Wealth Found in God || James 1:9 || Mid-Week Midrash #43

⁹ If a believer is poor, he should take pride that God has made him spiritually rich.

This verse is another one of those I struggle with comprehending. It is saying, at face value, that if I am poor, I should still be happy that God has spiritually enriched my life. While I can celebrate God’s impact on my life, I will still be poor. So, because of that struggle, let’s take a deeper look. This verse comes from a set of scripture (1:9-11) that talks about true riches. It talks about how poor and rich Christians can rejoice that God doesn’t look at earthly wealth as a requirement to become followers. Sounds incredible thing to hear, but why does this matter? The ICB translation mentions “taking pride” when God is spiritually rich. My ESV Study Bible uses the term “boast” in this place. This word refers to pride in a privilege or possession. It is the joy of legitimate pride. Although someone poor would have nothing in this world, they can rejoice via their relationship with God by God’s grace and hope that the relationship brings. I mean, I get what James is saying. At least, I think I do. I wish James phrased it more to say that God is still a beacon of hope in times of strife and struggle. No matter what we deal with, we have a God who loves us at our lowest and highest levels. The focus, I believe, on how James wrote it leads us to a whole “prosperity gospel” discussion, but I like my translation of it a little bit better.