Compare Job 15:32 with Psalm 1:3. What contrasts are evident? Scripture Texts • Job 15:32: “Before his time he will be paid in full, and his branch will not flourish.” • Psalm 1:3: “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does.” Immediate Contexts • Job 15 records Eliphaz warning the wicked that judgment comes swiftly and certain barrenness follows. • Psalm 1 opens the Psalter by celebrating the righteous person who delights in God’s law and enjoys steady, God-given prosperity. Key Contrasts • Outcome – Job 15:32: “branch will not flourish,” signifying failure, futility, and judgment. – Psalm 1:3: “yields its fruit… prospers,” picturing vitality, productivity, and blessing. • Timing – Job 15:32: Judgment arrives “before his time,” cutting life short. – Psalm 1:3: Fruit arrives “in season,” on schedule and unhindered. • Rootedness – Job 15:32: The wicked stand apart from God; no source of enduring nourishment is mentioned. – Psalm 1:3: The righteous are “planted by streams of water,” continually supplied by the Word and Spirit (cf. Jeremiah 17:7-8; John 7:37-39). • Condition of Leaves/Branch – Job 15:32: The branch withers, emblem of spiritual decay (cf. Isaiah 14:19-20). – Psalm 1:3: “Leaf does not wither,” a picture of perpetual health (cf. Revelation 22:2). • Divine Response – Job 15:32: God’s justice repays the wicked “in full.” – Psalm 1:3: God’s favor promotes the righteous so “all he does” prospers (cf. Joshua 1:8). Theological Insights • Scripture presents two divergent paths: the self-willed life that ends in sudden ruin versus the God-centered life that blossoms. • Flourishing or withering is never random; it flows from one’s relation to God’s revealed Word (Proverbs 3:5-6; John 15:5-6). • The contrast reinforces the literal certainty of both blessing and judgment—real outcomes rooted in the unchanging character of God. Application for Today • Examine where you are “planted.” Regular, delighted absorption in Scripture anchors the soul beside living water. • Expect tangible fruit when rooted in Christ; expect inevitable barrenness when pursuing sin (Galatians 6:7-8). • Trust the timing of God. The righteous may wait for “season,” but the harvest is sure; the wicked may seem secure, yet judgment comes “before his time.” |