1. And 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
2. slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
3. 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 alone to tell thee.
4. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 5. 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 alone to tell thee.
Job 1:14-19
So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord , and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
Job 2:7
The 6 major losses Job faced all in 1 shot, at 1 go.
These all have a basic meaning, a truth to apply :-
1. Oxen & Asses are a man's assets. Its very hard work & efforts that can produce enough wages to buy just 1 cow these days. Imagine Job having 100s or probably 1000s of them. And imagine the horror of losing them in a jiffy.
Oxen, particularly cows are a source of milk & so milk products would be abundant. Losing your cattle is losing great riches.
Nowadays too, we use tin milk or packs, but after all, they are by-products extracted from the original cowmilk...
2. Servants you rely on for your household chores & become part of your family. U depend on them for all needs while u can relax. Losing them would be a heavy loss.
Nowadays, u hardly see any family without helpers...
3. Sheep are our assets & are meat products, our food, so providing a man's "Basic Needs". Losing all your sheep in one shot means u become veg, eat vegies daily.
In our generation, you see the youth prefer meat than vegie & you see vendors sell them all over malls & restaurants & meat vendors in markets...
4. Camels were used as transport in olden days & to lose them would mean to travel by foot.
It would be the same as having no cars in our generation...
5. Children are our most beloved & the closest to our heart. We bring them up with great care & work for their living, teaching, training them, providing our assets, coaxing, nourishing them with our best, spoiling them with our riches & provision till we are satisfied with the result of their righteous ways & excellence. Losing them would be a disaster & the greatest possible loss to any parents for they are our everything, our "Main Assets" & "Future Hope" in our old age & we derive "Pleasure" seeing them grow wise & lovely & have "High Expectations" of their future.....
- Milan Mahbubani