The Wise Man Who Did Not Grasp the Greatness of God

The wicked seem to go unpunished and to prosper, while the righteous appear instead to suffer. Because God does not judge sin at once, the wicked sin all the more boldly. Yet however long a person lives, death comes in the end: the body returns to dust, and the soul goes either to heaven or to hell.

God’s delay in judgment is not indifference but patience, as he waits for people to turn back of their own accord. Long life and abundance in this world are not true blessing; the truly long life is to believe in Christ and live in the eternal Kingdom. Solomon himself, for all his power and wealth, was so lonely and empty that he lay awake at night, and only late did he come to see that the years spent away from God had been in vain.

The unfairness of the world must not be allowed to take hold of the heart; the faithful need to cling to the truth that faith in Christ is the only way of salvation. Anyone who lacks discernment can become an instrument of sin without knowing it, but the chance to turn back is only now, while there is still breath. It is in ceasing to trust oneself and leaning on God that a person at last comes to understand deeply both human frailty and the great love of God.