What is the meaning of Job 13:20? Only grant these two things to me Job, battered by loss and pain, narrows his request to just two essentials, revealing a heart intent on honest communion rather than bargaining for comfort. • “Only” underscores his single-minded focus, echoing David’s “One thing I have asked of the LORD” (Psalm 27:4). • By asking God to “grant,” Job shows he knows every remedy rests solely in the Lord’s hand, much like the centurion who said, “Just say the word” (Matthew 8:8). • The “two things” will be named in the next verse—relief from God’s heavy hand and freedom from terror (Job 13:21). They mirror earlier cries: “Remove Your scourge from me” (Psalm 39:10) and “Revive me according to Your word” (Psalm 119:25). • Job’s confidence resembles the New Testament promise, “If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14). so that I need not hide from You Job longs for unbroken fellowship, not escape. His desire is the opposite of Adam and Eve’s response when “they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God” (Genesis 3:8). • Hiding implies shame and fear; Job seeks boldness: “Come boldly to the throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16). • He believes restored access to God outweighs relief from suffering. David voiced the same priority: “Do not cast me away from Your presence” (Psalm 51:11). • Job’s transparency anticipates Christ’s invitation, “Abide in Me” (John 15:4). Rather than avoiding divine scrutiny, he wants to stand before God, confident that “He knows the way I have taken; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). • This yearning shows Job’s theology: righteousness is relational, not merely transactional. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). summary Job 13:20 captures a sufferer’s distilled plea: “Lord, give me just two things—lift the crushing weight and quiet my fears—so I can meet You face-to-face without hiding.” The verse reveals Job’s unwavering belief that fellowship with God is life’s highest good, greater than relief itself. |
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