James 4:7

‘Be subject therefore to God.'

The phrase is possibly based on Psalms 37:7 LXX. ‘Submit yourself to YHWH'. They are therefore to subject themselves humbly to God, as Joshua the High Priest had done before them when he stood at the bar of God (Zechariah 3:1), submitted before Him so that He might determine his case and the case of the people, while they humbly awaited His verdict. They were to turn from the world and own His Lordship (see Zechariah 3:1). Submission was regularly the way in which wayward kings would find forgiveness from their overlord. They are to turn from their ways, submit to God, and thus resist the Evil One. ‘And resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.'

As a consequence of this submission they will be resisting the Devil and he will flee from them, as Satan fled from before Joshua (after Zechariah 3:3 Satan drops out of sight and is heard of no more). Notice that the way in which we are always to resist Satan when it is a question of dealing with the pride of life and the friendship of the world is by submission to God. Then all Satan can do is run. While for His people all the glories of the world will seem as nothing when their eyes are on God.