Pulling Up Old Roots

[Starise]

The book of Hebrews warns us about allowing bitterness to take root: “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no 'root of bitterness' springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled” (Hebrews 12:15).

Thoughts? Has it affected you?

[AdHoc]

14 minutes ago, Starise said:

The book of Hebrews warns us about allowing bitterness to take root: “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no 'root of bitterness' springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled” (Hebrews 12:15).

Thoughts? Has it affected you?

 

Hoping not to judge, or speak for my brethren, I would venture that bitterness is unavoidable. Anyone who has lived some years on this earth has know bitterness, especially the Christian. But first let me answer the above case.

God allowed Job to be harassed by Satan. When Job could finally plead his case before God, God posed 77 questions to Job. Not one was answered. Why? God is God and He does not explain Himself. He has reported in His Word that He is a good God and that He can use every circumstance to PROFIT YOU (Rom.8:28). Believe it or not - that is up to us. Pruning is cutting back and purging is devastating to non-essentials. Both hurt. And in the case above, God as seen fit to chastise. "Chastisement" is defined as "making a certain road bitter". And Hebrews 12 warns us that God's chastising, when finally unleashed is "grievous". Whatever the reason is that God chastises you, it is going to hurt. The reason for chastisement is your BENEFIT. The case of Hebrews 12 implies the INHERITANCE. A "bastard" is not a man who has no father. That is a biological impossibility. Every man has a father. A "bastard" is a man who has been DISOWNED from his father and thus he has no part in the inheritance.

God is deeply interested in you inheriting. What then is the inheritance? God has selected us as priests and kings. As Priests we inherit God, and as kings and seed of Abraham (Gal.3:29) we inherit the earth (Rom.4:13). God planned this already in Genesis 1:26-28. So not only has God a plan He wants to achieve, but His Name and Honor are attached to it. God has a vital interest in you taking the right road. If we, through rebellion or stubbornness, or just plain slothfulness, will not take His advice and directions, He will make our present road bitter. And the example chosen by the Holy Spirit is Esau. God promises the firstborn a "double portion" of the inheritance. Esau had the following advantages IF he had kept his birthright. This is what Esau despised:

1. A double portion of the Good Land
2. The designation "The God of Abraham, Isaac and Esau"
3. The lineage of Jesus Christ

The reason that Esau despised this things is that his parents did not discipline him. Esau, in rebellion to his parent's commands, took wives from the cursed nation - Canaan, with no consequences. Esau remained his father's favorite. But though Isaac could not see many things, he had been well schooled by Abraham. So when he blessed each son before he died, he knew the score, and upheld Jacob's right to the birthright. When he protested, Isaac said that he could not undo prophecy - and then came unrelenting BITTERNESS (Gen.27:34). This bitterness never left Esau and he schemed how to murder with hate - even his own brother.

Now, Hebrews 12 proposes THREE possible results to God's chastisement:

1. The Christian can ignore it and go his way. After a while, God will let you go and you will lose your inheritance and be exceeding bitter afterwards - like Esau
2. The Christian can accept it but instead of learning from it, he/she can be bitter
3. The Christian can accept it and BELIEVE that God means it for his good. Though he weep with loss and pain, he will learn righteousness from it. He will modify his behavior and INHERIT.

The verse above deals with point #2. What happens in the psyche of a Christian who bows to chastisement but is offended by it. Bitterness at God's dealings well up inside and he will eventually accuse God and bring an evil report. He will slander God and blem Him. Many will be put off God by this negative testimony and behavior. His bitterness will damage his testimony.

And this is the danger of all bitterness. It provokes hate and murder. It destroys your relationship with God and men. It damages your testimony near God. I slanders God. It proves you have no faith.

[Starise]

8 hours ago, AdHoc said:

Hoping not to judge, or speak for my brethren, I would venture that bitterness is unavoidable. Anyone who has lived some years on this earth has know bitterness, especially the Christian. But first let me answer the above case.

I would agree. What do you do with it when you get it?

