
Heb 12:15 “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”
Bitterness is infectious. It never stays just with the one who is bitter. It spreads. First, it spreads to our whole being. We can keep playing it over and over in our mind.
Next, to the person who hurt us. It is fine to let someone know that they have hurt you so you both can work through it but to keep repeating it shows that it is growing into a bitter root. Third, we can repeat it to others. This is the worst of all. This is when the bitter root spreads and ‘defiles many’. We want others to join into our bitterness.
So what is the cure? The cross is the cure for bitterness. How? You see that you deserved to be there on that cross and that there is only One who is good. And He was willing to take your place and take all the bitterness of humanity so you could go free. That is why God instructed the Passover to be eaten with “bitter herbs” (Exo 12:8) signifying the sufferings of Christ. And you also see that like on the cross, God can turn things around so that this experience becomes a blessing. In the language of the Old Testament, the cross is also seen in the tree that Moses was instructed to throw into the bitter waters to make them sweet.
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