The Poison Of Bitterness

Issues – March 2023 – Grace & Truth Magazine

The Poison Of Bitterness

The cartoons a number of us saw when we were children – many years ago – consistently depicted poison or danger as a skull and cross bones, meaning that the potential of death was near. Many of us could put a skull and crossbones over our hearts, or at least in certain corners of our hearts, because a poisonous plant is there. It is slowly harming us and can lead to spiritual death, at least in the sense of our effectiveness for Christ.

There is a very clear picture of how the poison of bitterness infected and affected the life of King Saul. He was a man head and shoulders above all others who had been chosen by the people and had God’s anointing upon him (1 Sam. 10). Saul appeared to have everything: power, prestige – even the applause of men. But, Scripture shows that Saul died a bitter man. It seems the seeds of this bitterness were planted early in his life, and he never plucked the deadly plant up at the roots.

Bitterness is a very unhealthy response for any of us. It poisons the heart and mind, affecting us emotionally and spiritually. In 1 Samuel 13:1-14 we enter a battle scene where two battles were taking place:

1. The Israelites versus the Philistines.
2. Saul versus the beginnings of the bitterness that would plague him the rest of his life.

Bitterness Planted
Saul was not supposed to go into battle until the prophet Samuel arrived and offered burnt sacrifices to God. But because Saul’s men were afraid of the enemy and Saul feared he would lose his men, he took matters into his own hands. The king did not see the importance of obeying God’s prescribed way of doing things. God saw this as a foolish act of rebellion, which would have an effect on Saul’s kingdom and all of his descendants.

Bitterness Sprouted
There is no record of repentance from Saul. Instead, there is an act of independence in his numbering, or counting, his men. The seed of bitterness had been planted, and the first sprout was manifested by Saul’s leaning to his own understanding instead of acknowledging the need of God’s help!

Later, in 1 Samuel 15, we read how Saul was again faced with war, this time with the Amalekites. Here, too, we see Saul failing – disobeying God by choosing to spare Agag the king of the Amalekites. It would seem as we read this account that Saul’s pride got the best of him, leading to further independence and disobedience. The result of this experience was that not only would he lose his kingdom, but because he rejected the word of the Lord he also lost the fellowship and counsel of a godly man, Samuel (vv.10-11,26). The seeds of bitterness were beginning to sprout in the life of Saul.

Bitterness Grew
As we follow Saul’s life we see his bitterness grow. Because the seeds of bitterness had already been planted through his disobedience, independence and lack of repentance, Saul could not rejoice with others when they rejoiced. For example, when David defeated Goliath and the people gave David greater praise than Saul, another sprout of bitterness sprang up in Saul’s heart.

Saul’s anger toward David grew, affecting Saul’s own thoughts. In his mind Saul started to build a case against David, thinking that this faithful servant of his wanted to take over the kingdom. As we see, bitterness causes us to think lopsidedly, or in an unbalanced manner. It affects our thoughts to the point that we always think the worst of the person we are bitter against. Once our thinking is affected, fear sets in, which in Saul’s case led him to plot against and even attack David. We might not go as far as to throw a spear at the person we are bitter against as Saul did, but we begin to throw insults, attacking his or her character in the eyes of others.

This bitterness continued to intertwine, or wrap, itself around Saul’s heart, causing him to totally reject David. If we allow bitterness to grow we will get to this same place in our lives, where we cannot even stand to be around the person who is the object of our bitterness! Saul’s feelings against David grew so strong that he dreaded being around David and even sought ways to eliminate him from his life altogether.

Bitterness Weeded Out
While we may not go as far as Saul did, bitterness can have just as strong a hold on us as it did King Saul. Paul reminded us in Philippians 4:6-9 (NKJV) how to have victory over such bitterness. He said, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.”

This is the key to weeding out bitterness. We must not let this poison spread like it did in the life of Saul. The Spirit of God encourages us to “let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:29-32).

Don’t let the poison of an unforgiving heart spread, allowing bitterness to take root! Pull it up by its roots by repenting and turning it over to God. Anything else is to be like Saul and to act in independence and disobedience!

By Timothy P. Hadley