Feeding on God’s Word
“Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.” -Ezekiel 3:1-2
In other places in the Bible, God’s words are compared to bread, and manna, but here in the book of Ezekiel, the allegory is laid bare. God gave to Ezekiel a roll (what was basically the equivalent to a book in old times) that contained the words of God. Then, as we see in the verses above, Ezekiel is commanded to literally eat the roll.
God’s charge
Next, God gives Ezekiel a charge.
“And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.” -Ezekiel 3:3-4
In so eating God’s words, Ezekiel takes unto himself the message that God has for His people, and becomes His messenger.
Today, as Christians, we have this very same charge from Jesus:
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” -Matthew 28:19-20
Notice that Jesus said that we are to teach people “whatsoever I have commanded you.” That is to say, we are to take Christ’s words into ourselves, and share them with others.
In using the analogy of Ezekiel and the roll, we are to take Christ’s words, and “eat” them up, and let them become a part of us. We are to seek God’s words, and hear them, and chew on them, and consume them until they are “digested” and we understand them, and they become a very part of us.
In reading and meditating and praying over Scripture each morning, we are to let it enter into us, and there, as food, let it be disseminated and distributed throughout our entire spiritual body. We are to take in the purity and wholesome soul-truth of God’s words, until our very substance, and our very constitution is sustained and strengthened by God’s word.
“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” -John 15:7-8
Related posts:
Leave a Reply