Scripture Reading: “`Listen, son of dust, to what I say to you. Don’t you rebel too! Open your mouth and eat what I give you.’ Then I looked and saw a hand holding out to me a scroll of a book, with writing on both sides. He unrolled it, and I saw that it was full of warnings and sorrows and pronouncements of doom. And He said to me: `Son of dust, 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 caused me to eat that scroll, that book. `Eat it all,’ He said. And when I ate it, it tasted sweet as honey. Then He said: `Son of dust, I am sending you to the people of Israel with My messages…’
“Then He added: `Son of dust, let all My words sink deep into your own heart first; listen to them carefully for yourself. Then, afterward, go to your people in exile, and whether or not they will listen, tell them: This is what the Lord God says! And go, get thee to them of the captivity… and speak unto them, and tell them, thus says the Lord God…’ Then the Spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the Lord…
“The Spirit lifted me up and took me away to Tel Aviv… I went in bitterness and anger (in the heat of my spirit) but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me. Then I came to them of the captivity… and I sat where they sat and remained there astonished among them seven days. And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying, `Son of dust, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel; whenever I send my people a warning, pass it on to them at once. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Again, when a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul‘” (Excerpted from Ezekiel 2:8 – 3:21 TLB, JHV & KJV).
Commentary: God told Ezekiel to listen to what He was telling him. He showed him the scroll of a book and told him to eat it up, then preach what was written on the scroll to God’s people. The prophet ate the scroll. It tasted sweet as honey. God told him to let God’s Word sink deeply into his heart first, to listen to God’s Word carefully for himself.
Then, afterwards, he was to go to God’s people and tell them God’s message, weather they would listen or not. That is precisely how you and I should tell others about the Lord. First, we listen to God, then we eat God’s Word…
Now wait a minute! Eat God’s Word? How on earth am I to eat the Bible? With pickles and onions? Mustard?
Nope!
Then please tell me how!
O.K. We have a physical digestive system, to metabolize what we eat. When I eat a chicken I do not get up in the morning and yell, “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” No, I definitely do not become a chicken. It is the chicken that gets transformed, metabolized, and becomes more of me. I grow taller, I have strength to work, intelligence to think and I feel better. All thanks to the chicken I ate and metabolized. Likewise, you and I have a human spirit, a part of our being that is invisible and spiritual, but very real. Our human spirit has the ability to receive the Word of God, to eat it, if you please! It is food for our innermost being. You will find God’s Word is sweet as honey! As you eat it, it will metabolize into your spirit. It causes you to grow spiritually, to sense God’s indwelling Presence and Power to do good works, to obtain spiritual discernment and it will definitely make you feel happy, in fact, you will feel joyful!
As you and I let the Word of God metabolize into our innermost, heeding and hearkening to its message for ourselves, then and only then will we be equipped to preach to others as well. Then the Holy Spirit will guide us where to go and who to speak to, whether they heed our message or not. God does not demand that we be successful in our testifying to others, only that we would be faithful.
Prayer: Communicating Father, I am so glad that You speak to me both in Your written Word as well as deep in my innermost being.
Teach me to recognize Your still small voice and to both heed and hearken to Your Word.
Then, Dearest Father, like You cause parents to feed their children, feed me until I learn to feed myself with the bread of life of Your Word.
Cause Your Word to enable me to grow spiritually, to do good works by Your Presence and power, to obtain spiritual discernment and guidance, and even to make me joyful with Your being with me and in me!
Then, as Your Word works in me first, guide me where to go and whom to tell about You.
In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
From Conversing With God – Chapter 1