THEOSISGregory the Great
Verse 21. Job states that "there remains nothing of his meat" (Job 20:21). Here, “his meat” refers to the sinful desires that one covets. When the hypocrite faces judgment, he finds that all he once possessed has been stripped away, leading him to lament his loss. Furthermore, if anything were left of his earthly wealth, he would carry it with him; however, as long as one is occupied by possessions in this life, they harbor no fear of the Divine Judge. In death, they depart from this world empty-handed. The wicked may view this earthly existence as a fleeting reprieve from their ultimate suffering, yet true liberty lies only in righteousness, as it is written, "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Cor. 3:17).
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For the sinful soul, its own transgressions often serve as its overseer even in this life. Therefore, it is rightly said, “In the fullness of abundance he will be in want.” (Job 20:26) The grasping individual may gather everything they crave, yet even when their bounty increases, they remain burdened with anxiety about maintaining their possessions. Consider the parable of the rich man whose fields yielded a great harvest; he lamented, “What shall I do? I have nowhere to gather my fruit” (Luke 12:17). Overcome by his fortune, he thought to expand his storage but was still tormented by the overwhelming abundance. He had yearned for plentiful yields, and now that his fields had produced, the pressure mounted as he could not contain all that he had. Thus, need and constraint arise from an excess of wealth—the covetous individual finds their desires consuming them. The rich man’s question reveals that, driven by their aspirations, they become ensnared by what they have amassed, confirming that in the midst of abundance, one can still feel a lack. The mindset of the covetous transforms from seeking to acquiring, but this leads only to greater distress in the effort to safeguard their gains.
Moreover, he shall experience burning sorrow, as his initial grief stems from the sheer exhaustion of his lust; he struggles to acquire what he desires. Having seemingly achieved his goal, he is then beset by another anguish: the dread and anxiety of safeguarding what he has gained through much toil. He fears the schemes of others against him, projecting his own actions upon the innocent, perceiving them as threats. He guards his amassed wealth, ever anxious about its potential loss, making fear itself a torment. Consequently, he ultimately descends into eternal misery. Thus, “all sorrow shall come upon him” as he first endures the consequences of envy and greed, then the fearful burden of preservation, and eventually the divine retribution.
On the other hand, it is a profound blessing to cultivate a heart that refrains from longing for what does not belong to us, finding satisfaction in the provisions we receive each day. This serene state fosters a path to eternal peace and joy, contrasting sharply with the turmoil and desires that plague the unrepentant. Those ensnared by greed often hasten towards destruction, facing the flames of hell, and it has been observed that for the wicked, the sooner they grasp their goals, the swifter they find themselves engulfed in suffering.