THEOSISGregory the Great
Before his time is fully spent, he shall come to ruin, and his hands shall become powerless. The duration of a person's life is predetermined by Divine Omniscience and cannot be altered—either extended through righteous deeds or shortened due to wickedness. Hezekiah was granted additional years due to his tears, yet it is said of the unrighteous: death encounters the disordered. However, there are instances where the unrighteous, despite the brevity known by God, cling to earthly desires and imagine themselves living longer than they truly will. When the time they envision approaches without fulfillment, they ultimately are faced with demise.
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This issue can be viewed from another perspective, as we often observe individuals leading sinful lives who nonetheless reach advanced ages. Why then is it stated that before their days are concluded, they shall perish? For many still exhibit physical decline due to age, while their sinful inclinations remain ever-present.
There are indeed those who, after straying from the right path, manage to return to themselves. Their conscience, pricked by guilt, prompts them to abandon deceit and transform their actions, moving away from their earthly ways toward heavenly pursuits. Yet, before they become firmly established in these righteous goals, they may falter, reverting to the very sins they once condemned and rekindling former vices. At times, even righteous individuals may engage in external actions for the benefit of others, leading the weak to imitate them while still holding onto their previous arrogance. They strive to follow the virtuous but do so without the influence of the Holy Spirit, resulting in actions performed in a merely carnal manner. Only the heart that is rooted in divine aspirations through sustained practice of goodness can produce outward deeds grounded in righteousness.
Thus, it is rightly affirmed about the wicked: Before his days are fully spent, he will come to ruin. Although he may occasionally engage in good works, without being firmly established in virtue, he will revert to worldly ways, discarding what he appeared to have begun in righteousness. Therefore, it is fittingly concluded: his hands become dry, for he hastily partakes in external actions and, in doing so, becomes barren in true good practice.