Matthew Henry Commentary James 5:7-11

"Be patient therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Murmur not, brethren, one against another, that ye be not judged: behold, the judge standeth before the doors. Take, brethren, for an example of suffering and of patience, the prophets who spake in the name of the Lord. Behold, we call them blessed that endured: ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, how that the Lord is full of pity, and merciful." — James 5:7-11 (ASV)

Consider the one who waits for a harvest; and will you not wait for a crown of glory? If you should be called to wait longer than the farmer, is there not something more worth waiting for? In every sense, the coming of the Lord drew near, and all His people's losses, hardships, and sufferings would be repaid.

People perceive time as long because they measure it by their own lives; but all time is as nothing to God; it is like a moment. To short-lived creatures, a few years seem an age; but Scripture, measuring all things by the existence of God, counts thousands of years as merely days. God brought about the outcome in Job's case, so as to plainly prove that He is very pitiful and of tender mercy.

This reality did not appear during Job's troubles but was seen in the outcome, and believers today will find a happy end to their trials. Let us serve our God and bear our trials, as those who believe that the end will crown all. Our eternal happiness is safe if we trust in Him; everything else is mere vanity, which will soon be gone forever.