11/1/13
You must give them my messages whether they listen or not. But they won't listen, for they are completely rebellious! Son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not join them in their rebellion. Open your mouth, and eat what I give you." Then I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me. It held a scroll, which he unrolled. And I saw that both sides were covered with funeral songs, words of sorrow, and pronouncements of doom. (Ezekiel 2:7-10 NLT) The voice said to me, "Son of man, eat what I am giving you—eat this scroll! Then go and give its message to the people of Israel." So I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll. "Fill your stomach with this," he said. And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. Then he said, "Son of man, go to the people of Israel and give them my messages. (Ezekiel 3:1-4 NLT)
I love this! I love the picture we are given today of eating the scroll. The reason I like it so much, is that it shows us a couple of things. I think it gives us, through the idea of food, a pretty good visual about the word of God.
1. I am hungry for food.
2. Food sustains me.
3. Food tastes good.
4. Around food we are empowered to talk to people.
1. I am hungry for food. When we substitute "God's Word" for the word food, we get a good picture of what is happening with Ezekiel. God is giving Ezekiel His word, and sending him out to the people. You have to have a hunger for the word of God. When I was younger, I would read because I was told to, but it wasn't until I saw scripture in action that God put a hunger in me to take in (eat) His word.
2. Food sustains me. Have you ever been in a dark place, where you were pressed to the brink by situations or forces out of your control? Jesus was. When He was tested by Satan, where did He turn for rescue? Even Christ didn't turn to himself for safety, but he answered Satan with the Words of The Lord. Hiding God's word in our heart will give us the ability to get out of some bad situations.
3. Food tastes good. I like meat. Smoked ribs, grilled steak, prime rib! Good tasting food get me excited. But, unlike food, we don't have to worry about eating too much of the Word. Sometimes we can bite off more than we can chew at a time, but too much of the Word is nonsense. The Word of God is like honey on our lips. It tastes good. It gives us what we are looking for. The Word of God is a light to a dark world.
4. Around food we are empowered to talk to people. The Word of God is not something that we are supposed to keep to ourselves. Even in this passage in Ezekiel, he was instructed to share these Words with the people. It wasn't a good word for Israel, but he still had to share it. The Word of God is a healing salve for people who are hurting, and a light for those who are seeking, and it is even a boat anchor for those who refuse to believe. It is a living thing. The work of God begins when His people are devouring and sharing His Word.
Discussion questions: what is God doing in your life through being in His Word? Has having scripture memorized ever bailed you out of a dark place?
You can join in the discussion in the comments section on our Facebook group.
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