The concept of the natural life of the wicked not being specially protected by God is a theme that runs through various passages of the Bible. This idea suggests that while God is sovereign over all creation, He does not extend the same protective care to the wicked as He does to the righteous. This lack of divine protection is often seen as a consequence of their rebellion against God and their choice to live in sin.

Divine Justice and the Wicked

The Bible frequently emphasizes that God is just and that His justice will ultimately prevail. In the Book of Job, we find a discourse on the fate of the wicked: "They are like straw before the wind, and like chaff that the storm carries away" (Job 21:18). This imagery suggests that the wicked are vulnerable to the forces of nature and divine judgment, lacking the stability and protection that God provides to the righteous.

Temporal Prosperity and Ultimate Judgment

While the wicked may experience temporary prosperity, their lack of divine protection means that their success is fleeting. Psalm 73 reflects on this apparent paradox: "For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked" (Psalm 73:3). However, the psalmist later realizes that their end is destruction: "Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down into ruin" (Psalm 73:18). This passage underscores the idea that any prosperity the wicked enjoy is temporary and ultimately leads to their downfall.

Absence of Divine Favor

The absence of divine favor and protection for the wicked is further illustrated in Proverbs: "The LORD’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the righteous" (Proverbs 3:33). This contrast highlights the protective blessing that God reserves for those who live according to His will, while the wicked are left to face the consequences of their actions without His safeguarding presence.

Natural Consequences of Sin

The natural life of the wicked is also subject to the inherent consequences of sin. Romans 6:23 states, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" . This verse indicates that the natural outcome of a life lived in sin is spiritual and often physical death, as sin separates individuals from the life-giving presence of God.

God’s Patience and Opportunity for Repentance

Despite the lack of special protection, God’s patience with the wicked is evident in His desire for their repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 explains, "The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" . This patience is not an indication of divine protection but rather an opportunity for the wicked to turn from their ways and seek God’s mercy.

Conclusion

The natural life of the wicked, as depicted in the Bible, is characterized by a lack of special protection from God. While they may experience temporary success, their ultimate fate is one of judgment and destruction due to their separation from God’s protective care. The Scriptures consistently affirm that God’s favor and protection are reserved for the righteous, while the wicked are left to face the natural and spiritual consequences of their rebellion.Job 36:6
He preserves not the life of the wicked: but gives right to the poor.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 78:50
He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;
Torrey's Topical Textbook

The World, Created by God, Still Cherished and Protected by Him. ...
... For, although even wicked men are forced, by the mere view ... by the concourse of the
stars, and other natural causes ... not that he foresaw how far the life of each ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 16 the world created.htm

City of God
... Chapter 5.--As the Wicked Make an Ill Use of the Law ... Whatever is of Earth is by Its
Natural Weight Attracted ... Which Appear as Right Affections in the Life of the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/

The Genuine Acts of Peter.
... claimed by the executioner, these wicked purchasers, or rather destroyers, of man's
life quickly returned ... all probability, hence this conjecture was natural.]. ...
/.../peter/the writings of peter of alexandria/the genuine acts of peter.htm

Book I.
... from the pains of death and from the attacks of wicked spirits ... like a shadow; for
the grace of virtue dies not with the body, nor do natural life and merits ...
//christianbookshelf.org/ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/book i.htm

My Brother Fabius
... us into temptation by giving us up to the wicked one, for ... every way a good, because
it has a natural basis, we ... For as Christ laid down His life for us, so, too ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/tertullian/de fuga in persecutione/my brother fabius.htm

The Resemblance Between the Old Testament and the New.
... indeed, have been much worse than natural death. ... be tossed about, their latter end
was life and peace ... pleasant soever the delights of the wicked, they gradually ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 10 the resemblance between.htm

A Call to Prayer and Testimony
... It is essential to life. ... All progress made heavenward by the natural drift of the
current is seeming, and not real. ... He had been a wild and wicked man. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 37 1891/a call to prayer and.htm

A Treatise of the Fear of God;
... Was this only the temper of wicked men then ... sin, and so live the rest of his vain
life in the ... turn them aside from following of him, was the natural tendency of ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a treatise of the fear.htm

The Gospel of Luke
... after the dead one was restored to life, the Saviour ... shall it be also unto this wicked
generation" (or ... portrays the abject condition of the natural man, under ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/why four gospels/the gospel of luke.htm

A Stanza of Deliverance
... forbid we should repeat that senseless and wicked trust in ... Coming up from death to
eternal life, this will be ... of which was never know in the natural order of ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 38 1892/a stanza of deliverance.htm

What is the water of life? | GotQuestions.org

Questions about the Christian Life (All) | GotQuestions.org

Is there life after death? | GotQuestions.org

Life: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus