Bitter Sweet

"Thy heart is not right in the sight of God…For I perceive thou art in the gall of bitterness.”

The context of our scripture is is built around the person of the Holy Spirit. One similitude the Bible gives to the Holy Spirit is that of a dove. I am told that of all God’s fowl creation, it is the only one without a gallbladder, that is, the place where bitterness is stored. Harboring bitterness is not only hurtful to one's self, Hebrews tells us, "...lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled." Not only does this deep rooted sin affect you but those around you.

It is virtually impossible to be filled with the Holy Ghost and be full of bitterness at the same time. Amy Carmichael writes, "For a cup brimful of sweet water cannot spill even one drop of bitter water, however suddenly jolted."  As James tells us in his little Epistle, “Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?”  You’ll remember it was when Moses put a tree into the bitter waters of Marah that they became sweet. Only the Cross can cure this cancerous curse.

The acid test for bitterness, I find, is if when a particular person's name is mentioned, there is a sick feeling in the heart. If so, it is pretty safe to say one's heart is filled with vinegar, so to speak. As a preacher friend told me once, "You're servant to the one you're bitter toward." They dominate most all your waking hours...thought, talk, etc.

Ezekiel mentions an "old hatred," let us each judge our hearts and make sure no old grudges are festering there.