I believe Jonah was bitter as a result of seeing his enemies, who he was told to minister to, repent. He wanted all of them dead. Many might say his bitterness was called for since the Ninevites had attacked and waged terrible inhumanities. 

 Not just any city. One of the most pagan cities of that known time, maybe comparible to Sodom and Gomorrha. If you remember Abraham could not find even ten good men in that city willing to repent in contrast to Niniveh who repented enmasse. Some will even argue the story is a fable because it seems so very improbable that many people repented in  a city so far from God. An even better response than the Israelites in times of rebellion.

So it might have seemed justified Jonah was upset and even bitter. Our inner compasses sometimes say we were right to be bitter at oversight and mistreatment. Admittedly it is one of those natural human triggers to percieved injustice.

I had not mentioned chastisement, and I am glad you brought it up as I believe it often follows bitterness which is a wrong attitude that needs correction. In many ways bitterness is a chastisement all in itself as it keeps those who have it from having peace. 

Bitterness can be unfounded as a result of faulty reasoning leading to a wrong conclusion. Bitterness can be the result of a very real offense, so the bearer not only needs to overcome those wrong feelings but the foregiveness needed to cleanse the wound so it can heal. If the perpetrator is so insensitive as to not realize or care about the offense, then the person so offended needs an extra helping of patience and forebearance.

In the end most of the real work happens more on the recieving end than the giving end. Ongoing slight has to be one of the very worst things.

 

[AdHoc]

20 hours ago, Starise said:

I would agree. What do you do with it when you get it?

I believe Jonah was bitter as a result of seeing his enemies, who he was told to minister to, repent. He wanted all of them dead. Many might say his bitterness was called for since the Ninevites had attacked and waged terrible inhumanities. 

 Not just any city. One of the most pagan cities of that known time, maybe comparible to Sodom and Gomorrha. If you remember Abraham could not find even ten good men in that city willing to repent in contrast to Niniveh who repented enmasse. Some will even argue the story is a fable because it seems so very improbable that many people repented in  a city so far from God. An even better response than the Israelites in times of rebellion.

So it might have seemed justified Jonah was upset and even bitter. Our inner compasses sometimes say we were right to be bitter at oversight and mistreatment. Admittedly it is one of those natural human triggers to percieved injustice.

I had not mentioned chastisement, and I am glad you brought it up as I believe it often follows bitterness which is a wrong attitude that needs correction. In many ways bitterness is a chastisement all in itself as it keeps those who have it from having peace. 

Bitterness can be unfounded as a result of faulty reasoning leading to a wrong conclusion. Bitterness can be the result of a very real offense, so the bearer not only needs to overcome those wrong feelings but the foregiveness needed to cleanse the wound so it can heal. If the perpetrator is so insensitive as to not realize or care about the offense, then the person so offended needs an extra helping of patience and forebearance.

In the end most of the real work happens more on the recieving end than the giving end. Ongoing slight has to be one of the very worst things.

 

I absolutely agree with your observations. Some offenses against one have lasting effects that plague one for decades. Bitterness is to be expected and not having been schooled in the psychology of it, it's almost impossible to get rid of it. Take a ruined reputation. Even if the facts come out that you were wrongly accused, people still look at you with suspicion. Unless you physically move away, you will suffer and suffer and suffer. Friendships never build. Business or promotions lag. It inevitably ruins relationships. And then there is that most dangerous of all bitternesses - that against God. In the back of the person's mind they know that God had the ability to change the outcome, but He let it happen.

I find the book of Job essential reading. Christians are going to suffer injustice. If they are not taught about God's position and rights, and if they are not taught that the just shall live by faith, they run the risk of slandering God. The Christian who is serious about His relationship with Christ will walk Christ's road. And the words of the Holy Spirit in Colossians 1:24-25 are sobering;

24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church: 25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God

It will do us well to deal with suffering quickly and brutally. When Job reached his audience with God, he was pretty much finished. And then God responds with 77 questions. Not ONE was answered. The Christian must know that he will suffer. He must know that injustice will be his portion. He must also know that God will let it happen. And he better BELIEVE Romans 8:28. Whatever scars he carries from these encounters, he will hardly get an answer from God. Rather, he must know, and BELIEVE that God thought that it would do him good in matters eternal. And even with this knowledge, and a firm desire to submit, bitterness creeps in. We are just people.

