The concept of the happiness of the wicked is a recurring theme in the Bible, often juxtaposed with the ultimate justice and righteousness of God. While the wicked may experience temporary prosperity and joy, Scripture consistently warns of the fleeting nature of their happiness and the inevitable woe that follows.

Biblical Warnings Against the Happiness of the Wicked

1. Psalm 37:1-2 : "Do not fret over those who do evil; do not envy those who do wrong. For they will wither quickly like grass and fade like the green herb." This passage cautions believers not to be envious of the apparent success and happiness of the wicked, as their prosperity is temporary and will soon vanish.

2. Proverbs 24:19-20 : "Do not fret over evildoers, and do not be envious of the wicked. For the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished." Here, the wisdom literature of Proverbs reinforces the idea that the wicked's happiness is short-lived, and their future is bleak.

3. Job 20:5 : "the triumph of the wicked is brief and the joy of the godless momentary?" Zophar, one of Job's friends, articulates the transient nature of the wicked's joy, emphasizing that their triumph is but for a moment.

4. Psalm 73:3-19 : In this psalm, Asaph grapples with the prosperity of the wicked, observing their ease and wealth. However, he ultimately realizes their end: "Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down into ruin. How suddenly they are laid waste, completely swept away by terrors!"

5. Jeremiah 12:1-3 : The prophet Jeremiah questions why the wicked prosper, yet he acknowledges God's ultimate justice: "But You know me, O LORD; You see me and test my heart toward You. Drag them off like sheep to be slaughtered, and set them apart for the day of carnage."

The Inevitable Woe of the Wicked

The Bible consistently teaches that the happiness of the wicked is not only temporary but also leads to inevitable woe and judgment. This is rooted in the character of God as just and righteous, who will not allow evil to go unpunished.

1. Isaiah 3:11 : "Woe to the wicked; disaster is upon them! For they will be repaid with what their hands have done." This prophetic declaration underscores the certainty of divine retribution for the wicked.

2. Proverbs 11:21 : "Be assured that the wicked will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will escape." The assurance of punishment for the wicked is a recurring theme, contrasting with the deliverance promised to the righteous.

3. Malachi 4:1 : "For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day that is coming will set them ablaze, says the LORD of Hosts, not leaving them root or branch." The prophet Malachi speaks of a coming day of judgment that will consume the wicked.

4. Revelation 18:7-8 : In the apocalyptic vision of Revelation, the fall of Babylon symbolizes the ultimate downfall of wickedness: "As much as she glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment and grief. In her heart she says, 'I sit as queen; I am not a widow and will never see grief.' Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and grief and famine—and she will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her."

The happiness of the wicked, though it may seem alluring and prosperous, is ultimately a deception that leads to woe. The Bible calls believers to trust in God's justice and to remain steadfast in righteousness, knowing that true and lasting joy is found in Him alone.Amos 6:1
Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!
Nave's Topical Index

Luke 6:25
Woe to you that are full! for you shall hunger. Woe to you that laugh now! for you shall mourn and weep.
Nave's Topical Index

Whether the Rewards Assigned to the Beatitudes Refer to this Life?
... Woe to you that now laugh, for you shall mourn and ... Reply to Objection 1: Hope regards
future happiness as the ... The Philosopher, too, says of the wicked (Ethic. ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the rewards assigned to.htm

Death Swallowed up in victory
... Hebrews 12:6-8) . If the prosperity of the wicked sometimes continues ... been afar off,
a desire of sharing in the happiness of the ... Woe unto you that are rich! ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/newton/messiah vol 2/sermon xliii death swallowed up.htm

Epistle Liv. To Cornelius, Concerning Fortunatus and Felicissimus ...
... also cries by Isaiah, and says, "Woe unto you ... among them is the penury even of wicked
men, that ... unrighteousness." [2568] The highest degree of happiness is, not ...
/.../cyprian/the epistles of cyprian/epistle liv to cornelius concerning.htm

Against Rash and Vain Swearing.
... angels from the top of heaven and happiness into the ... nothing, or thrust us down into
extreme and endless woe? ... mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me ...
/.../sermons on evil-speaking by isaac barrow/against rash and vain swearing.htm

"The Eternity of Hell-Torments"
... a life of misery as well as happiness, and yet ... But, Secondly, If the torments reserved
for the wicked hereafter are ... But woe unto such blind leaders of the blind ...
/.../selected sermons of george whitefield/the eternity of hell-torments.htm

A Believer's Privilege at Death
... The best of a saint's comfort begins when his life ends; but the wicked have all
their heaven ... Woe unto you that are rich ... But a saint's happiness is in reversion ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/watson/a body of divinity/2 a believers privilege at.htm

The Vengeance of Heaven
... the general fact that, though the wicked seem to ... conviction that holiness in itself
is happiness, and sin ... ultimate reward of good Nicarete or woe-worn Olympias ...
/.../chapter lx the vengeance of.htm

The Worst Things Work for Good to the Godly
... What politician or moralist ever placed happiness in the cross ... trouble to a gracious
heart to live among the wicked. "Woe is me, that I dwell in Mesech" (Psalm ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a divine cordial/the worst things work for.htm

The Great Duty of Family Religion
... yet we cannot but pronounce a woe against those masters ... will such monstrous profane
and wicked governors appear ... be restored to your primitive happiness, till by ...
/.../whitefield/selected sermons of george whitefield/the great duty of family.htm

The Words of Our Lips.
... Many, who would hesitate to do a foolish or wicked thing, do not ... serpent, carry a
fearful weapon in our tongue, and woe unto our happiness, and that of ...
/.../the life of duty a years plain sermons v 2/sermon xl the words of.htm

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