Why do the Wicked Prosper?

Prayer ~ Lord God, why is there such a disparity between the powerful and the powerless…the rich and the poor? Some people today won’t get to see their children grow up because of the war in Ukraine. Such a senseless act—killing. Killing children. What can the Russians possibly gain by taking the lives of young innocent children? The Russian leaders may be safe in their own homes—but their soldiers are hungry. War is a terrible injustice. Why do the wicked prosper and want more? 

Why do the wicked prosper, growing old and powerful? They live to see their children grow up and settle down, and they enjoy their grandchildren. Their homes are safe from every fear, and God does not punish them. Job 21:7-9

 

Meditate. Consider Job and his predicament.

 

Job was suffering. This passage is from his seventh speech, in response to his friend Zophar. We ask the same question today. Why do the wicked prosper, growing old and powerful? I don’t think we have an answer any more than Job or his friends did. Job’s friend Eliphaz had this advice for Job that is certainly good…but a bit pretentious.

"Submit to God, and you will have peace; then things will go well for you. Listen to his instructions, and store them in your heart. If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored—so clean up your life. If you give up your lust for money and throw your precious gold into the river, the Almighty himself will be your treasure. He will be your precious silver! Then you will take delight in the Almighty and look up to God. You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows to him. You will succeed in whatever you choose to do, and light will shine on the road ahead of you. If people are in trouble and you say, 'Help them,' God will save them. Even sinners will be rescued; they will be rescued because your hands are pure." Job 22:21-30

What do you treasure?

We should all hope, as we grow older, that Eliphaz’s advice is good for us all. Clean up your life. Right. That is good advice. So is the statement that the Almighty himself will be your treasure. We are to store up our treasure in Heaven (Matthew 6:20-21) for where our treasure is, that is where our heart is. We also know that when we pray, God hears us. All this wisdom in what is assumed to be the first book of the Bible that was ever written. God has so wisely repeated this wisdom over and over so that we will surely catch it and apply it to our lives. With the turmoil that is occurring in the world today—consider the battle in Ukraine for instance—we struggle with why senseless deaths of children occur and where is the hope for those families—for all the people of that nation? Certainly, we cry out to the Lord, “Help them” because all we can do is pray. We still have the question…why do the wicked prosper?

 

Verse of Salvation ~ Help us, O God of our salvation! Help us for the glory of your name. Save us and forgive our sins for the honor of your name. Psalm 79:9

 

Memory Verse of the Week ~ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Ephesians 2:8-9

Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table

We can’t live on bread alone. For Lent, if you are giving up extra carbs, you may limit yourself to just one piece of bread or a small serving of cereal or pasta once a day. What did you decide to give up? Is it a food item that is challenging your health…or a character trait that is challenging your character? Feast on God’s Word and strengthen your relationship with Him.

 

© 2022 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. 

 

Books by Mickey M. Hunacek

Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character

 

Coins of the Bible: New Testament Stories

 

Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com