CH 2 holds more instruction for becoming more like Christ. It is SO hard not to have respect of persons, especially when it comes to our faith. Not so much to the poor vs. the rich, but there are people that make it hard for me to show compassion, and James makes it very clear in v. 9 that we are breaking the law if we have respect of persons. And if we stand before a judge for a lesser crime, and use as a defense the fact that we did not commit murder or some other crime, that defense will fail. “Judgment without mercy” is a frightening proposition. Mercy does rejoice against judgment. Anyone who has been in a position to show mercy to a naughty child understands that kind of rejoicing. We should thank God every day, and praise Him, for his mercy. And I love that James uses Rahab as an example of faith in action. She was not schooled in the Word, wasn’t even exposed to it as far as we know, and we aren’t told how she learned of God’s nature. She simply believed He was God and would give His people victory, and that she could be the recipient of His mercy. Don’t you wonder how she knew Him?