Matthew Henry Commentary Job 24:18-25

"Swiftly they [pass away] upon the face of the waters; Their portion is cursed in the earth: They turn not into the way of the vineyards. Drought and heat consume the snow waters: [So doth] Sheol [those that] have sinned. The womb shall forget him; The worm shall feed sweetly on him; He shall be no more remembered; And unrighteousness shall be broken as a tree. He devoureth the barren that beareth not, And doeth not good to the widow. Yet [God] preserveth the mighty by his power: He riseth up that hath no assurance of life. [God] giveth them to be in security, and they rest thereon; And his eyes are upon their ways. They are exalted; yet a little while, and they are gone; Yea, they are brought low, they are taken out of the way as all others, And are cut off as the tops of the ears of grain. And if it be not so now, who will prove me a liar, And make my speech nothing worth?" — Job 24:18-25 (ASV)

Sometimes, how gradual is the decay, how quiet the departure of a wicked person, how honoured he is, and how soon all his cruelties and oppressions are forgotten! They are taken away with other people, just as the harvester gathers the ears of corn as they are encountered. Often, much will appear to resemble the wrong view of Providence that Job takes in this chapter.

But we are taught by the word of inspiration that these notions are formed in ignorance, from partial views. The providence of God in the affairs of humankind is, in everything, a just and wise providence. Let us apply this whenever the Lord may test us.

He cannot do wrong. The unequalled sorrows of the Son of God when on earth, unless looked at in this light, perplex the mind. But when we behold him as the sinner's Surety, bearing the curse, we can explain why he should endure that wrath that was due to sin, so that Divine justice might be satisfied and his people saved.