Ezekiel 3:1-3

II. THE PREPARATION FOR SERVICE
2:8-3:15

Following the call to service, God begins a process of education to prepare this man for the assigned task. Three steps can be distinguished in this educational process. (1) The prophet needed to assimilate the message of God (Ezekiel 2:8 to Ezekiel 3:3); (2) he needed assurance of divine power (Ezekiel 3:4-9); and (3) he needed a correct assessment of his future congregation (Ezekiel 3:10-15).

A. Assimilation of the Word 2:8-3:3

TRANSLATION

(8) And as for you, son of man, hear that which I am about to speak unto you. Do not be rebellious like the rebellious house. Open your mouth, and eat that which I am about to give you. (9) And I saw, and behold a hand was extended unto me, and behold in it the roll of a book. (10) And he spread it before me, and it was written on front and back. And there was written on it lamentations, mourning and woe. (1) And He said unto me, Son of man, eat that which you discover; eat this roll and go speak unto the house of Israel. (2) And I opened my mouth, and he fed me this roll, (3) And he said unto me, Son of man, your belly shall eat and your inward parts shall be full with this roll which I am giving unto you. And I ate it, and it became in my mouth like honey for sweetness.

COMMENTS

A strange command is issued to Ezekiel in Ezekiel 2:8. The Lord prepares the prophet for this command by a warning not to be rebellious like the house of Israel. Then he was told to eat that which God was about to give him. Once again God forestalls any reluctance on Ezekiel's part by these words of warning. Disobedience here would mark Ezekiel as no better than the rebellious house of Israel to which he was to preach (Ezekiel 2:8).

The stage was set for this initial test of obedience. A hand came forth to him from the throne-chariot. The hand was either that of one of the cherubim, or that of the One on the throne itself. The hand contained a roll of a book, i.e., a scroll (Ezekiel 2:9).[110] Scrolls were made of animal skins or papyrus. By sewing many pieces of these materials together, a scroll of twenty feet or more in length might be constructed. Three things are said about this scroll.

[110] Cf. Jeremiah 1:9 where in vision God stretched forth His hand and put His Word in Jeremiah's mouth.

1. The scroll contained writing. The ancients regarded the written word as far more definite and unalterable than the spoken word. The writing on the scroll was God's authoritative Word for the children of Israel. The writing was on the scroll before Ezekiel received it. The message he would preach originated with God. It was a written word a fixed and unchangeable divine declaration.

2. The scroll was somewhat unusual in that it contained writing on both sides. Normally scrolls were inscribed on only one side. Is there symbolic significance in this fact? Perhaps it simply means that God had a lot to say to His people through Ezekiel. On the other hand, maybe the scroll was completely in scribed so as to eliminate the possibility of Ezekiel adding anything to the divinely received message.[111] Then again, perhaps the writing on front and back symbolized the abundance of the calamities which would befall Jerusalem.[112], [113]

[111] Ellison, EMM, p. 28.

[112] Currey, BC, p. 27.

[113] Unlikely is Fineberg's suggestion (PE, p. 26) that the front side of the scroll symbolizes truths of a more obvious nature, the backside those of a more concealed nature.

3. The content of the scroll consisted of lamentation, mourning and woe (Ezekiel 2:10).[114] Until the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. Ezekiel preached a message of doom such as might be character ized as lamentation, mourning and woe. The scroll thus set forth prophetically what would shortly befall Jerusalem and Judah.

[114] Ehrlich suggests that lamentation, mourning, and woe was the heading of the scroll. Cited in Fisch, SBB, p. 12.

The command came to eat this roll. The word of God must be internalized, digested and assimilated by that one who would serve as God's messenger.[115] Thus the eating of the scroll would symbolize the reception of the word. Coming on the heels of the command to eat the scroll is the command to go speak unto the house of Israel (Ezekiel 3:1). Immediately following the reception of the word there must be the proclamation of it.

[115] Thus while the passage clearly teaches verbal inspiration, it does not set forth mechanical dictation. The message had to be assimilated before annunciated in the prophet's own unique way.

Ezekiel attempted to comply with the Lord's command. He took the first step. He opened his mouth. At this point the gracious God intervened and aided in the consumption of the document (Ezekiel 2:2). Further encouragement came from the Lord to the effect that Ezekiel should swallow and digest the scroll that he had been given. Ezekiel complied. Much to his surprise he found that this scroll tasted sweet like honey (Ezekiel 2:3). This sweetness in no way indicates that Ezekiel took some morbid delight in his message of doom. Rather the sweetness of the scroll lay in the fact that it was the Word of God.[116]

[116] Cf. Psalms 19:10; Psalms 119:103: Jeremiah 15:16.

It is scarcely necessary to say that Ezekiel did not actually eat a literal scroll. This action was done in a vision. A person does strange things in dreams, and so it was also in this heaven-sent vision, The point is that Ezekiel must familiarize himself with the word of God by reading the scroll as eagerly and attentively as one eats food to satisfy hunger. The fact that God caused him to eat the scroll may point to supernatural aid which the prophet received in comprehending and mentally preserving the minutest detail of this unpleasant message.