James 5:4 states, "Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty."
Sometimes I think we miss the most practical indictments to be had in scripture. Is it possible that the application of this passage to my own life is that I shouldn't pay the guy who mows my lawn only $10 simply because he's too desperate to ask for more? Is it possible that this passage ought to be read that literally?
James 5 is a passage about how the rich oppress the poor. And it's easy to read and write off as "I'm not rich and I'm not trying to oppress anyone." Except that verse 6 of the same chapter reads, "You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you." This isn't just a passage about slave drivers who knowingly kill the innocent, it's about those whose lifestyle of "luxury and self-indulgence" (verse 5) have, unwittingly, brought about oppression and death.
Something to consider as I go through life always looking for the cheapest price on food, clothing, and lawn care. Is it possible that what I'm not paying is causing someone else to pay? Is it possible that what I failed to pay may, one day, cry out against me?
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