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3 And he said to me, “Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with 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.
And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel—not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you. But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. Like emery harder than flint have I made your forehead. Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.” Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears. And go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ whether they hear or refuse to hear.”
Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great earthquake: “Blessed be the glory of the LORD from its place!” It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and the sound of a great earthquake. The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, the hand of the LORD being strong upon me. And I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who were dwelling by the Chebar canal, and I sat where they were dwelling. And I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days.
A Watchman for Israel
And at the end of seven days, the word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”
And the hand of the LORD was upon me there. And he said to me, “Arise, go out into the valley, and there I will speak with you.” So I arose and went out into the valley, and behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, like the glory that I had seen by the Chebar canal, and I fell on my face. But the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and he spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself within your house. And you, O son of man, behold, cords will be placed upon you, and you shall be bound with them, so that you cannot go out among the people. And I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be mute and unable to reprove them, for they are a rebellious house. But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ He who will hear, let him hear; and he who will refuse to hear, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.
(ESV)
Ezekiel 3 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
First, let’s paint a backdrop of what Ezekiel is dealing with here. The people of Israel have continually rejected the Word and the prophets. They are stubborn and obstinant (Eze 3:7). They, like us, needed reminders of God’s righteous judgment along with His amazing grace.
There’s a part of us that desires hard line truth. When we read the latest news and witness the unbearable evil in this world, we cry out for justice. God asks Ezekiel to taste His Word and the sweetness in it. It exemplifies that God is vindicated by His glorious holiness. God knows it will taste sweet to Ezekiel because it is good and perfect.
The task at hand for Ezekiel is not to just taste and see that the Lord is good (Psm 34:8), but to go in the fullness of obedience and proclaim that Word to the people. This process is bitter to the prophet.
So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away; and I went embittered in the rage of my spirit, and the hand of the LORD was strong on me.
Ezekiel 3:14 NASB
It’s fascinating to consider that the apostle John experienced the exact same bittersweet taste when he took in God’s Word along with His coming judgment.
So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he *said to me, “Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.”
Revelation 10:9 NASB
Bittersweet. This is what we wrestle with every day as believers in a fallen world. Within the message of confronting the rebellious people, the result would be bittersweet. The sweetness would be found in the fact that God has the last word. He is holy and righteous and sovereign over all things. When we are walking alongside Him with complete obedience we will experience a satisfaction like never before. We will fulfill our purpose in life of serving and glorifying Him. There is no greater sweetness than this.
However, we will also experience turmoil, opposition, and the bitter effects of sin as well. We will see people whom we’ve invested in fall by the wayside. We will watch as families are split apart for the sake of Jesus Christ. We ourselves will continue to feel the sting of our own temptations as we fight to walk in the Spirit. And when we are called to deliver a tough message, we will be marginalized, mocked, and ridiculed. The people who hear the voice of the Spirit and never make any progress in repentance will leave a horribly bitter taste in our mouth.
So, is your life full of bittersweet moments? Are you feeling the sweetness of His presence and the bitterness of rejection? Are you, like Ezekiel, feasting on the Word of God?