Exodus 1:13-14 –
13and worked them ruthlessly.
14They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.
Exodus 12:8 –
That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.
Genesis 49:22-26
“Joseph is a fruitful vine,
a fruitful vine near a spring,
whose branches climb over a wall.
23With bitterness archers attacked him;
they shot at him with hostility.
24But his bow remained steady,
his strong arms stayed limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,
because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
25because of your father’s God, who helps you,
because of the Almighty, who blesses you
with blessings of the skies above,
blessings of the deep springs below,
blessings of the breast and womb.
26Your father’s blessings are greater
than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
than the bounty of the age-old hills.
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among his brothers.
Psalm 119:103
How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
The Presence Of Bitter Conditions
The word “bitter” is generally translated from the Old Testament Hebrew word marah and the New Testament Greek word pikros. These picturesque terms describe something that tastes sour or brackish—the polar opposite of sweet.
One of the fascinating places where the Bible uses the word bitter to describe someone’s condition is in Genesis 49. This is where the patriarch Jacob gathers his sons around his deathbed and makes a series of amazing statements and prophecies. Jacob goes on to describe son after son with a combination of positive and negative characteristics, because his boys need to face the truth. When his attention turns to Joseph, Jacob addresses the sinister behavior shown him by his brothers. They had treated him in a way that was sour, brackish, like poisonous putrid bile from the gall bladder.
Now fast-forward the story to after the death not just of Jacob but also of Joseph. Following the grammar of this passage is very important. “They [the Egyptians] made their lives [the Hebrews] bitter” (Exodus 1). This is similar to what we saw in Genesis 49. Bitterness is not something the Hebrews did—it is something they first experienced. Ignoring that reality is not an antidote to sinful bitterness of heart and life. It is an accelerant. That’s one of the reasons the Lord recorded such sad and shocking events in His Word.
Bitterness is not first a response—it is first a reality that must be faced. Sometimes people shoot bitter arrows at us. Others purposely or inadvertently create hard circumstances where we work. Instead of grumbling about bitter circumstances or ignoring their presence, God invites us to verbalize the offense in the safety of His presence. Be honest about the bitter events in your life. Let those sour and poisonous realities prepare your life and heart to find a new level of sweet trust in God’s power.
The Lord never wants His people to forget or ignore the bitter circumstances that may lead to enslavement. Instead, He shows us to face and even memorialize them (Exodus 12:8). Admitting our inability to handle life on our own and turn to Jesus Christ with honesty and repentance allows our bitterness to become sweet. Once we make that choice, we take a step in the direction to: “taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” (Psalm 34:8).
Are you beginning to recognize the reality of bitterness in your life? In what ways have you been conditioned by a “just be joyful” version of Christianity?
We would like to thank Baker Publishing for providing this plan.
Every Day With God 