Like flowering grass he will pass away
James 1:9-10 Putting our time and effort into those things that never fade away is a much better plan for our lives.
“But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.”
James 1:9-10 NASB1995
God is keeping His eyes where I travel — I’m researching and writing this devotional in the shortgrass prairies of eastern New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle — because He chose today’s verse for me to write about. This verse from James isn’t about horticulture or prairie ecosystems, but focused on more earthly things like money, pride, and humility.
James is saying that it is appropriate for those who are impoverished or otherwise humbled to rejoice when God lifts them up, and the rich should also rejoice when they are humiliated by trials and tribulations. While the former set of circumstances is quite easy to understand, it is very difficult for the rich to rejoice when they are brought low…
New Testament commentator D. Edmund Hiebert said of the first of these two short verses “As the poor brother forgets all his earthly poverty, so the rich brother forgets all his earthly riches. By faith in Christ the two are equals.”1
In many parts of the world, arid lands are covered with grasslands that burst into green growth and blossoms after spring rains, only to become withered and brown in a few short weeks. In making a comparison of the rich man to the flowering grasses (the Greek ἄνθος χόρτος (anthos chortos)), James is reminding both the rich and poor just how fleeting their earthly lives are in comparison with eternal life in Jesus Christ.
A rich man can look at all of his possessions, property, and wealth with a great deal of contentment, but they all eventually fade away into nothingness. Not only does wealth fade, but the wealthy and well-known fade into obscurity in a remarkably short amount of time.
James provides a reminder that if we put our lives and identities into things that quickly fade away, we too will fade away. Putting our time and effort into those things that never fade away is a much better plan for our lives. To quote David Guzik on Enduring Word:
If a man is only rich in this world, when he dies, he leaves his riches. But if a man is rich before God, when he dies, he goes to his riches.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Heavenly Father, when I think of the blessings You have bestowed on me in this life, I feel humbled that You have infinite love for me. My life situation is wonderful right now, but if that should change, I pray that I would always remember to praise You. Whether my life is filled with riches or I am unable to make ends meet, I pray that I am content with my lot in life, remain humble before You, and focus my life on praising and honoring You. I ask this in Jesus’ name, AMEN.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org.
Commentary from Enduring Word used with the written permission of the author.
Hiebert, D. Edmond "The Epistle of James: Tests of a Living Faith" (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1979)