Bitterness

"The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy." (Proverbs 14: 10 KJV)

The word bitter originated from the idea of cutting, and then to what was sharp and painful, the effect of being wounded by a sword (or knife). It was later applied metaphorically to the sharp cutting pains experienced in the soul, especially from "biting" or "cutting" words. Added to the meaning of the word was the idea of what was distasteful, sour, unpleasant, sharp, and "difficult (or painful) to swallow," to all painful experiences of the soul.

Bitterness of spirit, of heart, of the mind, now denotes that which is mentally painful and depressing, and refers to deep grief and woe, and to that which is hard to bear. Thus we speak of "bitter failures" and "bitter losses" and of "bitter enemies." We hear people say - "he fought to the bitter end."

From the above text, it is affirmed that each man has his own peculiar bitterness of soul, sorrows that are unique to him. Yes, soul bitterness, like trial, is "common to all men" so that the words Paul wrote relative to the one applies to the other, at least for the Christian.

"There hath no temptation (or bitterness of spirit) taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted (experience bitterness of soul) above that ye are able; but will with the temptation (or bitter experience) also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it (the trial or bitter grief)." (I Corinthians 10: 13 KJV)

So, though a man may have his own unique combination and degree of bitter experiences in life, yet none are strictly unique to him. All men experience mental sorrows and regular bitterness of soul and this because life is hard and difficult, and full of loss and causes of grief. And why is this? Is it because he is an innocent "angel," suffering undeserved woes? Absolutely not!

Lord God would never allow the truly and absolutely innocent to suffer, or inflict penal punishments upon him. Even Christ, though innocent, only experienced grief and woe because he took the sins, griefs, and bitterness of spirit (the punishments inflicted upon man because of his sins), vicarioulsy upon himself. Adam and Eve experienced no grief, woe, or bitterness of spirit while they walked with God in the Garden of Eden, prior to their apostasy and rebellion.

"Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them." (Lamentations 3: 65 KJV)

"Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts." (Jeremiah 2: 19 KJV)

"Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart." (Jeremiah 4: 18 KJV)

It is because of man's sinful ways that he is suffering the ordained penal consequences for those departures. Bitterness of heart and mental depression are directly related to the sinful state of man.

Man is in hard bondage to sin, in servitude to his lusts and evil passions, and it is the reason for his hard and difficult life, for his bitter life experience. "The way of the transgressor is hard." (Proverbs 13: 15 KJV)

"And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour." (Exodus 1: 14 KJV)

Such too is a description of the bondage of sinners to sin, to their lusts, to the world, and to the Devil. Those who are lost, without Christ, are such who are slaves to sin. (Romans 6: 16-18 NIV) When a man comes to Christ, he is rescued from the clutches of the Devil, from his enslavement. (See also II Timothy 2: 26 & Acts 26: 18 NIV) Oh the hard life of sin! Oh what a cruel taskmaster is the world! Is the Devil! Is our own lusts and sinful desires!

"And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it." (Exodus 12: 8 KJV)

They ate these "bitter herbs" in the memorial Passover Supper in order that they might ever be reminded of their former hard life in Egyptian slavery. So too ought the Christian to partake of the means for his remembering the harsh and bitter slavery of sin from which he has been graciously and wonderfully delivered.

"So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them..." (Exodus 15: 22-25 KJV)

Life has its bitter moments, times when we come to (metaphorically) the "waters of Marah." To be thirsty, and perishing because of it, and then have only bitter waters to drink! How descriptive of the experience of the soul when in grief and when no comfort is available!

What was the remedy for these "bitter waters"? Moses was shown a "tree" and when the Christian reads this story, he automatically thinks of the ignoble "tree" of the cross upon which Jesus was hung and crucified for sin. Truly the "cross," and the message of the cross, when applied to the bitter experiences in life, by faith, those very griefs become times of great joy! Wonderful providence indeed! The tree of the cross! Power in it to turn all bitter waters into sweet!

"Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity: Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words: That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not." (Psalm 64: 2-4 KJV)

Here the origianl meaning of the word bitter is seen and applied non-literally to the experiencing of pain by the soul. Harsh and cruel words are "bitter," for they cut and hurt, like swords and arrows, and are often sharp and keen to the senses of the soul. In the scriptures, we read of the greater bitter experiences of man, like the bitterness of physical suffering and death, the bitterness of inablity to bear children, and myriads of other such human sufferings and causes of bitterness of spirit.

"And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her." (Ecclesiastes 7: 26 KJV)

"For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell." (Proverbs 5 : 3-5 KJV)

"A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him." (Proverbs 17: 25 KJV)

How many have come to know firsthand the bitter effects of such sins!

"For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity." (Acts 8: 23 KJV)

This was said to a member of the church, yet to one who came in without a genuine heart conversion to Christ, but who came in as a "spy." This was said to a great sorcerer, one who was secretly trying to find out what was the power or "magic" behind the apostolic miracles. The words of Peter to this lost soul, to this one enslaved to evil and sold to the Devil, is also descriptive of every lost soul. Notice the association of "gall" with "bitterness."

"But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth." (James 3: 14 KJV)

How often doess bitterness, like a cancer, spread and infect all that a man does! How often is bitterness connected with envy, jealousy, and pride!

"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled..." (Hebrews 12: 14, 15 KJV)

Bitterness of spirit, with spite, and revenge, and such like, are all root sins, for they produce other sins, bitter fruit (consequences), and lead to increasing defilement of the spirit, and into deeper and deeper bondage and superior bitterness.

"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." (Ephesians 4: 30 KJV)

Notice the company that "bitterness" keeps! Bitterness of spirit becomes evil when it is vented against God and circumstances (which are under his control) and when it is "harbored" and coupled with unrighteous anger, as it was coupled with envy and strife in preceding verses, and when not properly dealt with.

"Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them." (Colossians 3: 19 KJV)

Here is the evolved meaning of "bitterness"! Being "bitter against" - such language carries the idea of anger vented towards others who are judged as being blameworthy for the pain that is being experienced. Men harbor bitterness against government when they think their lack of happiness is the fault of government, whether it be the government of men or God.

Though Christians have been forgiven, yet his deliverance from the every day practice of such sins as bitterness of spirit against others, take time to overcome. How many marriages, and other relationships, have bitterness as the root sin behind marital and social woes!

"Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness..." (Romans 3: 14 KJV) Such is a description of the lost sinner, who is not only "in the gall of bitterness," but who's mouth spews forth that bitterness against God and all!

"The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet." (Proverbs 27: 7 KJV)

Gratitude will cast out bitterness. But, in order to have gratitude, one must see that he has not been slighted nor mistreated, and that he has not been treated unfairly nor unjustly, and come to see further, in and from his sufferings, that he has gotten either what he deserved or far less, and therefore has no reason to be resentful nor bitter against any, but only to be grateful that things are not worse. The hungry man is thankful for anything he can get to eat. It is only the one who is always full who complains when he is the least bit hungry, and becomes bitter at others for it.

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5: 20 KJV)

Is this not what men in the gall of bitterness do in their spiritual delusions? Lord God calls sin a bitter thing, but men call it sweet, having a "taste for" doing that which is contrary to the wishes of God.