Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Ezekiel+003

Ezekiel 3 (ESV)

1 And he said to me, “Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. 3 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.

4 And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel— 6 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. 7 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. 8 Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. 9 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.” 10 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. 11 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.”

REFLECTION:

Ezekiel ate the message of God in a vision and found that this spiritual food was not only delicious but also sweet as honey (see similar usage in Revelation 10:8-10). If we “digest” God’s words, we will find that it not only makes our faith stronger, but God’s wisdom can make our lives more abundant and sweeter. So we have to eat spiritual food like we eat every day. We cannot communicate with God only occasionally, but keep God’s words in our hearts all the time and become a part of our lives. Before Ezekiel preached the word of God to others, he had to remember the word of God in his heart. In other words, God’s word must first be deeply rooted in our hearts and manifested in our lives before we can effectively help others understand and apply the gospel. Today, we will also face some people with “hard foreheads and hard hearts.” To break through their defenses, it is not because of the great words and wisdom, but our good life as Christians, and a faith that is like emery stronger than flint.

PRAYER:

Pray for God to make you more thirsty for His words, eat spiritual food every day, and digest this spiritual food in your life, so that you will be stronger and have more heavenly characters; pray that God will strengthen your faith and enable you to live out your faith no matter what environment you are in, use your life to bear a good testimony for God, and attract more people to God.

HYMN:

Thy Word – youtu.be/a6LC8cu03Ig