Job 20:5

"That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?"

In verse 4 and 5 is one complete question. We are only looking at the second part of this question, found in verse 5. In verse 4, 'Knowest thou not. . .that the triumphing of the wicked is short - word study to know; great questions of the Bible; Do we know this truth or not? The wicked shall not last forever. Even though they be born in sin, practice sin all their days, and die in riches, popularity and boasting of their achievements, what awaits them in eternity? They may go on in 80 or 90 or 100 years of this life, but what is that compared to eternity? It is a short time. Let us note for the record, many are the souls that have been cut off in youth and young age for their evil. How many have died of overdoses? How many have committed suicide? How many have died due to alcohol? All these are evidences of the wickeds time being short. Men may want ot beleive that they will live forever, but the fact is not to be found there. Life is short and moments are sporadic. And what we do is of great improtance for the cause of Christ. I grew up listening to a song, 'if I had to do it all over again, I serve Jesus every day of my life'. Now it is a good song, and a heart felt desire of a Christian. But, being in my youth I was resolved not to get older and have to remorse over what I missed out on. I would live every day for Him and not have this said of me. And as short as my and your time is, the wickeds time is even shorter. Hours, minutes, seconds march on and time is slipping away fromt he wicked until they arrive at the end with no hope. Oh, they have heard, they have known what was coming, but they rejected it and chose not to believe and follow Christ. In this world it may seem that the wicked are triumphing. They have alot going for them. They have gained riches and fame from the lost world. Satan gives them such things to allure them to stay in their sins and rebellion against God. So they may triumph for a season but in the end what has it availed. And the joy of the hypocrite for a moment - a brief moment of joy in their self exaltation; They practice a lie and they deceive their ownselves. They have to act a certain way and just like an actor in the movies so they play the role even convincing themselves that they are okay. And they produce joy to themselves that they are right, and all is well. Only to be devasted when life turns bad and circumstances crumble, then the truth comes to surface again. "I am not right, something is wrong"; and God uses such times to awaken, quicken and stir them to see themselves for what thye really are. But only a few ever admit or repent of their false ways and they quickly return to the castles in the sand. But it is only a brief moment that this joy truly satisifies. I believe that deep within they know and understand that they are rooted and grounded on false things. they know that it can't last, but the devil makes them believe a lie and hold onto false hope. Oh, that the fullness of God would stir to such a place that causes such men to see their evil and know their eternal destination and be saved completely in Jesus. Without the hand of God present there is only eternal damnation that awaits such people as this verse describes. They are our loved ones, church members and the multitudes of this world and they are perishing.