How does Job 31:3 define consequences for the "wicked" and "wrongdoers"? Setting the Scene in Job 31 Job is taking an oath of innocence. Confident that God’s Word is true in every detail, he appeals to the unbreakable moral order woven into creation—an order in which wrongdoing reaps inevitable consequences. Exact Wording of Job 31:3 “Does not disaster come to the unjust, and calamity to the workers of iniquity?” Consequences Named in Job 31:3 • Disaster (Hebrew: ēd, a sudden ruin or misfortune) • Calamity (Hebrew: šāyvāʼ, overwhelming trouble or destruction) In plain terms, Job declares that God has ordained two unavoidable outcomes for the wicked and wrongdoers: sudden ruin and overwhelming destruction. How Scripture Repeats This Principle • Proverbs 11:21—“Be assured, the wicked will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will escape.” • Psalm 37:38—“But the transgressors will all be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off.” • Nahum 1:2—“The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is fierce in wrath. The LORD takes vengeance against His foes; He is furious with His enemies.” • Romans 6:23—“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Across both Testaments the verdict is consistent: sin earns a sure, proportional judgment. Why These Consequences Are Certain • God’s justice is part of His immutable character (Deuteronomy 32:4). • Moral cause-and-effect is hard-wired into the created order (Galatians 6:7-8). • Divine judgment may appear delayed, but it is never revoked (2 Peter 3:9-10). Practical Takeaways • Sin carries built-in penalties; no one outruns God’s moral law. • Observed injustice does not negate God’s fairness; ultimate reckoning is guaranteed. • Confidence in Scripture’s literal accuracy anchors believers when present circumstances seem upside-down. |
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