Fate of wicked in "flow away like water"?
What does "flow away like water" teach about the fate of the wicked?

Key Verse

“May they vanish like water that flows away; when they draw the bow, may their arrows fall short.” (Psalm 58:7)


Why Water? A Picture Worth a Thousand Words

• Water is fluid—once it slips through the fingers, you cannot retrieve it.

• It doesn’t pause or hesitate; it relentlessly seeks the lowest place and disappears from sight.

• After a stream has passed, the ground soon looks as if nothing had ever been there.


What the Phrase Reveals about the Wicked

• Swift Removal

– The wicked are here for a moment; then, just as quickly, they are gone (Job 24:24).

• Total Erasure

– Like water leaving no footprint, their influence evaporates; their plots dissolve (Psalm 37:10).

• Unstoppable Divine Judgment

– No human barricade can stop a river’s flow; likewise, no scheme can withstand God’s verdict (Nahum 1:8).

• Powerlessness and Futility

– Their strength “flows away” before they can use it; even their arrows “fall short” (Psalm 58:7b).

• Temporary Prosperity

– Water glistens in the sun for a moment, then disappears into the dust—mirroring the brief success of the ungodly (Proverbs 10:25).


Supporting Passages

Psalm 73:18–19 — “Surely You set them on slippery ground; You cast them down to destruction. How suddenly they are laid waste…”

Isaiah 57:20 — “But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest; its waters churn up mire and mud.”

Job 20:28 — “The possessions of his house will be carried off, washed away in the day of God’s wrath.”

Proverbs 14:11 — “The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish.”


Take-Home Truths

• God’s judgment is sure, sudden, and sweeping.

• Wickedness promises permanence but delivers only passing ripples.

• Righteousness alone endures; everything else “flows away like water.”

How can Psalm 58:7 inspire us to trust God's justice in adversity?
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