James 5:14-16

I would think it's just as important today, though I have to say the way I've seen it done has never seemingly been effective.
Thats always made me wonder, someone asks to be prayed over,them & the elders go to pray & they "dab" so oil on the forhead or wherever.
I thought to annoint meant to cover, to pour on from head to foot.
Also "the prayer of a rightious man " means to be mighty in , it's work. and the 'rightious" part means just that..Holy, sincere. a man that is actually walking with His Lord. Look at the example given, Elijah.
Yes we're to pray for any need that we know of for another.

 

I see no good reason that we should not understand this in its simple and natural form. Let the sick person call the elders of the church, and let them anoint and pray for that person. Its normal sense makes sense. Why look for some other sense?

A popular interpretation among a lot of good Baptists is that this verse means "pray and use medicine". This would make a cure all of oil and doctors of the elders. Also, it seems more contextual to interpret the oil as anointing for symbolical rather than medicinal purposes, in that it is "the prayer offered in faith" that "will make the sick person well."

 

The last part of the passage is of interest as well as the first half. The elders ought to be dealing with sin if it is present, as well as annointing/praying.

The sickness, may be linked to the sin

 

Here's what the reformers thought ofg the passage:


James 5

5:1 Go 1 to now, [ye] rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon [you].


(1) He denounces utter destruction to the wicked and profane rich men, and such as are drowned in their riotousness, mocking their foolish confidence when there is nothing indeed more vain than such things.

5:4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the a ears of the Lord of sabaoth.

(a) The Lord who is more mighty than ye are, hath heard them.

5:5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have b nourished your hearts, as in a c day of slaughter.

(b) You have pampered yourselves.
(c) The Hebrews call a day that is appointed to solemn banqueting, a day of slaughter or feasting.

5:7 2 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. 3 Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

(2) He applies that to the poor, which he spoke against the rich, warning them to wait for the Lord?s coming patiently, who will avenge the injuries which the rich men do to them. (3) The taking away of an objection: Although his coming seems to linger, yet at the least we must follow the farmer, we who do patiently wait for the times that are fitting for the fruits of the earth. And again, God will not postpone the least bit of the time that he has appointed.

5:9 4 d Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: 5 behold, the judge standeth before the door.

(4) He commends Christian patience, for that which others through impatience use to accuse one another, the faithful on the other hand, do not complain though they receive injury.
(d) By grudging he means a certain inward complaining which indicates impatience. (5) The conclusion: The Lord is at the door and will defend his own and avenge his enemies, and therefore we do not need to trouble ourselves.

5:10 6 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

(6) Because most men will object, that it is good to repel injuries by whatever means, he contrasts that with the examples of the fathers whose patience had a most happy end, because God as a most bountiful Father, never forsakes his.

5:11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the e end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

(e) What end the Lord gave.

5:12 7 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let f your yea be yea; and [your] nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

(7) Because even the best men sometimes through impatience slip and speak oaths sometimes lesser, sometimes greater, the apostle warns us to detest such wickedness, and to accustom our tongues to simple and true talk.

5:13 8 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.

(8) He shows the best remedy against all afflictions, that is, prayers which have their place both in sorrow and joy.

5:14 9 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with g oil in the h name of the Lord:

9 He shows peculiarly, to what physicians especially we must go when we are diseased, that is, to the prayers of the elders, which then also could cure the body, (for so much as the gift of healing was then in force) and take away the main cause of sickness and diseases, by obtaining healing for the sick through their prayers and exhortations.
(g) This was a sign of the gift of healing: and now seeing we have the gift no more, the sign is no longer necessary.
(h) By calling on the name of the Lord.

5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed i sins, they shall be forgiven him.

(i) He has reason in making mention of sins, for diseases are often sent because of sins.

5:16 10 Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. 11 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.


(10) Because God pardons the sins of those who confess and acknowledge them, and not those who justify themselves. Therefore the apostle adds, we ought to freely confer with one another concerning those inward diseases, that we may help one another with our prayers.

(11) He commends prayers by the effects that come of them, that all men may understand that there is nothing more effectual than they are, so that they proceed from a pure mind.

 

I knew the passage. I had never thought of using it for colds or poison oak, or such. But in the spring of 1988, my total knee replacement, being 8 years old, was starting to fail and my left knee was swelling and was incredibly painful. My right knee was also swelling from the arthritis in it (I was 40 years old then) and the result was that even crutches were very painful to deal with and I was starting to think a wheelchair would be inevitable.

