Bitter Herbs

Introduction: Are you going through a time of suffering or perhaps a time of persecution?  If so, read to see what the Bible says about Bitter Herbs.  Before you read on, pray and ask the Lord to speak to your heart and show you something from His word.

I.                     ADAM AND EVE

On day three of creation, we read about the earth bringing forth herbs. 

Genesis 1:11-12

11      And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

12      And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Here we read that the Lord says for the earth to bring forth herbs.  The garden is such that nothing needs to be planted because the Lord has already set everything in motion.  On day six, God creates Adam and Eve and brings them into the garden.  The Lord tells Adam that He has given him every green herb for meat(Genesis 1:29).  All Adam has to do is walk through the garden and pick some herbs and eat; what a blessing this must have been.  Adam and Eve have it made in the garden, but it will not last long because there is a loose devil.  In Genesis 3:1-7 we read about the temptation and fall.

Gennsis 3:1-7

1      Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

2      And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3      But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4      And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5      For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

6      And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

7      And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

Adam and Eve have sinned against the Lord and in the following verses we  read about the curse that the Lord gives to Adam.

Genesis 3:17-19

17      And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

18      Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

19      In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Adam now is eating bitter herbs from a cursed ground; and the Bible says that in sorrow he shall eat of it.  The paradise is now going to be filled with sorrow, sweat and struggle.  However, in the midst of the sorrow the Lord brings deliverance.  Thank God that He provides a covering.

Genesis 3:21

21      Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

Adam and Eve can eat of the bitter herbs because they know that the Lord has covered them.

II.                   THE PASSOVER

In Exodus, chapter 11, we read about the last plague to come upon
Egypt.  The Lord says that he is going to destroy the firstborn of the Egyptians.  In Exodus chapter 12 we read the guidelines that the Lord gives for the children of Israel.

Exodus 12:1-8

1      And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,

2      This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.

3      Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:

4      And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.

5      Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:

6      And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.

7      And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

8      And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

The children of Israel have suffered under the bondage of the Egyptians and the Lord tells them to eat bitter herbs to remind them of their suffering.  The Israelites can rejoice while eating their bitter herbs because the Lord is bringing deliverance and there is about to be a great exodus from Egypt.

III.                  THE CHURCH

Today we go through hard times and we suffer much persecution—though in America it is of a watered-down variety.

2 Timothy 3:12

12     Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

We struggle to continue in the fight, but be sure that you have reason to rejoice.  Thank God for the bitter herbs of suffering that you are eating, because deliverance is coming.  Look up and know that your redemption draweth nigh. 

1Thessalonians 4:16-18

16      For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17      Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

18     Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Press on weary soldier, for the Bible tells us that the curse will be lifted.

Revelation 22:1-3

1      And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

2      In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

3        And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

Rejoice in sufferings and know that we have a blessed hope set before us.