“Dear God, Why Have You Ruined My Life?” (Job 27:1-23)

Perhaps you’ve seen that email titled “Letters to God from Kids.” The email contains about a dozen short and humorous letters penned by children to God. Here are just a handful of them:

“Dear God, I bet it’s hard for you to love everyone in the world. I have four people in my family and I can’t do it.”
“Dear God, thank you for a baby brother but I asked for a puppy.”
“Dear God, if you watch me in church on Sunday I’ll show you my new shoes.”
“Dear God, if we come back as something else, please don’t let me be Jennifer cuz I hate her.”

Job begins chapter 27 with his own letter to God. And it simply goes like this, “Dear God, why have You ruined my life?”

27:1 “Then Job continued his discourse and said, 2 ‘As God lives, who has taken away my right, And the Almighty, who has embittered my soul,’”

As we have learned in our study of this book, for a long time now Job has desired to take God to court. And in a paradoxical way Job has appealed to “God the Redeemer-Prosecutor” to bring his case before “God the Defendant/the Ruiner.” When Job states, “As God lives, Who has taken away my right…,” he is complaining that the Almighty won’t allow his court case to proceed. From Job’s perspective, God has thrown out his case.

Job continues, “Who has embittered my soul.” The word “bitter” (marah) means essentially to make miserable or to make exceedingly difficult to bear. This word and its variations are used more in Job than in any other Old Testament Book. It’s used in the book of Ruth in reference to Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law. Naomi had lost her husband and both of her sons in the land of Moab. When she returned to Israel after many years, she said to the people who knew her, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, but the LORD has brought me back empty…” (Ruth 1:20-21).

Did you catch what else Job said? “The Almighty, Who has embittered my soul.” The Almighty – El Shaddai – the God with Whom nothing is impossible, seems incapable of healing me and relieving me of my misery! There’s an entire sermon contained in those few words.

From our point of view, Job is a complainer (who wouldn’t complain in his situation?); but from God's point of view, Job is an endurer! A commentator by the name of Trapp has something very interesting to say about this – I have left his remarks for the conclusion.

27:3 “For as long as life is in me, and the breath of God is in my nostrils, 4 my lips certainly will not speak unjustly, nor will my tongue mutter deceit. 5 Far be it from me that I should declare you right; Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. 6 I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go. My heart does not reproach any of my days.”

Chuck Swindoll points out that there are a couple of lessons we can learn from these first few verses. First, while on his ash heap Job is thinking about God (in the first 13 verses of this chapter, the words “God” or “Almighty” are referred to 11 times!). In the midst of difficulty, Job had the proper vertical perspective.

Secondly, in the midst of his misery, he steadfastly maintained his integrity. In no uncertain terms he told Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, “My afflictions are NOT the consequences of my sins!” Note his tenacious words, “Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me!” Trapp paraphrases Job’s resolute words, “I hang onto my integrity with tooth and nail, even if it means the loss of my teeth!”

27:7 "May my enemy be as the wicked and my opponent as the unjust. 8 For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off, when God requires his life? 9 Will God hear his cry when distress comes upon him? 10 Will he take delight in the Almighty? Will he call on God at all times?”

Note the sobering words found in the second part of verse 8, “…When God requires his life?” Life can change in an instant. It’s only been about 5 weeks since that gunman tried to take the life of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. During that rampage he killed six others including a nine year old girl and a federal judge (who just happened to stop by to visit the congresswoman, but lost his life in a courageous attempt to shield another person from the assassin’s bullets). We don’t have tomorrow. Make sure you that you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.

27:11 “I will instruct you in the power of God; what is with the Almighty I will not conceal. 12 Behold, all of you have seen it; why then do you act foolishly? 13 This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the inheritance which tyrants receive from the Almighty. 14 Though his sons are many, they are destined for the sword; and his descendants will not be satisfied with bread. 15 His survivors will be buried because of the plague, and their widows will not be able to weep.”

What’s remarkable about these verses and the rest of the chapter is that Job is essentially saying the same thing that the Comforters had been saying about the fate of the wicked. And even more remarkable is that what is said sure sounds a lot like what has happened to Job!

27:16 "Though he piles up silver like dust And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay, 17 He may prepare it, but the just will wear it And the innocent will divide the silver. 18 He has built his house like the spider’s web, Or as a hut which the watchman has made.”

Note these phrases: “He piles up…he prepares…he has built…” To me this sounds like someone who has ignored God his entire life.

“Piles up silver like dust…” That’s an interesting verse. Perhaps in this day when many are fleeing into the precious metals market (like gold) to insure their future, they should remember the words found in Ezekiel 7:19, “…their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD…”

(Just a sidelight – the word “built” in verse 18 is used in Genesis of building a city, building an altar, building a house, building a tower [Babel], building a family, and building a woman [Eve]!)

27:19 “He lies down rich, but never again; He opens his eyes, and it is no longer.

The Message puts verse 19 this way, “They go to bed wealthy and wake up poor.” Life flies by at warp speed and Cadillacs rust. Put your trust in Jesus.

27:20 “Terrors pour in on them like flash floods—a tornado snatches them away in the middle of the night, 21 A cyclone sweeps them up—gone! Not a trace of them left, not even a footprint. 22 Catastrophes relentlessly pursue them; they run this way and that, but there’s no place to hide— 23 Pummeled by the weather, blown to kingdom come by the storm.” (The Message)

Remember the tsunami that hit Thailand on December 26th, 2004? Tourists at the ocean resorts were oblivious of the catastrophe rolling toward them at 500 mph. It struck suddenly and thousands of people lost their lives. People tried to outrun the massive wave and could not. Nor can people outrun the judgment of God.

In conclusion, Trapp writes this about the impressive character of Job: Job was at present under a sore temptation, and being pressed out of measure above strength, he spake unadvisedly with his lips…The best faith, if long tried, may flag and hang the wing. Moses at Meribah, David at Gath, Elijah under the juniper, sufficiently show that every new man is two men…and that the best may have their outbursts; yet so as that the seed of grace still abideth in them, and some way shows itself; Job here, for instance. He complaineth of God’s severity, but stormeth not against him. He blustereth, but he blasphemeth not...”

As one of my Bible School teachers loved to say, “God will pull you through, if you can stand the pull.” God is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all of our most audacious dreams. Hang in there.