Turning the Curse into a Blessing E-Book

Dr. Paul G. Caram

• Herausgeber: Zion Christian Publishers
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

One of the most tragic and triumphant stories in Scripture is that of Job. Dr. Caram masterfully describes how righteous Job was tried by the Lord in order that he might be perfected to an even greater degree and come out of his trial as purified gold. You will be challenged and encouraged as you read this study of Job’s life and see how the Lord uses our trials and tribulations to purify our lives that we might receive the double portion of His blessing. 

Leseprobe

TURNING THE CURSE INTO A BLESSING

A Message of Triumph from the Book of Job

Paul G. Caram, Ph.D.

Coping with the Stresses of Life

Understanding the Benefits of Adversity

Passing Our Tests in Order to Defeat Satan

Copyright © by Paul G. Caram

Revised and Printed January 2017

All rights reserved

Printed in the U.S.A.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles or reviews.

All Scripture quotations in this book are taken from the

King James Version Bible unless otherwise stated.

Published with permission by Zion Christian Publishers

as an e-book on January 2021

(based on January 2017 printed version- Version 2.0)

in the United States of America

E-book ISBN 1-59665-738-3

For more information, please contact:

Zion Christian Publications

Box 256

Ulysses, Pa. 16948

Dedication

With deep gratitude and loving esteem, this Christian Maturity Series is dedicated to the honorable –

Dr. Brian J. Bailey

Late President of

Zion Fellowship International

– my spiritual father and able teacher from my youth in the sacred mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, whose exemplary life and ministry have inspired my love for Christ and His Truth; Who has always been to me, and to all of us who knew him, the ideal Christian gentleman – irreproachable and charitable. But above all, he was a man approved of God, a man to whom God showed His face!

“But the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing... because the Lord your God loved you”

(Deuteronomy 23:5)

TURNING THE CURSE INTO A BLESSING

Trouble—Our Servant

God has ordained trouble to be our servant! In fact, the harder and more vehemently our enemy works, the harder he is pushing us to the top, to the throne. Nagging irritations, injustices, painful delays, and even childhood traumas, can all be turned around by God to work in our favor. Trouble is often God's gift to us. It is a sacred treasure. Such was the case in the life of Joseph. All of the cruelties committed against Joseph by his older brothers pushed him to the throne in Egypt. The same is true in the life of Job. All of his trouble ended with a double portion and eternal honor. Trouble is meant to be our servant. Our God is able to “turn the curse into a blessing” when we please Him (Neh.13:2b).

“Cursed is the Ground For Thy Sake”

Because of the fall, God had to pronounce the curse to restrain a fallen nature (Gen. 3:16-19; 5:29). The curse was the mercy of God to fallen man and it involved pain, toil, and much adversity. God knows what depraved man will do when he is not held in check (Ecc. 8:11, Psa. 73:3-6, Ezek. 22:18).

When the curse has accomplished all of its work, God will remove it (Rev. 22:3). Sometimes God allows a lingering thorn or problem in our lives until a certain work of grace is performed or something obstinate changes. Then He removes it. This was the case in the life of Job. Paul needed a thorn to keep him on course (2 Cor.12:6-9). Just as a pearl is formed by irritation, sometimes a very aggravating situation is prolonged by God to accomplish something beautiful in our lives.

Since the transgression in the Garden of Eden, God has had to work through man's failures, and engineer another plan for the human race. Man chose a hard path when he transgressed (Prov.13:15). God had to reroute man after the fall, and it has never been an easy road since. The imposed curse of Genesis 3:16-19 has four main objectives:

1.) To restrain a rampant, fallen nature

2.) To keep man on course

3.) To teach man about God, and the ways of God

4.) To destroy the fallen nature at death, so that man can be raised incorruptible and sinless

Trouble - An Opportunity For New Grace

Because of man's downfall by disobedience, God had to curse the ground for man's sake. Yet the curse (and all of its hardships and afflictions) creates an opportunity for God to develop divine qualities in man. Mercy, longsuffering, meekness, true love, faith, loyalty, forbearance, and many other virtues are developed by adversity. Of necessity, man must have pain, sorrow, toil, and pressure. Even the fact that man can die is God's mercy, for in death the nature of sin is destroyed in the members of our body and we can be resurrected with a sinless body. However, we must be careful not to die before our time. God uses the curse ultimately to bless us. When a problem or enemy has served its purpose, God will deliver us from it.

Purpose of Trouble

We were born to be tested (Job 7:17-18). God has set His heart upon man, and is testing us every moment. Trouble has an uncanny way of revealing who we are and what our real needs are. The passing or failing of our tests determines our eternal position in heaven. Often we do not know when we are being tested. Therefore, we should be more conscious of the fact that we are being watched. We are a spectacle of men and angels. We are under the scrutiny of principalities and powers and the world, but most of all—of the Lord Himself.

