What is the meaning of Job 5:20? In famine “In famine He will redeem you…” (Job 5:20a) • Famines test both body and faith. Yet Scripture repeatedly shows the Lord sustaining the righteous when supplies dry up. Psalm 33:18-19 says, “the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear Him… to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.” • Elijah watched God multiply a widow’s flour and oil during drought (1 Kings 17:8-16). Joseph’s family survived seven lean years because God placed him in Egypt beforehand (Genesis 45:5-7). • These accounts confirm that the God who once preserved His own will just as literally intervene for His people today when scarcity threatens. He will redeem you “…He will redeem you…” (Job 5:20a) • Redeem means to buy back, rescue, or reclaim. Isaiah 43:1-2 assures, “I have redeemed you… When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.” • This redemption is personal—“you”—showing God knows each believer by name. • Ultimately, He redeemed us through Christ’s blood (Colossians 1:13-14), proving that physical deliverance in famine or war flows from the same heart that secures eternal salvation. from death “In famine He will redeem you from death…” (Job 5:20a) • God’s promise reaches the gravest threat—death itself. Psalm 34:19-22 declares that the LORD “redeems the lives of His servants; none who take refuge in Him will be condemned.” • While believers may still face mortality, John 11:25-26 reminds us that Jesus is “the resurrection and the life.” Thus, even if the body dies, the soul is safe, and resurrection awaits. and in battle “…and in battle…” (Job 5:20b) • The verse shifts from famine to conflict. Life’s “battles” include literal wars and personal struggles. Deuteronomy 20:4 reassures, “the LORD your God is the One who goes with you to fight for you… to give you the victory.” • When Jehoshaphat faced overwhelming armies, God said, “The battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15). He still stands with believers on every front line—foreign or domestic, physical or emotional. from the stroke of the sword “…from the stroke of the sword.” (Job 5:20b) • The “stroke” pictures a swift, lethal blow. Psalm 144:10 praises the One “who delivers His servant David from the deadly sword.” • God shielded Jeremiah when Jerusalem fell (Jeremiah 39:17-18) and sent an angel to free Peter from prison (Acts 12:5-11). • These events underscore that no weapon can thwart the Lord’s protective will (Isaiah 54:17). summary Job 5:20 promises literal, divine rescue in extremes—starvation and warfare. Scripture shows God consistently preserving His people, redeeming them from death, and shielding them from the sword. Because He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, believers can rest in His unfailing, hands-on protection no matter the crisis. |
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