Which other scriptures reinforce the themes found in Job 20:24? Setting the Scene Job 20:24 paints a vivid picture of a wicked man scrambling for his life: “Though he flees from an iron weapon, a bronze-tipped arrow will pierce him”. The imagery is simple—run from one danger, only to be struck by another—and it captures two main truths: God’s judgment is unavoidable, and His arsenal is irresistible. Themes in Job 20:24 • The impossibility of escaping divine justice • God’s sovereign control over every “arrow” of judgment • The certainty that sin invites retribution Scriptures Echoing the Inescapable Judgment • Isaiah 24:17-18 – “Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of the earth; he who flees the sound of terror will fall into the pit; he who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare.” • Jeremiah 48:43-44 – “Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of Moab… he who flees the terror will fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare.” • Amos 9:2-3 – “Though they dig down to Sheol, My hand will take them; though they climb up to heaven, I will bring them down… though they hide at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent to bite them.” • Revelation 6:15-17 – Even kings and generals hide in caves yet cannot elude “the wrath of the Lamb.” • Proverbs 11:21 – “Be assured that the wicked will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will escape.” • Hebrews 10:26-27 – Persisting in sin leaves only “a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire.” Passages Showing God’s Ready Weapons • Psalm 7:12-13 – “God will sharpen His sword; He has bent and strung His bow. He has prepared His deadly weapons; He ordains His arrows with fire.” • Deuteronomy 32:41-42 – The LORD “will sharpen My flashing sword… I will make My arrows drunk with blood.” • Psalm 21:12 – “You will aim Your bow at their faces.” • Lamentations 3:12-13 – “He bent His bow and set me as a target for His arrow. He pierced my kidneys with His arrows.” • Deuteronomy 32:23-25 – “I will heap disasters upon them; I will spend My arrows on them… outside the sword will bereave, and inside terror.” Flight-and-Snare Motif Repeated • Psalm 37:12-15 – The sword drawn by the wicked “will pierce their own hearts.” • Psalm 11:6 – Fiery coals and brimstone rain on the wicked; there is no refuge. • Proverbs 28:17 – A murderer “will be a fugitive until death; let no one support him.” Takeaway Truths • God’s justice never misses its mark; any attempt to outrun it is futile. • The same God who readies the bow also offers mercy to the repentant; the only safe refuge is surrender. |
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