James 4:7-10 (NKJV) Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
V7 “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” The Greek word for “submit” is (G5293) ὑποτάσσω hypotassō, which an organized sorting into groups. In a military sense, it refers to the hierarchy of leadership. In this verse, it refers to God’s established order of God which is THE King (God), and we are servants doing His will. We obey Him because we love Him (John 14:15) and are to continue. An application of this principle is never giving in to the devil and his kingdom. We need God’s assisting grace plus our attitude to not sin to be successful (1 Corinthians 10:13). The Lord Jesus is a real life example (Matthew 4:1-11). As imperfect humans, we cannot be sinless but are to be blameless (2 Peter 3:14). When we are convicted of our sin, we ask for forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
V8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Three things that we must do: 1) draw close to God (fellowship in instruction, etc.), 2) cleanse hands (stop sinning), and 3) purify your hearts (confess and forsake sins). Double-minded refers to loving God yet 1) living like the world, 2) elevating a pastor or teacher about God (unfortunately this is common), or 3) looking to our own abilities instead of relying on God’s assistance.
God initiates; we follow. God may remind us, convict us, and mold us (send situations in our life). A faithful fellow Christian might exhort us. God also has some method to draw near. If we do, He will respond (compare Psalm 27:8). Drawing near would include learning (reading and studying the Scriptures), praying, and doing what God is pleased with. See Deuteronomy 30:20, 2 Chronicles 15:2, Lamentations 3:57, and Psalm 73:28. Our cleansing refers to confessing sins, trusting God by waiting for an answer, and agreeing to obey God’s will. Hands (what we do) and heart (what our motives are) must be submitted to God. Double-minded are those to whom James writes. We must have God as our first love, NOT a teacher, theologian, pastor, preacher, writer, etc.
V9 “Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.” There is a place for repentance and restoration. Judas Iscariot regretted but did not repent (Matthew 27:4), yet Job did repent (Job 42:6).
V10 “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” Humble is to agree with God’s opinions instead of insisting on ours. “Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, And before honor is humility.” (Proverbs 18:12, NKJV)
We learn:
- To submit to God, not the devil and evil
- When God convicts us we respond
- To repent quickly
- To humble ourselves, ask for God’s help, and He will