Job 20:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

While the hypocrite pursues temporary accomplishments, he disregards future blessings, and lacking faith, he cannot imagine the 'brooks of the river,' for faith is the assurance of things hoped for, as noted in Hebrews 11:1. In his pursuit of the visible, the hypocrite extinguishes his sight towards the invisible, thus failing to see the ‘brooks of the river’ due to his exclusive desire for worldly possessions. It is written: "for if any man sees, what can he hope for?" according to Romans 8:24. He might behold the ‘brooks of the river’ if he were to shut his eyes to worldly glories and open them in love to the eternal realm. It should be noted that it mentions 'brooks' rather than 'streams,' for 'rivulets of the river' represent those spiritual blessings that flow gently from celestial sources into the soul of the loving person, remaining beyond the grasp of the physical senses. Often, the spirit of a loving individual is imbued with such profound contemplation that it enables him to perceive realities beyond description. The 'brooks of the river' denote a fullness of the Holy Spirit, which fills the soul through contemplation to such a degree that his understanding is enriched with all that he can comprehend. It is vital to comprehend that when the grace of the Holy Spirit envelops us, it saturates us with both 'honey and butter' in equal proportions. 'Honey' is derived from above, while 'butter' comes from the milk of creatures, representing 'honey' as the essence from the divine air and 'butter' from the earthly flesh. The only-begotten Son of the Most High Father, while preeminent as God, chose to become Man among many things. Who else, if not Him, fills us with the sweetness of His divine nature and the mystery of His incarnation, providing both 'honey' and 'oil' at once? Therefore, since the Holy Spirit delights the soul He has filled, presenting both the sweetness of His divinity and faith in His incarnation, they are depicted as 'streams of rivers of honey and oil,' for they renew the soul with the sweetness of the sublime knowledge of the Godhead and the subtle grace of the incarnation. Meanwhile, the hypocrite, absorbed in external matters, fails to experience these inner gifts and is destined for future punishment, hence the conclusion: