“Moreover, he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.” (Ezekiel 3:1-3)
In a vision, the prophet Ezekiel was given a scroll containing prophecies intended for Judah but first delivered to the exiles in Babylon (Ezekiel 2:3). What did Yahweh then demand of him? He said, “Eat!” Ezekiel ate, filling his stomach with the “honey sweet” scroll.
Jeremiah, when he “ate” God’s word, found it a “joy and rejoicing of mine heart” (Jeremiah 15:16). Both prophets experienced sweetness, joy, and delight consuming Scripture—God-breathed words from Yahweh’s mouth (2 Timothy 3:16; Psalm 1:2). This feasting took place against a horrid backdrop of hardened hearts, except for a small, believing, obedient remnant. The Jewish exiles despised hearing God’s Word (Ezekiel 8:9), and God’s watchman was bitter and angry with the rebellious behavior of this evil company (Ezekiel 3:14-15).
To Jeremiah, the words were sweet only because he obediently received them; they were otherwise bitter to those who rejected God’s Word. The apostle John also ate a book. It was sweet going down in anticipation of God’s glory and return, but it quickly turned bitter at the sight of God’s coming wrath and eternal judgment poured out on those who rejected the Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 10:10).
Why do we receive these prophecy peeks in Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Revelation? God’s revealed truth begs a response. What’s yours? “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand” (Revelation 1:3). CM
Days of Praise Podcast is a podcast based on the Institute for Creation Research quarterly print devotional, Days of Praise. Start your day with devotional readings written by Dr. Henry Morris, Dr. Henry Morris III, Dr. John Morris, and others to strengthen and encourage you in your Christian faith.
