Look Back . . . Be Challenged

My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

—James 5:10–11

Having called upon his hearers to look up and to look in, James next challenged us to look back to those who have gone before us. James called upon believers to “take the prophets,” to consider their example and learn from them. When they were put in holding patterns, they were tempted to give up. But they are examples of patience to us today. These prophets were not just looking toward the first coming of the Lord for their own benefit; they were also pointing their hearers in that direction. In fact, no one endured more suffering and persecution than they did as they awaited Jesus’ coming.

Jesus referred to these suffering prophets near the end of His earthly life when He was viewing Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. He cried, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37). And hear some of Stephen’s last words as he was stoned outside Jerusalem’s Lion’s Gate: “Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers” (Acts 7:52).

Being aware of both the patience of the prophets and the price they paid for their faith challenges me in this day of grace to keep moving forward in my own faith. This time of waiting and being encouraged by those who have waited before me builds up my anticipation for Jesus’ return.

Looking back enriches my waiting just as it can enrich other aspects of life. I once attended a graduation ceremony at West Point. The long history and tradition—the buildup—at that military academy was rich and distinctive. Similarly, anyone who ever walked out into center field at the old Yankee Stadium to view the statues of such greats as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig knows how tradition—or buildup—enriches a sport.

History and tradition are even more important in our Christian experience. Thus, James reminded us to look back and be challenged by those who went before us as we ourselves await the Lord’s coming. Look back at Hosea: his marriage failed, but he hung in (Hosea 3:1–3). Look back at Daniel: he was thrown into a lions’ den for standing firm in his faith, but God delivered him (Daniel 6:1–28). Look back at Jeremiah: he was arrested, accused of being a traitor, and thrown into a well to die (Jeremiah 37–38). But he looked up, and God delivered him.

And then there’s the roll call of the faithful—of persecuted prophets among them—listed in Hebrews 11! Those of us who have been rejected by family members can look back to Abel (v. 4). Those who are misunderstood can look back to Noah (v. 7). Those battling with a crisis of faith and who seem to be up against the impossible can look back to Abraham (vv. 8–10). If you’ve been used or abused, look back to Joseph (v. 22). Those of us confronted with seemingly insurmountable obstacles in life can look back to Joshua (v. 30). And those seeking to move beyond a sinful past can look back to Rahab (v. 31). James was saying, “Look back and be challenged.”

Next, James called us to turn our attention from the persecution of the prophets to the perseverance of Job. Now, if you think you have problems, take a look at the Old Testament book of Job. Everything seemed to be against him. He lost his wealth. He lost his health. His friends turned on him. And, as if that weren’t enough, his own wife looked him in the face and said, “Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9). For a while Job may have felt as if even God was against him. But Job persevered. Hear him: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. . . . Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him. . . . For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth. . . . He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 1:21; 13:15; 19:25; 23:10). Tempted to give up or give in or give out? No wonder James said, “Look back and be challenged.”

So why did James call us to “be patient” (James 5:7)? One reason is that impatience is at the root of many failures. Look back to Simon Peter: he came close to committing murder in the garden of Gethsemane (John 18:10). Look back to Moses: his impatience caused him to strike the rock instead of speaking to it as God commanded (Numbers 20:1–13). Look back to Abraham: his impatience while waiting for God’s promise to be fulfilled led to the birth of Ishmael (Genesis 16:1-16). Paul affirmed the importance of patience when he wrote to the Romans: “Whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4). “Be patient . . . until the coming of the Lord.”