Why does the way of the wicked prosper

The speaker, Gideon Yonah, discusses the question of why the wicked prosper and live at ease. He explains that God has a measure of sin and wickedness, and when that measure is filled, God will put an end to it and bring judgment. The speaker references biblical passages and examples, such as the flood during Noah's time. God is patient and gives people a chance to repent before judgment comes. The speaker emphasizes that God's patience does not mean He is silent or indifferent to evil, but rather He is giving everyone an opportunity to turn away from sin. Ultimately, there will be a day of judgment when the measure of sin is filled. The speaker concludes by saying that God's yoke is easy and His burden is light, offering rest to those who seek Him. Welcome to our weekly exhortation. Thank you for joining me. Thank you for your patience. I always appreciate your fidelity. My name is Gideon Yonah, Servant of God, Servant of Jesus Christ. In Jeremiah chapter 12 verse 1, the Prophet says, Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do they live at ease? In this message, we will see how God deals with this situation. Praise the Lord. We live in a world where evil is gaining ground very quickly. God hates sin, but, interestingly enough, all the workers of iniquity are prospering and flourishing. This situation puzzled the Prophet Jeremiah. Fast from asking God for explanations regarding this situation, Jeremiah wanted to understand why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do they live at ease? In this message, we will see how God deals with this situation. Praise the Lord. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do they live at ease and God doesn't say anything? Jeremiah complains. This was true in the past and is all the more so today. The truth is this, doing evil has become like a barometer of success in this world. In order to understand, let's read Matthew chapter 23 verse 32. In this passage, the Lord Jesus was talking to the scribes and Pharisees, saying, Fill ye up and plan the measure of your fathers. The first thing to know is that this teaching explains the principle by which God deals with mankind. In this verse, the two key words are fill and measure. Jesus wanted to tell the Pharisees and to ask today that when the measure is filled up, then something happens. But the question is the measure of what? Well, the measure of sin, of course, the measure of wickedness. We all know that the only reason why Jesus came to this world is to deliver the world from his sin. Now what happens when the measure of sin is filled up? Well, God puts an end to it. In other words, God will not allow wickedness to go beyond a certain point. After that point, he will not tolerate it. Beyond that point, his holiness and his love cannot endure wickedness any further. So he stops it. It's like a kind of ethical barrier that was set for your sin. We have all heard of the saying, the straw that breaks the camel's back. This saying explains well what Jesus said to the Pharisees, to you and me. It means that when the drop of water will make the vase overflow, then the judgment of God will come upon the evil ones. You know, this world is God's world and we are his creatures. Whether we acknowledge it or not does not change the fact that he will not allow wickedness to go beyond a certain level. And when evil reaches that point, his judgment will come. So when Jesus told the Pharisees, fill up the measure of your fathers, he was saying, your wickedness is now reaching on. You are filling the measure of sin of your fathers. When the measure is full, judgment will begin. This means that you are committing sin, but at a certain point, you cannot go further. And from that time on, the judgment of God will come. Praise the Lord. The same principle appears in 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 20. There, weary deads got weighted patiently in the days of Noah. He saw wickedness multiplying among men, but he did not wipe them out. Did he? Instead, he waited for the measure to fill up. He gave them a chance to repent. But finally, when that measure was reached, the flood came. In 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 20, weary deads, who else were disobedient, when the patience of God kept weighted in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is eight persons, were brought safely through the water. Praise the Lord. To go even further in this explanation, I would say there, the concept of a measure of wickedness also explains why the punishment of the wicked is often delayed. Their iniquity, so to speak, are not yet right. Do you see what I mean? The wicked continue to live, become old, and enjoy many things. Until the measure is filled, God remains patient. Hallelujah. In the Old Testament, we find the same principle in Genesis chapter 15 verse 16. I will read. In the fourth generation, your descendants will come back here. For the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure. You see, that is exactly the same expression here, full measure. The sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure. God is waiting till that time, then His wrath will come upon man, upon the evil ones. So, regarding this verse, God said, when the measure of wickedness of the Amorites is complete, then the Amorites will be destroyed. But until that measure is complete, I will wait and bear with them. The Amorites were not yet destroyed. That's how we understood. So, God granted them 400 years for repentance. At the time of Joshua, God could not wait any longer. His patience had reached its limit. So, Joshua was given the order to wipe out the Amorites. God is a God of holiness. He cannot tolerate sin indefinitely. Friend, if you understood what we said so far, then you have the answer to Jeremiah's question as to why does the way of the wicked prosper. You give the healing and grace our hearts always hunger for. To conclude, I would like to say that the patience of God before the sin of man is so great. So great. And sometimes we are astonished at His patience, at the fact that He can tolerate so much for so long. And because of this great patience of God's death, Jeremiah asked, why does the way of the wicked prosper? We saw that the answer to this question is what Jesus said to the Pharisees in the form of a warning. Fill ye up, then, the measure of your fathers. That is the measure of sin. Hallelujah! These words show that no sin will remain unpunished even if God takes time and observes, because God cannot tolerate an unlimited measure of sin. When evil reaches a certain point, the judgment of God will come swiftly. But until then, God remains patient and compassionate. By doing so, God is giving every man an opportunity to repent, so that nobody on the judgment day will be able to say, God, I didn't get a chance. God is patient. Mind you, even if God reacted impatiently every time we did something evil, we would not hesitate for very long. No. There's a harbor. God is patient. He gives the world time to repent. When the measure of wickedness will be filled, then the Lord Jesus will say, I have simply lost patience with this now. Yes, that's what's going to happen. So just to tell you this, God doesn't keep quiet, even if the evil one keeps committing evil. So on that day will then be accomplished what the Lord said to the prophet Isaiah, that you destroyer, when you stop destroying, you will be destroyed. When you stop betraying, you will be betrayed. If I want to rephrase this verse, I will say this, when the measure of destruction will be filled, you will be destroyed. Isaiah chapter 33 verse 1. Friends, there is a day of wrath when the judgment of God will be revealed. It will take place after the impenitent people have filled up the measure of their sins. We have come to the end of today's message. We were talking about the complaint of Jeremiah asking God, why does the will of evil people prosper? I hope you enjoyed this message. And God willing, we will be together next week. Abundant blessings. Shalom. And you shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.