Swallow The Scroll

There is an interesting passage of Scripture in today’s One Year Bible reading. It is found in the Old Testament, Ezekiel 2:9-3:3, “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. 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.” Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.

It is interesting the prophet has been called of God to deliver a hard message to a people who He(God) declares as rebellious. Yet, as Ezekiel eats the scroll, representing the Word of God full of pronouncements of doom because of their rebelliousness, he finds it is as sweet as honey in his mouth. You would normally think words of doom and sorrow would be bitter tasting words. I know from my own experiences that moments of sorrow and death, discipline and rebuke are not words sweet to the taste. They are words of bitterness and go down hard. Yet, Ezekiel found them sweet. I think I can understand this. The scroll was the Word of God! If we live to please our Heavenly Father, even when He speaks words of sorrow or rebuke, we find them to be sweet words because they represent His love for us. A loving father will take the time to speak not only the sweet words of love that go down easily leaving us wanting more, but he also speaks hard words to us when we have moments of rebellion and wanting to do things our way. Though these words are distasteful, when received with the right heart and attitude, they, too are words sweet and palatable. We recognize them for the words they really are - words meant to bring about change in our hearts and lives. Words meant to draw attention to our failure - not as though we are “failures”, but because we have failed to bring honor to the one who loves us enough to speak bitter words as well as sweet words.

The message of God through Ezekiel to His people was a message of rebuke and discipline. God was hoping these words would call them to attention and they would turn their lives around. While the message was sweet to the messenger it was bitter to the hearer because their heart was not tuned to the Heavenly Father Whose love was deep enough to say them. I must admit, there are times when the Words of the Father are bitter to me, but if I stay in tune with His heart even bitter words can be sweet. God goes on to say in Ex. 3:10 - “Then he added, "Son of man, let all My words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself.”Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.

Bitter or sweet I will swallow the scroll deep within my being so that I might become the person God wants me to be.

Pastor Roger