August 15th~Eat This Scroll

Jeremiah 37:11-38:28

Ezekiel 1:1-3:15

The prophet Jeremiah was abused by the officials of King Zedekiah. Tired of hearing his depressing messages of death and destruction, they flogged him and, then, imprisoned him in the palace dungeon. Later they moved him to a cell in the Temple courtyard, but there he was able to shout at people, so they dropped him into a cistern, a big hole, to keep him quiet.

Meanwhile, we were introduced to a new prophet named Ezekiel. While Jeremiah remained in Jerusalem and Daniel was in Babylon, Ezekiel was taken from Judah by Nebuchadnezzar in the second group of exiles. On the way to Babylon, the Lord commissioned Ezekiel to be His voice to the captives.

Though the Lord predicted that His people would not listen to Ezekiel, He wanted them to know that He was among them through His prophet. To be able to handle the rejection of the captives, the Lord filled Ezekiel with the Spirit. “I have made you as hard and stubborn as they are. I have made you as hard as rock! So don’t be afraid of them or fear their angry looks, even though they are such rebels” (3:8, 9). Ezekiel’s name literally means “strengthened by God.” The Lord referred to him as the “Son of Man.” Ezekiel then became a foreshadowing of Jesus, who was the Son of Man filled with the Spirit.

I love the Lord’s first instructions to Ezekiel. “Son of man,” He said, “open your mouth and eat what I am giving you. Eat this scroll!” Ezekiel opened his mouth and God fed him a scroll. When he ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey. “Let all My words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. Then, go to the people in exile and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ Do this whether they listen to you or not” (2:8; 3:1-3, 10, 11).

Daily Reflection

I am a teacher. Before I can stand before my students and help them learn anything, I must first learn the material myself. Behind one lesson is multiple hours of reading, studying, and writing. I cannot share what I do not know; I cannot lead someone where I have not been myself. I can’t explain what I don’t understand.

You may not be a teacher but you talk with people often about spiritual things. Apply this truth to your conversations with others.

“Eat this scroll” was God’s command to Ezekiel. Interpret what He was saying in modern terms.

How are doing with “eating this scroll”?

“Eating this scroll,” consuming God’s Word, is a life-long process. For His Word to sink deep into your heart, you must meditate on it, which takes time. Time is something that we sorely misuse. How will you share it with others if you don’t know it? How will you know it, if you don’t consume it? How will you consume it, if you don’t take time to eat it? Eat this scroll!

BiAY.org | Day 227 — 138 Days to Go