Connect Job 20:5 with Psalm 37:1-2 on the fate of evildoers.

The shared message: The short-lived success of the wicked

“that the triumph of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless momentary?” (Job 20:5)

“Do not fret over those who do evil; do not envy those who do wrong. For they wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender plants.” (Psalm 37:1-2)

---

Job 20:5 in focus

• Zophar reminds Job that any apparent victory of the wicked is brief.

• The language is temporal: “short…momentary.”

• God sets an immovable limit on evil prosperity.

---

Psalm 37:1-2 in focus

• David urges believers not to envy or worry about evildoers.

• Their end is pictured in vivid nature imagery—grass that sprouts fast but dies faster.

• God’s timetable guarantees their swift fade-out.

---

Four clear parallels between the passages

1. Same time frame

– Job: “short…momentary.”

– Psalm: “wither quickly…wilt.”

2. Same group addressed

– Both speak to God-fearers tempted to fret over injustice.

3. Same divine guarantee

– God Himself ensures the expiration of wicked success.

4. Same practical takeaway

– Stop envying evil; its payoff is an illusion.

---

Why the downfall is inevitable

• God’s moral order (Proverbs 11:21).

• The sowing-and-reaping principle (Galatians 6:7-8).

• Final judgment already scheduled (Revelation 20:11-15).

---

Living it out today

• Refuse to measure life by temporary gains.

• Anchor hope in God’s unchanging promises (Hebrews 10:35-37).

• Keep doing good even when evil seems to win (Romans 12:17-21).

---

Additional confirming scriptures

• Psalm 73:18-19 – the wicked are “swept away.”

• Proverbs 24:19-20 – “the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.”

• Malachi 4:1 – the coming day “will burn like a furnace.”