Getting Into God’s Word
Recently I have been reading through the book of Ezekiel and I’m really excited to get the opportunity to hop on here and share about it! If you’ve been following along with Holly this month, you know she’s spending all of August helping us get Back to the Basics. So, in the spirit of the theme, instead of just telling you WHAT God is teaching me in Ezekiel… I’m going to share HOW I learned what I learned! There are some really precious reminders that the Lord has given me through studying Ezekiel – and I hope they will encourage you!
So, lets jump right in! Before I dive into any part of the Bible, I try to find a little bit of information on what I’m reading. So, before we jump into Ezekiel 3 (the passage we’re focusing on today) I want to share a little bit of context…
Ezekiel was one of the major prophets in the Old Testament. A prophet is simply someone that God chose and appointed to speak His word to His people. Ezekiel specifically was chosen by God to minister to the sinful & hopeless nation of Israel. His main purpose was to restore Israel, who had once rejected and ran from God, back to God. Seems like a pretty huge assignment if you asked me…
In the first couple chapters of this book, God gave Ezekiel some crazy visions with some pretty intense symbolism… and then called him to be a prophet. God literally told Ezekiel – “I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day. They are obstinate and stubborn.” If I were Ezekiel, I’m not sure if I would be sure I was the one for the job.
But, God doesn’t leave Ezekiel out to dry. Ezekiel’s name means, “God Strengthens,” and we’re going to pick up in Chapter 3 – where we see exactly what God uses to give strength to Ezekiel.
“And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words to them.”
Ezekiel 3:1-4
There is some pretty weird imagery in this passage, but we’re going to break it down. When I read and study scripture, this is the basic guideline that I follow… I take a small handful of verses, ask myself, “What is going on here?,” and then look for a truth I can take away and apply to my own life!
Hopefully you will see that each piece of this scripture points us back to the basics!
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Scripture
“Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.’
What’s Happening?
In this, God is asking Ezekiel to literally eat the words he has given him and then GO speak to the people. God gave him a scroll, and he willingly ate it. But, he didn’t just eat it… he FILLED himself with it!
The Truth
Before Ezekiel is supposed to “GO,” like God asked him to, he literally has to receive, internalize, and digest the word of God. After reading this, I thought about all of the things God has asked me to do…. Love my neighbor.. Care for orphans… Share His gospel… BUT, I was reminded that before I can effectively GO and do any of these things, I need to soak in His word. I have to choose to go to God’s word and fill myself with it. When I go out into the world on behalf of the Lord, I want to make sure that I am SO FULL of truth from His word that what overflows out of me, isn’t me. I want CHRIST to be the overflow.
Scripture
“So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.”
What’s Happening?
The scroll that God gave Ezekiel in the verses right before were actually described as tasting SWEET.
The Truth
What Ezekiel is experiencing here reminded me of what Psalm 119:103 says: “How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” The Bible is constantly giving us these reminders that God’s word is sweet, refreshing, and pleasant! Reading God’s word isn’t a burden. God’s word brings peace & hope & joy & fulfilment. If there was a book that promised to give you these things, why wouldn’t you read it?!
Scripture
“He then said to me: ‘Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words.’”
What’s Happening?
After God told Ezekiel to eat His words (literally), He addressed Ezekiel as “Son of Man” – meaning “human” – and told him to go immediately and speak those words.
The Truth
God chose Ezekiel – a human – to share His word. In the Bible, we see God, over and over, choosing HUMANS to deliver his message to his people… and just like that, He chooses to work through me and to work through you. He calls us AND He equips us by giving us His word.
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I hope after reading this blog post you feel more confident in HOW to study God’s word for yourself… but I also hope you are leaving feeling reminded of the power & goodness of God’s word! His word is a GIFT to us, and I pray that you will grow hungry to lean in and learn from it!
Have a great week!
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Kieran Hooker is Holly’s Ministry Assistant, as well as the Communications and Design coordinator for Revolution Church. Throughout her whole life, Kieran has had a passion for creativity and in the recent years, she has learned to use her gifts to serve the Lord and further His kingdom. Kieran believes that each of us are made in the image of God, and that we have been tasked with representing Him here on this earth. She believes that we are able to use our creative talents to show the world what our God is really like – a creative master who loves to bring beauty out of chaos. Kieran lives in Gastonia with her husband, Erick.