And so, there is only ONE remedy left. The reason that John's gospel is written is that we might have Christ's LIFE (Jn.20:30-31). We must discover the secret of getting this overcoming LIFE into us. It is the only viable remedy for bitterness.

[Alive]

A life of rest in the Lord is a life where God can and will keep one from bitterness and provide a flow of forgiveness with no end to it.

I know this intimately to be so.

[Starise]

Is there some kind of a country song with this theme in it?

[Michael37]

On 1/4/2023 at 7:04 AM, Starise said:

Is there some kind of a country song with this theme in it?

Cheeky, but a meme in my society. Someone bemoaning hard times too much gets told to write a country song. Well posted, @Starise.

[Willa]

The root of my unforgiveness (which caused my bitterness) was my self righteousness.  God pointed those same Scriptures at me that I had pointed at others; this revealed my own hatred and self righteousness to me. This brought me to true repentance, seeing myself in all my ugliness.  God also used this to show me the height and depth of His love.  If He can love those horrible people, perhaps He could love me as well.   He died for us all.  In receiving His loving forgiveness for myself and being refilled with His Spirit, He enabled me to extend that grace to those I had once only held bitterness against.

[Starise]

With me I think it's just been hurt over mistreatment. Then I realized that most of those who hurt me were so callous and insensitive that they never realized they did it. I decided to pull away from the system they were in for my own sanity. Why subject myself to being thrown repeatedly into the same boxes?

I find peace in creating new roads for myself.

[Michael37]

On 1/2/2023 at 3:22 AM, Starise said:

The book of Hebrews warns us about allowing bitterness to take root: “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no 'root of bitterness' springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled” (Hebrews 12:15).

Thoughts? Has it affected you?

Roots are most often hidden, and to use a word that means hidden, they can be occultic.

An occultic root of bitterness can be grown from seed or it can be part of a larger network that has the ability to spread by forming new roots when existing foliage makes contact with the ground in a process called layering.

A tiny seed of bitterness can germinate and establish a root system that anchors and feeds the foliage above ground as it produces leaves, and flowers, and fruit that contain poison.

Ripe fruit means more seeds, and the cycle starts again.

The worst defilement that a root of bitterness causes is apostasy.

Quote from the Believer's Bible Commentary:

12:15 The next two verses seem to present four distinct sins to avoid. But there is a strong suggestion in the context that this is another warning against the single sin of apostasy and that these four sins are all related to it.

• First of all, apostasy is a failure to obtain the grace of God. The person looks like a Christian, talks like a Christian, professes to be a Christian, but he has never been born again. He has come so near the Savior but has never received Him; so near and yet so far.
• Apostasy is a root of bitterness. The person turns sour against the Lord and repudiates the Christian faith. His defection is contagious. Others are defiled by his complaints, doubts, and denials.

12:16 Apostasy is closely linked with immorality. A professing Christian may fall into gross moral sin. Instead of acknowledging his guilt, he blames the Lord and falls away. Apostasy and sexual sin are connected in 2Pe_2:10, 2Pe_2:14, 2Pe_2:18 and Jud_1:8, Jud_1:16, Jud_1:18.

• Finally, apostasy is a form of irreligion, illustrated by Esau. He had no real appreciation for the birthright; he willingly bartered it for the momentary gratification of his appetite.

12:17 Later Esau was remorseful at the loss of the older son's double portion, but it was too late. His father could not reverse the blessing.
So it is with an apostate. He has no real regard for spiritual values. He willingly renounces Christ in order to escape reproach, suffering, or martyrdom. He cannot be renewed to repentance. There may be remorse but no godly repentance.