13 “[f]Others have been with those who rebel against the light;
They do not want to know its ways
Nor abide in its paths.
14 “The murderer arises at dawn;
He kills the poor and the needy,
And at night he is as a thief.
15 “The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight,
Saying, ‘No eye will see me.’
And he [g]disguises his face.
16 “In the dark they dig into houses,
They shut themselves up by day;
They do not know the light.
17 “For the morning is the same to him as thick darkness,
For he is familiar with the terrors of thick darkness.18 “They are [h]insignificant on the surface of the water;
Their portion is cursed on the earth.
They do not turn [i]toward the vineyards.
19 “Drought and heat [j]consume the snow waters,
So does [k]Sheol those who have sinned.
20 “A [l]mother will forget him;
The worm feeds sweetly till he is no longer remembered.
And wickedness will be broken like a tree.
21 “He wrongs the [m]barren woman
And does no good for the widow.
22 “But He drags off the valiant by His power;
He rises, but no one has assurance of life.
23 “He provides them with security, and they are supported;
And His eyes are on their ways.
24 “They are exalted a little while, then they are gone;
Moreover, they are brought low and like everything gathered up;
Even like the heads of grain they are cut off.
25 “Now if it is not so, who can prove me a liar,
And make my speech worthless?”
Job accurately states that none of us is promised another day of life. Wicked or righteous, our days are not guaranteed, and only God knows when our time on this earth is over. With that, we need to make the most of every day we have. Each day should be cherished as another gift from God. It is another day to live for Him and let God be glorified in our lives.
On the flip side, if we are not living for Him, that’s a whole different story, though it is still one more opportunity. God has given us one more redo, one more chance to choose Him. As David said later, “God is abundant in mercy, and rich in love.” And also, “He is not willing that any should perish…”
As Job, we may wonder why God doesn’t shut down the schemes of the wicked, but we do not know their end, whether it might not turn for good some day. One of my favorite quotes from Tolkien, “There are many who deserve life that receive death, and many who live that deserve death. Can you give it to them?”
It is not for us to choose what happens to someone else (at least not normally, unless we are their literal judge in a court of law). It is for us to make the most of the days that we are given, to use them for what God intended, to love Him, to do the good works He has planned, and care for those He puts in our way.