Les Misérables (1862) by Victor Hugo
The Brothers Karamazov (1880) by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Great Gatsby (1925) by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A Christmas Carol (1843) and A Tale of Two Cities (1859) by Charles Dickens

James 1:9-11 – “Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass, he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.”

“lowly,” Gk. ταπεινός (tapeinos), “humble, low”

“the rich,” Gk. πλούσιος (plousios), “the rich, opulent, wealthy”

NIV/NASB: “those of humble circumstances”

“boast,” Gk. καυχάομαι (kauchaomai), “rejoice”

“exaltation,” Gk. ὕψος (hypsos)
Luke 24:49 – “And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high (ὕψος).”
Ephesians 4:8 – “He ascended on high (ὕψος).”

Three Groups Addressed in Book of James
1. The lowly Christian
2. The rich Christian
3. The rich non-Christian (Ja. 5:1-6)

“humiliation,” Gk. ταπείνωσις (tapeinōsis), “low place”

Two Issues
1. Self-loathing (Gen. 1:26; Ps. 139:14)
2. Self-sufficiency (Oba. 1:3-4; Rom. 12:3; 2 Cor. 12:9; Phil. 2:3)