James 1:10

Likewise the materially wealthy should remember that riches are temporary and that one’s real condition before God is a very humble one.

"The Cross of Christ lifts up the poor and brings down the high. It is the great leveller [sic] of men." [Note: Robertson, 6:15.]

Grass in many places is not very hardy, but in some parts of Palestine it only stays green a few weeks. The term "flowering grass" evidently goes back to Isaiah 40:6-8. It is a combination of two thoughts, namely, that the grass withers and the flower fades. In Hebrew, mixing metaphors was a way of enriching the thought. [Note: Derek Kidner, Psalms 1-72, p. 151.]

The commentators differ in their understanding of who the rich people were to whom James referred. Many concluded they were believers in view of James’ parallel statement in James 1:9. They take the verb kauchaomai ("glory" or "take pride in") in James 1:9 as the verb for James 1:10 also. Likewise the subject "brother" in James 1:9 seems to be the subject of James 1:10. [Note: E.g., Mayor, pp. 45-46; Adamson, p. 62; Hiebert, James, p. 78; C. Leslie Mitton, The Epistle of James, p. 33; and Blue, p. 82.] Other interpreters believe the context points to the rich being unsaved. [Note: E.g., Davids, pp. 76-77; Stulac, pp. 195, 199; and Martin, pp. 25-26.] I think the evidence favors the view that they were Christians, probably Jewish Christians (cf. James 5:1-6). But the fact that James did not make this clear suggests that he intended to state a general truth that applies to both kinds of people: riches are worthless in the face of death and judgment (cf. 1 Timothy 6:9-10; 1 Timothy 6:17-19).

"There is no higher honor than to be the object of God’s gracious and loving concern." [Note: Hodges, p. 23.]