Compare Job 27:13 with Proverbs 11:21 on the fate of the wicked. Verses in Focus Job 27:13 – “This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage the ruthless receive from the Almighty.” Proverbs 11:21 – “Be assured that the wicked will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered.” Immediate Context • Job 27 records Job’s firm conviction that, whatever his friends believe about him, God will ultimately judge the truly wicked. • Proverbs 11 gathers Solomon’s concise wisdom, contrasting righteous living with sinful rebellion and stressing certain outcomes. Shared Truths About the Wicked • Certainty of Judgment – Both passages declare that God Himself guarantees consequences. • Divine Origin of Consequences – Job: “from God…from the Almighty.” – Proverbs: “will not go unpunished” presumes God’s direct action. • Inheritance Language – Job uses “portion” and “heritage,” portraying judgment as the “legacy” wicked people have earned. – Proverbs pictures punishment as just as sure as a legal outcome in court. Nuanced Differences • Job highlights the present earthly portion and future destiny of the wicked, stressing how even apparent success collapses (cf. Job 27:14-23). • Proverbs draws a sharper contrast between wicked punishment and righteous preservation, promising deliverance “for the offspring of the righteous.” • Job centers on God’s sovereignty amid personal suffering; Proverbs offers a general principle of moral cause-and-effect. Reinforcing Scriptures • Psalm 37:9-10 – “For evildoers will be cut off…yet a little while and the wicked will be no more.” • Psalm 73:18-19 – “Surely You set them on slippery ground…they are utterly swept away.” • Galatians 6:7 – “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.” • Revelation 20:12-15 – Final White Throne judgment confirms the same end. Why These Truths Matter Today • God’s justice is not abstract; it is personal, inevitable, and perfectly timed. • The righteous can rest in God’s protection—even if wickedness appears unchecked—knowing a sure separation is coming. • The “heritage” of the wicked warns us against flirting with sin; the promise of deliverance urges steadfast faithfulness (Hebrews 10:35-36). |