God Tests us:

• To see of what we are made.

• To see what our motives are, and what our needs are.

• To see if God is number one in our lives (Gen. 22:1-2; Job 1:8-12; Deut. 13:1-3).

• To see if we are worthy of the promises of God, and loyal to the truths He has entrusted to us.

• To see if we are able to receive the power we have asked of God. (The greater the power we want to receive from God, the greater will be our tests.)

• To see if we are worthy to take the positions Satan and his followers have forfeited.

• To see if we qualify to be His Bride, and to be at the marriage feast. (Rev.19:9)

• To see if we qualify to be in the first resurrection, judge angels, and rule and reign with Christ.

• To see if we are only serving God for blessings and prestige, or simply because we love Him.

• To make us more righteous and holy.

• To bring a greater revelation of the Lord to our lives.

• To bless our latter end, to exalt us, and give us an eternal name.

• To bring new grace into our lives by being in a new low place. (Grace is given to the lowly.)

• To provide God with an answer which He may give to His adversaries (Prov. 27:11; Psa.119:42).

Today's Church is Given a Wrong Concept of Life and of Trouble

We were created for God. God was not created for us. We were made to be the servants of God, He is not to be our servant. Instead of telling God what we want, we should ask Him what He wants. Unfortunately, much of today's Gospel is producing a selfish, self-seeking spirit in the Church. It is a “what God can do for me” attitude. “What is in this for me? What is the minimum amount of sacrifice necessary in order to receive the maximum return for myself?” These are symptomatic of a malady we term convenient Christianity.

The Quickest Way Out of My Troubles / Little Desire For a Changed Life

Today's gospel of “what God can give me” is preached from many pulpits. It uses God as a means of getting one's needs and wants met, while producing little concern for doing the will of God and having the heart changed. It is a something for nothing proposition. It offers free pardon (freedom from guilt), free medical benefits (divine healing), free provision (freedom from financial pressure), and freedom from depression and sorrow. And let there be no mistake about it, God loves to generously bestow all of these gifts upon His people to encourage them and to help them along life's difficult pathway. Yet all of these, though they are benefits of the Gospel, are not ultimates.

Not Temporal Blessings But a Changed Life

God's intention for His people has never been to camp around temporal blessings. Instead, He is more interested in what we become and in what we will allow Him to do in our lives. The whole object of Christianity is to be transformed and suited for Him for all eternity. This requires change; thus, it is not always the easiest path. Therefore, a Gospel that promotes ease, comfort, convenience, a quick answer, and the fastest way out of unpleasant circumstances, is not the true gospel. It is, however, a popular Gospel.

The supreme purpose of creation is based upon marriage. God purposed to fashion in the earth a mature bride who could intimately know and understand Him (Jer. 9:24). He desired someone compatible to Himself, someone on His level. The Lord looks for a bride who loves Him, not just for the blessings or for what she can grasp for herself, but one who loves Him just for who He is! Otherwise, instead of a bride, God has a selfish, self-centered, self-seeking little child. This is precisely what a shallow Gospel produces! Contrariwise, the end result of a Gospel that reveals the truecost of being a real Christian is a glorious bride without spot or blemish.

The Age-Old Controversy

Therefore, we are confronted with a controversy as old as man. Many years ago Satan accused Job of only serving God for the benefits. Satan charged, “Job is only serving you because you have prospered him; but take away all his blessings and he will curse you to your face.” In effect, Satan was saying—“Job has ulterior motives. He is only using God for his own selfish interests!” Unfortunately, the accusation Satan hurled at Job is true of some believers, for we find in John 6:26,27 that multitudes followed Jesus only because He was meeting their material needs. Most of them deserted Him when the tests of life came (cf. Jn. 6:66).

Passing the Tests That Satan Failed

Ironically, Satan's accusation against Job was an indictment against himself, for upon this very issue he himself had failed miserably (Rom. 2:1). Lucifer only served the Lord as long as everyone was praising him and standing in awe of his beauty. He possessed charm, wisdom, charisma, and musical abilities that were unequalled. He was the talk of heaven! Was he thankful for all of this? Absolutely not! All he wanted was more—more for himself! When God was forced to demote him for his folly and pride, was Lucifer sorry or repentant in any way for the grief and shame he had brought to his Lord? Not at all! He was sorry only for his loss of position, power, and praise. It is obvious that he was only serving God for the blessings; for when God removed the blessings, he “cursed God to his face!” Therefore, we must come face to face with this fact—if we are ever going to defeat Satan, we have to pass the tests that he failed!

