Joseph's brothers were gripped by the wicked trio of bitterness, envy, and strife (James 3:14), and it nearly turned into murder. Bitterness is so destructive that we will take a break from our series in Joseph to address this sin. Bitterness is a sinful response to an offense, adverse providence, or actual or perceived injustice that so poisons the heart that intense antagonism or hostility towards God or others results. Hebrews 12:15 talks about bitterness having roots. What are the roots? Bitterness often begins with sorrow. A sorrow that cuts deep. The Bible uses the phrase "bitterness of soul" to describe such sadness. For example, Hannah cried out, "in bitterness of soul" because she could not have children. We read something similar about Naomi in the book of Ruth. In these cases, however, bitter sorrow did not turn into the sin of bitterness. That was not the case with Esau, who fertilized his grief with resentment and envy. His bitterness almost turned into murder. To be on guard against the sin of bitterness, we must identify its characteristics. First, bitterness has to grow; it does not appear fully formed but must be nurtured. Second, like pride, bitterness is hard to detect. Third, bitterness is cruel. Fourth, bitterness produces bitter fruit. Like a leech, it attaches itself to other sins. We must pull out the roots of bitterness by embracing God's providence with joy, not mere apathetic, fatalistic acceptance. We must also look to Jesus, "who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross," including its bitterness. Only through him can we find forgiveness of our sins and the grace to forgive others, dealing a death blow to bitterness.
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Kurt Snow serves as a ruling elder at Covenant Reformed Church of Sacramento (RCUS). He served as a member of the Board of Governors of City Seminary of Sacramento from 2000 to 2020.