ESTHER 3:8-9
Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed
among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other
people’s, and they do not keep the king’s laws. Therefore it is not fitting for the king to let
them remain.If it pleases the king, let a decree be written that they be destroyed, and I will
pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who do the work, to bring it into the
king’streasuries.”
In his book Feelings: Our Vital Signs, Dr. William Gaylin points out that “resentment often
arises when we believe we aren’t getting what is due us from another person. We feel
unfairly cheated or betrayed. And brooding leads to all kinds of trouble.”
Gaylin’s description fits Haman perfectly. Because Mordecai refused to bow to him,
Haman’s resentment grew into bitterness.
He became embittered not only with Mordecai but toward all those of Jewish descent. His
bitterness festered until he was willing to pay 10,000 talents (about $20 million) of silver to
extract his revenge.
Bitterness, however, costs much more than money. It robs us of our health. Medical doctors
link harboring resentment to such physical maladies as ulcers and high blood pressure
But more than that, in the life of a Christian, bitterness destroys our intimacy with the Lord.
The Bible teaches that bitterness is a sin (Eph. 4:31, Heb. 12:15). Unconfessed sin blocks
our access to the Father and becomes a hindrance to our prayer (lsa.1:11-16).
If you have allowed a spirit of bitterness to grow in your heart, confess it at once. Share
your struggle with someone you trust. Do something kind for the one toward whom you’ve
harbord bitter feelings.
Whatever you do, don’t allow a become a stumbling block in your walk with the Lord. Rip
out every root of bitterness in your life and rediscover the joy of the Lord.
WHEN THE ROOT IS BITTERNESS, IMAGINE WHAT THE FRUIT MIGHT BE.
WOODROW KROLL
www.backtothebible.in