Moffatt places these verses just after 2:13, since this seems to have
been its original place. This is the position also given by Oesterley.
And yet it is quite possible that James here merely recurs to the
subject of the loose tongue, as he had already done once (cf. 1:26; 3:2
ff.). See also 5:12. He has one word more on this burning topic, a sort
of postscript on the tongue, an extremely difficult subject to say the
last word about. “Speak not one against another, brethren.” The tense of
the verb (present durative) implies that some of them had been doing
precisely this thing.
It is so easy to “talk down on one,” to act as critic (cf. Matt. 7:1) of
one’s brother in Christ. We cannot help forming opinions of each other,
but we can avoid captious criticism, sharp and needless censure. The
point made by James is that this habit assumes the right to judge the
very law of God. It is far easier to play the part of critic of the law
than to be a doer of the law. Destructive criticism is always the
cheaper exercise and the more useless. Constructive criticism is more
creative and much harder.
There is one supreme Lawgiver and Judge, “he who is able to save and
destroy.” This power belongs to God, the Creator (Matt. 10:28; Luke
6:9), not to man, the creature. The critic of the law prefers to find
flaws in the law rather than to undertake to obey it. He assumes that he
can enact a better law, but it is all assumption. James shows his
impatience with such criticism by saying, “But who art thou that judgest
thy neighbor?” See Romans 14:4. In common law we are to give every man
the benefit of the doubt and to assume his innocence till his guilt is
proven. But in current speech the sharp tongue follows no such rule of
reason but creates suspicion and sows hate and strife at every turn.
XI
God and Business
The arrogance of the sinful heart is clearly shown in 4:13 to 5:6. Such
a heart prefers worldliness to the worship of God (see 4:1-10) and
flippantly criticizes one’s neighbors with lighthearted satisfaction
with self and a positive love of faultfinding (4:11 f.). This easy
arrogance faces the future with unconcern. No look Godward is taken in
business ventures. James “opposes the irreligious sense of travelling
merchants” (Windisch). These Jews of the Diaspora had come to have a
considerable part of the business of the Roman Empire. They professed to
be servants of God, but in practice they often denied and ignored the
God of their fathers.