Question: I would like to have an explanation of what is the difference between sickness and afflictions in James 5:13-14. I would like to know what all afflictions take in. I have several afflictions on my body, but I don’t consider myself sick, so I just pray for myself.
Answer: I will insert here the full text of James 5:13-14: “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”
The dictionary defines “afflict” as: “To give pain which is continued or of some permanence to body or mind; to trouble, grieve or distress. (To persecute). One can be afflicted with a disease or with melancholy, losses or misfortunes.” It lists synonyms as: “Torment, distress, trouble, grieve, harass, pain, disquiet.”
Disquiet is defined as “Uneasiness, restlessness, want of tranquillity in body or mind, disturbance, anxiety.”
Distress is defined as “To afflict greatly; to afflict with pain or anguish, to harass, to oppress or crush with calamity, to make miserable.”
Grieve is defined as “To feel pain of mind or heart; to be in pain on account of an evil; to sorrow or mourn, to grieve for a dead friend or grieve at a calamity that befell him.”
All of this ground is covered in the term afflict. Some of these things also overflow into the dictionary definition of the term sick. It might be a little difficult to draw a sharp line of distinction between affliction as it might affect the physical body and the term sickness. It seems in a general sense, any physical ailment or disorder would come under the heading of sickness, while affliction would more generally apply to one’s being troubled, distressed, burdened, grieved, offended, persecuted or, etc. The Scriptures also generally agree with this.
In Genesis 41:52 we read where Joseph named his second son Ephraim and said, “…For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.” His affliction in this case was his slavery and separation from his family in a strange land. In I Samuel 1:11, we read where Hannah, who was barren, but afterward by a direct miracle of God, became the mother of Samuel, was praying and said, “…O Lord of hosts, if thou will indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life,…” Eli, the priest, saw her lips moving as she prayed but heard no sound coming from her lips, so reproved her for being drunk. Hannah answered him thus in verse 15, “…No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.” In this case her affliction was her deep sorrow and grief of heart because of being barren and having no children.
In II Kings 14:26 we read again, “For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter: for there was not any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper for Israel.” In II Kings 13:4 we see that Israel’s affliction was their oppression by the King of Syria. Again in Exodus 3:7 we read, “And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows.” In verse 8, God continues speaking, “And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians,…” It is clear in this case that Israel’s affliction was their severe oppression by the Egyptians, and their abject slavery unto them, and God came down to deliver them by the hand of Moses.
In Isaiah 53:4 we read of Christ as a man who was afflicted. I know of no Scripture referring to Jesus ever being sick, but He was “…A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief:…” Isaiah 53:3. He was persecuted, despised, rejected. As the weight of the sins of all mankind, including our own, fell on Him, His soul became exceeding sorrowful unto death. (Mark 14:34.) He bore a great weight of grief because of the unbelief and hardness of the people’s hearts and the severe burdens and troubles they were in on account of this. (Mark 3:5, Matthew 9:36, Mark 6:34, Matthew 14:14.) On one occasion when Jesus came near to Jerusalem and beheld the city, He wept over it because of realizing the great calamities which would befall its people, not far hence. These were the afflictions of Christ.
Concerning the time of these severe calamities, Jesus said in Mark 13:19, “For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.” In this case their affliction was to be the great tribulation they were to suffer. In II Corinthians, chapter four, Paul speaks of his being troubled, perplexed, persecuted, cast down, bearing in his body the dying of the Lord Jesus, and in II Corinthians 4:17, he says, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment,…” In this case all of these things constituted his affliction. In II Corinthians 8:1-2, Paul speaks of the brethren of Macedonia, “How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.” Their affliction was deep poverty and great material need. Also Paul said in Philippians 4:14 in regard to a financial contribution the Philippian brethren had sent him, “…ye did communicate with my affliction.”
I could go on extensively with such texts, but it is not necessary. These texts surely confirm the scriptural use of the term affliction, and I find no place in this whole chain of scriptures where affliction refers to physical or bodily ailments. The terms used to describe these in the Scriptures are “sickness, disease, plague, infirmity.”
Therefore, it is concluded that one’s wounds, bruises, hurts, offenses, griefs, sorrows, troubles, burdens, persecutions, tribulations, and such like are afflictions about which one should pray until he has prayed out from under them and triumphed over them; until he can be merry and can sing psalms. Neither is it forbidden to them to seek agreement of prayer from others in whom they confide, but these are things in which the individual needs to pray through for himself and gain his own victory. Also, any physical ailment or disorder that a person may have (including arthritis, eczema, nerve disorders, and anything which causes pain, discomfort or torment) things which we ordinarily think of as afflictions should be anointed with oil by the Elders of the church and prayed for with the expectation of being healed according to James 5:14-15 and Mark 6:13.
