Ezekiel 2:8–3:11 (NRSV)
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Verse 8But you, mortal, hear what I say to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you. Verse 9I looked, and a hand was stretched out to me, and a written scroll was in it. Verse 10He spread it before me; it had writing on the front and on the back, and written on it were words of lamentation and mourning and woe.
Chapter 3He said to me, O mortal, eat what is offered to you; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel. Verse 2So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. