Bitter Herbs

Bitter Experiences

And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigor.—Exodus 1:14

Tom Gilbert

When God gave Moses and Aaron the instructions concerning the preparation and eating of the Passover, there was a provision for remembering the bitterness of the experiences while in Egypt: “They shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. … Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance” (Exodus 12:8,14, NAS; repeated in Numbers 9:9-12).

Nothing here or elsewhere explains what significance the bitter herbs had as part of the Passover meal. Yet most Bible commentators agree they were included to remind the Israelites of their bitter experiences when they were slaves in Egypt.

“Herbs eaten by the Hebrew people during their celebration of the Passover … helped them remember their bitter experience as an enslaved people in Egypt.”—Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary

“Because of the symbolical meaning of bitterness, bitter herbs were commanded to be used in the celebration of the Passover to recall the bondage of Egypt.”—New Unger’s Bible Dictionary

“It was to be eaten with bitter herbs in remembrance of the bitterness of their bondage in Egypt.”—Matthew Henry’s Commentary

“Bitter herbs—This was to call to mind the bitterness of life experienced by Israel in Egypt, and this bitterness was to be overpowered by the sweet flesh of the lamb.”—Wycliffe Commentary

The Wycliffe Commentary mentions another important aspect about eating the bitter herbs: not only were they to remind the Israelites of their bitter experiences in Egypt, they were also to be a sharp contrast to the flavor of the lamb representing God’s deliverance from the plague of the firstborns and from enslavement in Egypt. The bitter herbs stimulated and increased their appetite for the lamb and the unleavened bread.

The Scriptures do not specify which herbs were to be eaten. Such plants as sorrel, dandelions, horseradish, cucumbers, lettuce, water-cress, parsley, endive, chicory, snakeroot, and peppermint have been suggested.

After the Israelites left Egypt, crossed the sea, and went three days into the wilderness, they found undrinkable waters at Marah (a name meaning “bitterness”). God showed Moses a tree that when cast into the water made it sweet and palatable (Exodus 15:23-25). Thus did God foreshadow that the cross of Christ enables one to drink the water of life.

It is surprising how quickly the Israelites forgot their bitter Egyptian experiences, and the sharp contrast those experiences had with the provisions God made for their safety, security, and life-sustaining needs! The people longed for the leeks, the garlic, and the onions; they did not want to eat only manna. So, when given the opportunity to take possession of the promised land, nearly everyone preferred a plan that would take them back to Egypt (Numbers 11:5,6; 14:3,4).

Significance for Christians

That the Passover provides spiritual lessons for Christians was made clear by the apostle Paul: “Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our passover also has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:7,8, NASB). And: “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come” (1 Corinthians 10:11).

When we understand that Jesus’ sacrifice is the fulfillment, or antitype, of the Passover lamb, we can look to other features of the Passover for additional lessons. For Christians, the bitter herbs represent our present trials and afflictions caused by our commitment to righteous living and walking in Christ’s footsteps. Although difficult to endure, these bitter experiences remind us that the world is still in bondage to sin and death, and to the great adversary Satan just as we were at one time. Pastor Russell explained the antitypical symbolism of the Passover this way:

“We are to feed on Christ as the Jews fed on the literal lamb. Instead of the bitter herbs, which aided and whetted their appetites, we have bitter experiences and trials which the Lord prepares for us, and which help to wean our affections from earthly things and to give us increased appetite to feed upon the Lamb and the unleavened Bread of Truth. We, too, are to remember that we have here no continuing city; but as pilgrims, strangers, staff in hand, we are to gird ourselves for our journey to the heavenly Canaan, to all the glorious things which God has in reservation for the church of the first-borns, in association with our Redeemer, as kings and priests unto God.”—Reprints, p. 5870

Bitter experiences in our lives should have the effect of increasing our desire for oneness in our relationship with Jesus, to feed upon his words, and lay up our treasure in heaven, not here on earth. Persecution and suffering for righteousness’ sake remind us that the course of this world is not what God intends for us; we are following a new direction in our lives.

What are some of these bitter experiences? They could include having an unbelieving, opposing spouse, losing a job because of our stand for righteousness, being ridiculed for our beliefs, enduring slander against our reputation, to name just a few. The apostle Peter wrote: “If you endure suffering even when you have done right, God will bless you for it” (1 Peter 2:20, TEV).

While Christians do have bitter experiences and trials, they understand that they have a purpose—to develop a Christ-like character. This makes them more bearable: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4, NIV).

The apostle Paul had his share of trials that tested his faith and perseverance. But comparing those difficulties to what God has promised, he wrote: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).

We should be able to take this same perspective and realize, as Paul wrote in another letter, that “our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17,18).

When we are in the midst of bitter experiences, let us remember that we are not above our Lord Jesus or the apostle Paul. Let us remember that these experiences have a purpose in our Christian development—to wean us from a love of earthly things and deepen our relationship with the Lord.