezzar boasted in what he had done (Dan. 4:30). The devil boasted in what he would do (Is. 14:13, 14). The rich farmer boasted of his possessions (Luke 12:17, 19). Both natural and spiritual Babylon said, "I shall not sit as a widow" (Is. 47:8; Rev. 18:7). The one has fallen, the other shall fall. The readers of James were boasting in their plans for the future. They little realized the terrible things that lay only a little ways ahead, which were sure to disrupt all their plans and even their whole life. They were promising for themselves life and prosperity, but were not considering the Lord. Boasting and pride: A boaster is always a proud man. He thinks very highly of himself, and wants others to think highly of him too. He makes an idol of himself, and has very little room for God. If we realize that the Lord is with us when we succeed, we will not boast. It is always wise to ask ourselves the question, "What hast thou that thou didst not receive?" (1 Cor. 4:7).

"... all such rejoicing is evil." It is wicked to boast, and to glory in our boasting. It is wicked to think that the plans of life are in our own hands. It is wicked to plan for tomorrow without saying, "the Lord willing". To boast of tomorrow without considering the Lord is bad enough, but to glory in that boasting is positively evil. The word for "evil" in our verse is sometimes translated "the evil one." Certainly to glory in our boasting is devilish.

---

Scripture Reading: James 4:17 (KJV)

The word "therefore" would make us think that this verse is closely linked with that which has just preceded it. Yet it does not seem to have much of a bearing on the past few verses. It is a general conclusion of all that precedes in the epistle. To know the Word and even teach it to others is not enough – we must do what it teaches. This is perhaps the most striking verse in the Bible on the sin of omission. To know right and not do it is as sinful as doing wrong.

"... to him that knoweth to do good ..." Knowledge brings responsibility. The moment we know the will of God, we are responsible to do it. The more we know and understand, the greater our responsibility. When we do a wrong, not knowing it to be wrong, it is wrong nevertheless. But when we do a wrong, knowingly, it makes the wrong much more serious. When it comes to doing good some think they have the liberty to choose between doing it and not doing it. Our verse says, the knowledge of good is sin, if we do not do it. The Lord Jesus says, "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them" (John 13:17). He says, "If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin" (John 15:22; also John 9:41; Rom. 1:21, 22). "And that servant which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes" (Luke 12:47).

Sin to plan without God: Linking our verse with the immediate preceding verses, it seems that we can safely say; knowing the uncertainty of life and yet boasting of tomorrow is sin. It is also a grievous sin to know that we are God's creatures, that we should reckon with Him, yet leave Him out of all our plans.

If we know: If we know we should give more of our means for the work of the Lord and do not, it is sin. If we know we should help our neighbor and do not, it is sin. If we know we should talk to our neighbor about his soul and do not, it is sin.

"... do good ..." We are not saved by doing good; we are saved by trusting and obeying Christ. Yet, when we are saved we are expected to do good. In fact, if we fail to do good when we know we should, we sin. Some think all sin consists of doing some terribly immoral evil, but out verse says it is also sinful to refrain from doing good. One might say, "I never harmed anyone in my life." Perhaps we should question the truthfulness of such a statement, but the question arises in our verse, "How much good have we done?" We must not only be harmless, but helpful; not only clean, but followers of good. Some make Christianity negative, "I don't do this, and I don't do that." But our verse asks, "What do we do?" Let us make Christianity something positive. In Isaiah 1:16, 17 we read, "Cease to do evil", as well as, "learn to do well." The Scriptures are full of exhortations that some Christians fail to notice. Too often we heed those things which the Lord tells us not to do, forgetting what He tells us to do. How long would a workman hold his job working on such a principle?

Neglect: Neglect is a terrible thing. Men are not lost primarily because of their sins. They are lost because they neglect to trust and obey our Lord Jesus. And some Christians will miss the "well done" of their Lord, not because of any immorality, but because of neglect to do what their Lord has asked them to do. They know His will, but never did it. Some souls will be lost because some of the Lord's people have failed to tell them of Christ. Some are hiding their talent in a napkin – doing no wrong with it, just neglecting to use it. Such will, with the servant in Matthew 25:24- 30, hear words of disapproval from their Lord.

"... to him it is sin." There are seven definitions of sin in the Word (see comments on 2:9). Some may profess to be innocent of the charges of some of these definitions, but certainly all are guilty when faced with this one. This leaves no room for pride, for all fail at times to do good, when they should and could. Samuel says, "God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you" (1 Sam. 12:23). Do we remember to pray for our family, for the Christians in our assembly, for our government officials – for our enemies? We know we should; if we do not, we sin against the Lord. Sins of omission bring us down. "O, Lord help me not only to stop doing wrong, but also to start doing right."

---

    

Copyright © StudyJesus.com