Job 1:13

RECORD OF THE CALAMITIES THAT BEFELL JOB IN ONE DAY

"And it fell on a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house, that there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them; and the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain thy servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have taken them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house; and behold there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped to tell thee."

The malignant nature of Satan appears vividly in this passage; and it is fully harmonious with all that is written elsewhere in the Holy Scriptures concerning the evil one. (1) His deception of Eve was designed to accomplish her utter destruction, and to drown all of her posterity for ages to come in oceans of blood and tears. (2) Look what happened to the herd of swine (Matthew 8:32). (3) Look what happened to Judas Iscariot. John 13:27 states that, "After the sop, Satan entered into Judas"; and before the night ended Judas was dead by his own hand. This passage in Job probably was given unto God's people as an accurate portrayal of the deadly purpose of Satan in his activities among the sons of Adam.

THE DISASTERS THAT FELL UPON JOB

A dramatic summary of these is as follows:

* The Sabeans have fallen upon your oxen and asses, killed your servants, and carried away the herds.

* A stroke of lightning has killed all your sheep and the servants that guarded them.

* The Chaldeans have raided your camels, taken them, and murdered your servants.

* A tornado has struck the house where your children were feasting and killed them all.

"What power there is in this passage! If Shakespeare had dramatized it, what a play he would have had."[16] This outdoes the old proverb that, "When it rains, it pours."