The Lord also tested Abraham (Gen. 22:1-2). Was God number one in his life, or the promises and blessings? When Abraham willingly offered Isaac back to God, it was not only a testimony to God, but also to Satan. For we are, as Paul says in First Corinthians 4:9, “a spectacle of men and angels.” Satan and all the evil spirits are carefully examining our motives, looking for an occasion to find fault because they know that some of us are destined to displace them and claim what they have forfeited. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that we succeed where they failed. Otherwise, we will not be worthy to take possession of what they have lost through rebellion.

“An Answer to Him Who Reproaches Me”

Proverbs 27:11 cries out: “My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth me.” God is earnestly searching throughout the whole world for a man or woman whose heart is perfect toward Him (2 Chron.16:9). He does so for several reasons. For one thing, God has an enemy who relentlessly accuses the brethren “day and night” (Rev.12:10). Furthermore, the adversary reproaches the Lord Himself. In the first chapter of the book of Job, Satan charges that no one serves the Lord because he loves Him, but only for selfish purposes.

Therefore, Job delivered a severe blow to Satan by falling down in worship unto the Lord after losing everything he had. By this action, he proved Satan wrong (Job 1:20-22)! But also, in passing this most difficult test, Job provided God with an answer for His adversary! God was able to say to Satan— “Here is a man who maintains his integrity and continues to worship and love Me, even when he has been stripped of all his blessings!” Thus, Job supplied God with an answer to give to Satan, the adversary who reproached Him.

Right Response to Injury—Spares us From the Pit

Also, Job's right response to injury saved him from sliding down into a mental / emotional pit. Nearly all mental and emotional disorders (suicide included) are the result of a wrong response to a severe injury. Job's “sacrifice of thanksgiving” after losing everything he had turned his disaster into triumph. This is, by far, one of the greatest keys to victory in the Christian life. Therefore, Job's example gives us a message to live by, not just for today, but for every day of our lives. Also, his expectations were placed in God, not in the things he had just lost (see Psalm 62:5).

The Call to Judge Angels

“Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?” (1 Cor. 6:2-3).

The high calling of the Church is to judge fallen angels, demons, and Satan, and also to rule the nations with a rod of iron (Rev. 2:26-27). However, the man or woman who would rule the nations must first learn to rule his own spirit as Job did (Prov. 16:32). In order to dislodge Satan and replace him, we must have passing grades where he failed. Therefore, you and I are in a training camp right now. We are being disciplined, corrected, and even chastened by God in order to qualify for the conditional promises He has made to His people (Heb. 10:36; 12:5-11). I want to stress that God's promises have conditions. This is a truth that is not properly understood in the Church today.

Paul told the Corinthian church that they were called, not only to judge the world, but also to judge angels! However, at the same time he said, “you [presently] are unworthy to judge the smallest matters” (1 Cor. 6:2). Paul termed them carnal, and babes, because they were bickering and taking one another to court. Paul exhorted them to grow up, to be cleansed from the filthiness of the flesh and mind, and to be perfected in holiness and in the fear of God. Otherwise they would not inherit the promises (see 2 Cor. 7:1). Paul warned them not to receive the grace of God in vain (2 Cor. 6:1).

Job—An End Time Book

Job had a vision of the second coming of Christ, the resurrection, and the millennial age. As a matter of fact, he even saw himself resurrected and ruling with Christ in the age to come (Job 19:25-27). According to Revelation 5:9-10; 20:6, it is those who have been made into kings and priests who will reign with Christ on the earth. Kings and priests are not born, they are made.

Job symbolizes the man or woman who is being formed and fitted by adversity into a king and priest. He is sometimes referred to as “The Millennium Saint.” Job is representative of righteous saints who are being tried in the fire to be made even more righteous and holy in order to rule and reign with Christ. Therefore the Book of Job, though it has a message for every generation, it is especially a message for our days. For we are now living in the days of the coming of Christ, the resurrection, and the thousand-year reign of Christ upon the earth. Thus, Job's message is for the last-day Church; for within the pages of the Book of Job are the keys for being made ready for the coming of the Son of man, and the Millennial age.

TROUBLE—OUR SERVANT

• God has ordained trouble to be our servant—if we respond with wisdom.

• Trouble is often a gift from God, a sacred treasure.

• Trouble gets our attention and provides opportunities for us to change.

• Adversity can literally push dedicated men and women to the top—to the throne.

• God instituted the Curse (Gen. 3:16-19) only to show mercy to fallen man.

• Sometimes a problem is prolonged until a certain work of grace is done in our lives.

• When a thorn has accomplished its work, God will remove it (Rev. 22:3).

• We were born to be tested (Job 7:17,18).

• Trouble has a peculiar way of revealing who we are, and what our real needs are.

• The Church often does not understand the purpose for trouble.

• Many believers only serve God for what they can get for themselves—a welfare mentality.

