How does Job 15:21 describe the impact of wickedness on one's peace? Setting the Scene - Eliphaz is responding to Job, painting a vivid picture of the inner life of the wicked. - Though his overall application to Job is off-target, the inspired text accurately exposes what wickedness produces in anyone who resists God. Text of Job 15:21 “Sounds of terror fill his ears; in prosperity the destroyer attacks him.” A Closer Look at the Verse - “Sounds of terror fill his ears” • Inner turmoil: constant, haunting dread even when nothing threatening is visible. • No peace: instead of a quiet conscience, fear is the dominant background noise. - “In prosperity the destroyer attacks him” • Outward success cannot silence inward fear. • Calamity is sure: judgment or disaster (“the destroyer”) breaks in at what seemed the safest moment. What the Verse Reveals About Peace and Wickedness - Wickedness breeds fear, not rest. - Peace depends on righteousness, not circumstances. - God’s moral order ensures that sin eventually invites destruction, sometimes suddenly. Related Scriptures that Echo the Same Truth - Proverbs 28:1 — “The wicked flee when no one pursues…” - Isaiah 57:20-21 — “But the wicked are like the tossing sea… ‘There is no peace … for the wicked.’” - Leviticus 26:36 — “The sound of a driven leaf will put them to flight…” - Psalm 73:18-19 — The prosperous wicked are “suddenly destroyed, completely swept away by terrors.” Practical Takeaways for Today - Any seeming peace gained apart from God is superficial and fragile. - True security flows from obedience and trust in the Lord (Psalm 4:8). - Rather than envying the wicked, believers rest in Christ, whose righteousness grants lasting peace (John 14:27; Romans 5:1). |
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