Overcoming Bitterness: Moving From Life’s Greatest Hurts to a Life Filled With JoySýnishorn

Day Two: 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?