• Temporal blessings are emphasized, with little concern for having the heart changed.

• Character is always related to pain. It means choosing right, even when it hurts.

• Unless we pass the tests that Satan failed, we cannot claim what he forfeited by rebellion.

• Right response to injury is the key to good spiritual, mental, and emotional health.

• Trouble will make us better or bitter. The choice is ours to make, by grace.

• Job represents a righteous believer who is being tested in the fire to become even more righteous and holy. He was being qualified to rule and reign with Christ.

Therefore, he is our example.

QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED IN THIS STUDY:

• Why did God allow a good man like Job to suffer such trouble for a season?

• What is the purpose of adversity when Christ has already borne our griefs and sorrows?

• How can we answer some of the “whys” of Job?

• Are the principles in the Book of Job for the Old Testament age only, or are they also for today?

• How do we approach someone who is in great pain?

• Ultimately, who was the author of Job’s trial?

• Did Job’s trial come as a result of some sin in his life, or some negative confession?

• Did Job ever complain about Satan during his trial?

• Did Job’s friends give him the right counsel, the wrong counsel, or both?

• What is the main theme of the book?

• Is Job a parable as some have supposed, or did it really happen?

• Did Elihu (a fourth man) give the right counsel? Did God back up what Elihu said?

• Why did God ask Job eighty questions in Chapters 38-42?

• What particular message was God working into Job during his trial?

• What are some of the lessons we learn about Satan in the Book of Job?

• Does God suffer when we are suffering?

• Why did God institute the “curse” after man fell?

• How does God turn the curse into a blessing?

• Why is it wrong to say, “It’s not fair!”?

• Why is it important to understand the purposes for irritations in our lives?

• What is the balance between today's “prosperity” message and suffering with Christ?

• Should we always accept every problem that comes into our lives as God’s will?

• What is the way to receiving a double portion?

HISTORY AND BACKGROUND OF THE BOOK OF JOB

Job is not only the oldest book in the Bible, it is probably the oldest piece of literature on earth. It is about 4000 years old. Job was written not long after Noah's flood, but presumably before Abraham. Thus, it was written before 2000 B.C. Job 8:8-9 mentions the former age, the era before the flood when man lived to be hundreds of years old. In Job's time, men's years were “but a shadow” compared to the period prior to the flood. After the flood, man's life expectancy dropped drastically, and it would appear that the pre-flood era was not very long before Job's generation.

AUTHOR: There is uncertainty as to the authorship of the Book of Job but it is highly probable that it was Elihu, a fourth friend. Elihu, at one point, seems to be the one telling the story (cf. 32:15,16). He had more insight than the other brethren. Also he possessed a heavenly perspective of the trial.

The Book of Job is no mere parable! Job was a real man, in fact, one of the greatest men of all time. God compared him with Noah and Daniel for integrity (cf. Ezek.14:14-20). In the New Testament Job is cited for his example of patience while suffering affliction (Jas. 5:10-11). God tells us to look at Job and consider the end of a trial (Read also Deut. 8:16; Heb.12:5-7; 12:11). In addition to the moral lessons to be learned in Job, the book also sheds remarkable light on the philosophic breadth and intellectual culture of the patriarchal age.

LIFE AND TIMES OF JOB—Job lived sometime after the flood, but probably before Abraham. After the flood Noah lived another 350 years, and would have been alive at the same time as Job. Genesis chapters 9, 10, and 11 cover the period after the flood to Abraham.

The earth rapidly repopulated after the flood and very quickly turned away from God. Is this not the story of man since the beginning of time? Man is prone to wander away from God, even when he knows what is right! (Read Genesis chapter 11.) At Babel they started a new form of worship by building a tower. This tower was used for the worship of the planets, and especially the moon. God came down and confused their languages, dispersing them into the countries of the world. At the same time, God also changed the races and nationalities.

Life expectancy was greatly reduced after the flood. Before the flood, God had extended long life for the purpose of accumulating knowledge because man had to learn everything from level one. (Note: Man never had to discover fire! Discovery of fire is only a myth created by the atheists.) After the flood man did not have to learn everything from the beginning. On the ark Noah undoubtedly had numerous books, and knowledge of many ingenious inventions.

Man was extremely brilliant, even in Job's time. This is evidenced by many of the conversations between Job and his friends. They understood nature, science, the stars, and they had an amazing knowledge of God and His ways. Earliest man understood music, metal forging, and built cities to dwell in (Gen. 4:17-22).

Isaiah 41:4—“Calling the generations from the beginning.” Isaiah indicates that God has a specific purpose and message for every generation. Job's generation was no exception! God perfected a special message in Job, declaring it not only to Job's generation, but to every succeeding one, too. That message, developed four thousand years ago, is what this book is all about!