James 5:18

And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. PRAYED AGAIN, AND - i:e., and so. Mark the connection between the prayer and its accomplishment. HER FRUIT - her usual due fruit, heretofore withheld for sin. Three and a half years is the time also that the two witnesses prophesy, who "have power to shut heaven that it rain not" (; )....

12-18 The sin of swearing is condemned; but how many make light of common profane swearing! Such swearing expressly throws contempt upon God's name and authority. This sin brings neither gain, nor pleasure, nor reputation, but is showing enmity to God without occasion and without advantage It shows a man to be an enemy to God, however he pretends to call himself by his name, or sometimes joins in acts of worship. But the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. In a day of affliction nothing is more seasonable than prayer. The spirit is then most humble, and the heart is broken and tender. It is necessary to exercise faith and hope under afflictions; and prayer is the appointed means for obtaining and increasing these graces. Observe, that the saving of the sick is not ascribed to the anointing with oil, but to prayer. In a time of sickness it is not cold and forma...

Verse 18. _AND HE PRAYED AGAIN_] This _second_ prayer is not mentioned in the history in express words, but as in 1 Kings 18:42, it is said, _He cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face_ _between his knees_; that was probably the time of the second praying, namely, that rain might come, as this was the proper posture of prayer....

AND HE PRAYED AGAIN - The allusion here seems to be to 1 Kings 18:42, 1 Kings 18:45, though it is not expressly said there that he prayed. Perhaps it might be fairly gathered from the narrative that he did pray, or at least that would be the presumption, for he put himself into a natural attitude of prayer. “He cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,” 1 Kings 18:42. In such circumstances, it is to be fairly presumed that such a man would pray; but it is remarkable that it is not expressly mentioned, and quite as remarkable that James should have made his argument turn on a thing which is not expressly mentioned, but which seems to have been a matter of infer

EXPOSITION JAMES 5:1 DENUNCIATION OF THE RICH FOR (1) GRINDING DOWN THE POOR AND KEEPING BACK THEIR WAGES; (2) LUXURY; (3) MURDER. The whole section resembles nothing so much as an utterance of one of the old Jewish prophets. It might almost be a leaf torn out of the Old Testament. JAMES 5:1 GO TO NOW (see on James 4

AND HE PRAYED AGAIN,.... 1 Kings 18:42. Here also is no express mention of his prayer, but it may be concluded from his gestures; and so the Jewish interpreters understand these words, "Elijah went up to the top of Carmel", להתפלל, "to pray, and he cast himself down upon the earth", להתפלל על הגשמים, "to pray for rain; and he put his face between his knees", והתפלל, "and prayed, and said to his servant, go up now, look toward the sea"; and this he said while he was בתפילתו, "in his prayers" i: and the effect of this his prayer was, AND THE HEAVEN GAVE RAIN; see 1 Kings 18:45. AND THE EARTH BROUGHT FORTH HER FRUIT: which for the years past it had not; hence there was a sore famine in the land,...

V. THE COMING OF THE LORD AND THE LIFE OF FAITH CHAPTER 5 _ 1. The oppression by the rich and their coming doom (James 5:1)_ 2. Be patient unto the coming of the Lord (James 5:7) 3. The prayers of faith and the life of faith (James 5:13) James 5:1 The two classes whom James addresses stand out very prominently in this final chapter of his Epistle. The rich oppressors certainly are not believers but the unbelieving rich; they are not addressed as “brethren”; but others are in verse 7 and exhorted to patience. Both classes, the unbelieving rich and the believing remnant are confronted by the coming of the Lord. “Go to

The key to this hard passage seems to lie in the climax, the example of Elijah, who in 1 Kings 17:1; 1 Kings 18:41 ff., is not said to have prayed for drought or for rain. His prayer is in the phrase before whom I stand a life in the Presence, bringing with it an instinctive knowledge of God's will; _cf._ Amos 3:7. The elders, therefore, of a faithful congregation may expect a Divine impulse prompting them to ask for physical recovery when God wills it; we may also believe that such united prayer is a real instrument in God's hands, just as much as the application of remedies like oil (_cf._ Isaiah 1:6;...

THE WORTHLESSNESS OF RICHES (James 5:1-3)...

BROUGHT FORTH. Greek. _blastano._ See Hebrews 9:4. Compare 1 Kings 17:1. 1Ki 18:1, 1 Kings 18:41. Elijah's praying for drought is first revealed in this passage....