James 4

      6-10. God giveth more grace. To enable us to overcome our love of the world. Wherefore the scripture saith. Quoted from Prov. 3:34 . The passage is quoted to show that the way to secure grace more abundantly is to be humble before the Lord. 7. Submit yourselves therefore to God. To secure his grace abundantly. Resist the devil, etc. He always flees before stout resistance. See the Temptation of Christ. If not hurled back, he presses the attack. 8. Draw nigh to God. If we wish God very near to us we must seek to dwell very near to him. Only sin keeps us afar off. Cleanse your hands. Of evil doing. Purify your hearts. Of evil thoughts. 9. Be afflicted, and mourn. Mourn over your sins and sincerely repent of them. 10. Humble yourselves. "He that humbleth himself shall be exalted" ( Matt. 23:12 ).

      11, 12. Speak not evil one of another. The subject of the tongue is resumed. To speak evil is to make harsh, censorious judgments. Speaketh evil of the law. The "royal law" requires love of a brother, and when this law is thus violated by a harsh judgment the law itself is condemned. But when a man sets himself up as a judge of the law he is no longer an humble and faithful doer of the law. 12. There is one lawgiver. The lawgiver is God, the Almighty. Shall man judge him? Judgest another? In disobedience to God who made the law which forbids it.

      13-17. Go to now, ye that say. Presumptuous judgments have just been rebuked. Shall we presume on an uncertain future? The folly of laying plans as if we could command life is exposed. 14. What is your life? Who knows that he will have a to-morrow, since life is like a vanishing vapor? 15. Ye ought to say. The proper way is to plan everything subject to the Lord's will. 16. Ye rejoice in your boastings. It was a boastful manner to use such a language as that of verse 13 in stating plans. 17. To him that knoweth to do good. The connection of thought is probably as follows: "I have warned you that such boasting is wrong, and that the right way is to speak submissively (as in verse 15 ). If you know how to do the right and yet do it not the sin is the greater on account of your knowledge."