Ezekiel Commanded to Eat the Scroll

"But you, son of man, hear what I say to you; be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth, and eat what I give you.' And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and, lo, a written scroll was in it; and he spread it before me; and it had writing on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe. And he said to me, 'Son of man, eat what is offered to you; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.' So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. And he said to me, 'Son of man, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.' Then I ate it and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey." (Ezekiel 2:8 - 3:3, RSV)

As part of his inaugural calling and commissioning, Ezekiel was commanded to eat a scroll brought to him by the hand of the Almighty in the vision he saw so intensely.

What would it be like, literally eating the papyrus of a scroll-different from others, for usually scrolls would only be inscribed on one side, but this one had writings-of lamentation, mourning and woe--written on both sides. And Ezekiel was commanded to eat it and afterward to go and speak to the house of Israel. What seemed at first to be a bitter, dry dish for him turned instead into being "sweet as honey" to his taste! God does not give us a job to do that He does not give us the strength to do it!

Bitterness can be turned into sweetness! Tough jobs can be accomplished through the strengh God provides. Let us not forget that Ezekiel's very name was a reminder, meaing "God strengthens."

What are we to make of this command to eat the scroll and of Ezekiel's eating it, whether literally or symbolically? Think about how often a book is used in an inaugural ceremony. Our president is sworn into office with his hand on a Bible. The custom once was (it may now be passing, in our modern age of 'politically correct') of a witness in court placing his hand on the Bible and taking the oath to 'tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God.' Since Ezekiel had the commission to take God's word to Israel, it is symbolic that he would be reminded of his mission with the eating of the scroll. Nothing is more powerful that Yahweh's Word, spoken or written. Psalm 19:10 reminds us: "More are they to be desired than gold, even must fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb." So even though God's word delivered through Ezekiel might sometimes be harsh and judgmental, because it was, indeed, Yahweh's Word, it would be "sweet as honey." And the love of God's Word should still be among us like sweet honey to our ears and to our understanding. In the Book of Common Prayer that many Christians quote is the admonition to "read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest" the Word of God. How do you and I feel about the Word of God? Is it "sweeter than honey," and a "lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path"? Do you like to read it for its instruciton, beauty and admonition? Do you like to teach it for its truths and inspiration? Do you like to apply it for its direction and enlightenment? His Word is for our soul's health and strength. Like Ezekiel, may we symbolically "eat the scroll" - "inwardly digest" the Word of the Lord. Selah!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Friday, October 1, 2010

Ezekiel’s Commission

"And he said to me, 'Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.' And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. And he said to me, 'Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God.' And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them.' " (Ezekiel 2:1-5, ESV) [Read Ezekiel 2:1 - 3:37]

The vision Ezekiel saw of the Lord God arising out of a cloud and revealing Himself to him in chapter one came after, or as a part of, his call to ministry. We could spend much time discussing the unusal vision and still not exhaust its majesty or the effect it had upon Ezekiel. The important thing (as I see it) is that it led to Ezekiel's commission, an assignment from God of the work He had for him to do among the captives of Israel in exile in Babylon (and, consequently, even to all since and to us today, as Ezekiel was included in the canon of the Scriptures).

First, God has to get our attention. He does that in ways uniquely related to God's nature and to the response of the person being called and commissioned. It may seem unusual that in chapters 2 and 3 of Ezekiel, there are five distinct commissions from God for the prophet. Ezekiel's commission is similar to that of Isaiah and Jeremiah. God sent them also to a people who were stiff-necked and hard of hearing and responding to the message from God. And likewise, in this first stated commission of Ezekiel, God warned him that he was being sent to a rebellious people, stubborn and impudent. The prophet was to be faithful in its delivery, whether his hearers heeded the message or not. That same holds true of any messenger God commissions today, whether a pastor, a missionary, or a Christian who is compelled to share a testimony with someone he contacts.

The terminology "Son of man" is used 87 times in the book of Ezekiel. It emphasizes the fact that Ezekiel is mortal. But it also harks back to the important question asked in Psalm 8: "What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower that the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet...O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" (Psalm 8:4-6, 9 ESV). The Messiah called Himself "Son of man," thus identifying himself with mankind. And in the many designations of Ezekiel as "son of man," he, too, though called and commisioned by Almighty God for the task of taking God's message to the people, was a human being assigned a heavenly-ordained job. "Go and preach to these people, Ezekiel, even if they do not heed the message!"

Behind every Christian's life should be the keen awareness of being on mission for God. Some, like Ezekiel, have a special calling and commission. But all, if we only will hear and heed the claim of God upon our life, have our own calling and commission. Dr. E.L. Allen in his expostion of Ezekiel (The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 6, "Ezekiel" [Nashville, Abingdon, 1956], p. 77) states: "Let us count it an honor when God assigns us His most difficult tasks, for, like a wise general, He sends His best officers on His most exacting enterprises. In this sense, we must learn to say 'Yes' to life, and volunteer for the battle where it is fiercest." Ezekiel's assignment was to his own people, Israel, captives in Exile. Little did he realize that we in the 21st century would be reading his words and receiving inspiration and instruction from them. This is how God works in His magnanimous purpose and plan. Selah!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Thursday, September 30, 2010