But I remembered that James verse. Keep in mind that I am English by heritage and about as conservative as you can get. Nevertheless, the Bible said to contact and elder and ask for prayer so out of pure obedience and not a lot of faith, I did. Nick Traveri was an elder at the Calvary Chapel we were attending at the time -- he is a pastor now -- and after the service was over one Sunday morning, while everyone was filing out of church and talking with each other, I hobbled up to Nick at the front and asked him if he would pray for my legs. I told him I wanted time. My youngest two were both three and I needed time to raise them before I became so totally crippled by this birth defect (which was at the root of all of it).

So Nick prayed. He prayed for the healing of the plastic and steel in my leg as well as the bone. Quietly, with no fanfare. I don't think anyone else knew what was going on. I was not anointed with oil. I remember, during the prayer, being a little embarrassed and telling God in my heart something like "Don't worry about the plastic and steel part, Lord, just give me some time, OK?"

That was in April. Knees are funny things and problems can arise and recede pretty quickly and regularly with them, so, forgetting about the prayer, I didn't think too much of it, except to be grateful, when the swelling and pain decreased over the next few weeks.

In July I saw a new orthopedist for a set of base x-rays on my legs, as we had moved into the area the year before. He brought in the x-ray of the leg with the knee replacement and asked when the last surgery had been (I was on my second knee...). I told him 8 years ago. He told me no, not THAT one, but he wanted to know when the recent one had been. I told him 8 years ago. He told me that was not possible as my knee looked about six months old from the x-ray. I was wondering about his competance at that point.

He looked at the x-ray of my right knee and asked me why we had x-rayed it. I told him to keep an eye on the arthritis. He told me there was no arthritis in it.

By that time I was pretty sure he didn't know what he was talking about and he was equally sure I was the quintessential California blonde!

But I can still point out the exact spot on the freeway going home when I remembered Nick's prayer. I was stunned.

I didn't tell anyone for almost a year. Because knees are funny things...

That knee is still going strong and the joint is now almost 26 years old. My right knee still shows no signs of arthritis, just a little 'wear and tear,' but, after all, I'm 57 now -- almost 58.

So I leave it to the reader as to what happened that April morning so many years ago.

 

rl, If the oil is symbolic then why say to "anniont" with it. I know sometimes the oil symbolizes the Spirit, but WE can't annoint with the Spirit. Also the word "oil" here means olive oil, which we know had many many uses...including medicinal.
Helen I've never quit beliving in miracles, or the healing power of our Lord!! As a hurting child coming to their Father, He knows there are times we might "question" something we know to be in His word. Thats not sin, or really a lack of faith. A lack of understanding, yes. Remember He knows our hearts. Thats what matters most.

 

Hi, preacher. I'm not sure I understand your question. Why would anointing and symbolism be antithetical?

Aleipho (translated anoint) is used 9 times in the New Testament, according to Strongs. Note Scriptures like Matt. 6:13, Luke 7:46, et al., show anointing in cases unassociated with medicine. Rev. 3:18 shows the word associated with medicine (eyesalve). Exodus 30:22ff shows the use of anointing for separation/sanctification of the priests and tabernacle.

Elaion (translated oil) is used 11 times in the New Testament, according to Strongs. It is olive oil as you say. It had a number of uses from symbolic anointing to medicine to lamp fuel. Luke 10:34 is a good example of medicinal use. Matthew 25 shows the lamp fuel use (which is evidently symbolic of something else). Mark 6:13 is an example of anointing associated with healing but not as a medicine (cf. 7-13 & Matthew 10:1ff).

I guess all this to say that anointing and oil are associated with several different things in the Scriptures. In the case of James 5, I don't think he is making the elders doctors and oil medicine. If one does interpret it that way, it seems they are left with one of two conclusions - that the verse is interpreted spiritually as a way of saying "pray and use medicine"; or if interpreted literally, that the verse is no longer applicable. I don't know many who use the elders of the church as their doctors or olive oil as their medicine.

 

In the biography of C T STudd the author mentions two seperate occasions when C T put into practice these verses, on both occassions the Lord wonderfully intervened and healed the affliction. One accepts that God doesn't always heal but sometimes He does, and we should pray for the sick as outlined in these verses.

Kind regards to all.

Bob