Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, and there came a messenger to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you." While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you." While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you." While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you."

Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

This is insane. Let me imagine what it would be like if this happened to me. I don't have as much as Job, so I have less to lose, but it will help me get the idea. First, every material possession, and in fact my livelihood, what I have to make money, are taken. This would be my reputation, or something similar, that would prevent me from getting a job. This would curse me and make me poor for the foreseeable future. In addition, my keyboard, my computer, my music collection, my compositions, everything that I have that might not be valuable to others but that's valuable to me. That covers the oxen, donkeys, sheep, servants, and camels. Then, if that wasn't enough, my immediate family dies in a disaster and any support I might get from them is gone.

I had never realized this before, but actually, as well as attacking what is close to Job, Satan more takes away what can keep Job alive and support him. In those days I suppose your livestock were what kept you alive and made you wealthy, and barring that, your children were hopefully successful and would support you in your retirement.What would be my reaction after that? Honestly, I have no idea. I can't really predict what I would do. Whether I would lose faith, or whether I would be angry at God, or whether I'd have the same reaction as Job at least at first and tear my clothes and shave my head. But I seriously doubt I would feel much like worshiping. He worships God, not by denying that God was responsible for what had happened, but by admitting that God had taken away.

All scripture quotations are from the ESV.