“Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” –Job 1: 10 & 11, NIV 2011
Satan is a really interesting character, don’t get me wrong. Even he HAS to ask permission to God in order to torment us puny humans. Another thing is really interesting, though: even demons have to bow down to God’s power-and as such, EVERY LIVING THING.
So we know about Job: ever-faithful guy, did sacrifices for his children, fairly just man, decent, loyal…but soon to be Satan’s next target. He basically “challenged” God to put the poor fella to the test: will he still be faithful when everything he knew and loved was taken away? God Himself acceded to the proposal.
Was He cruel? In no matter! He wasn’t even double-checking Job, God was proving to Satan that Job could still be faithful under pressure. So that’s why God let Satan take away his family (sans his nasty wife), his cattle, his stolen camels, and his physical, mental and even spiritual health.
Even with all that meshugaas surrounding Job, one thing was he so certain: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” (Job 1:21). Even with the fact that Job cursed the day he was born, he realized something…
The devil (middle finger of grammar!) can take away everything he has, but he can’t take his soul away. Because his soul was God’s property, and that is too precious to be lost.