BITTERNESS HINDERS

MEMORY VERSE: Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice, Ephesians 4:31

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Samuel 2, Rom 2, Jer 40, Luke 9

BACKGROUND: Between Genesis 21:12 where God told Abraham to hearken to Sarah and send Hagai away to Genesis 22:1-2 where God told Abraham to go and offer his son for a burnt offering on a mountain was a period of over fifteen years. 

ANALYSIS: Isaac was weaned between the age of two and five according to the Jewish culture. Abraham sent Hagai away around the period when Isaac was weaned. Now Isaac was a young adult (between the age of nineteen and twenty five) when the Lord asked Abraham to go and offer him as burnt offering on the mountain. We know Isaac was a young adult because he was old enough to travel on foot for three days with Abraham without his mother. Not only that, the conversation between Abraham and Isaac showed that he was young adult. Besides Isaac was the one who carried the wood for the sacrifice up the mountain.

When you carefully study the bible, you will notice that from Genesis 21:12 to Genesis 22:1-2, Abraham did not hear a single word from God. In other words for a period of over fifteen years Abraham who was a friend of God never heard a word from God. The question is why? Why would God keep silence for such a long period despite his relationship with Abraham? The reason for this is found in Genesis 21:25 -26, Abraham dug a well and the servants of Abimelech violently took it away from him. Instead of the old man (Abraham) to bring the matter before Abimelech, he just kept it inside and bitterness began to grow in him. The old man taught Abimelech was aware of what his servants had done so he began to nurse bitterness against him. It was until later when Abimelech visited him and he raised the subject of the well that he found out that Abimelech did not even know about the evil thing his servants had done. Immediately Abraham settled with Abimelech, Abraham began to hear from God again.

Bitterness is a spiritual poison. It kills one’s spiritual life. Bitterness is in the soul. It blocks one’s spiritual eyes and ears. Hearing from God becomes impossible when there is bitterness inside us. If you have bitterness against anyone please call the fellow and settle right away. For over fifteen years God was looking for an opportunity to speak to Abraham, because his spiritual ears were blocked he could not hear a single word. Immediately he emptied himself of bitterness, his spiritual ears were unblocked and he began to hear from God again. An old man of God found some fliers and began to use it for evangelism. The publishers of these fliers found out that this old man was using their fliers so they took him to court and the whole court procedure stressed this old man out. After the court case the old man began to nurse bitterness against these young men. One day he slept in the Lord and when he got to heaven Jesus told him that no one harboring bitterness is not allowed in the heaven. Out of unusual mercy, the Lord permitted him to return to make amendment.Ephesians 4:31 says let all bitterness be put away from you. Is it really worth it to spend eternity in hell because of a fellow who wronged you? Why not call those you harbor bitterness against and settle.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please rid me of every bitterness today!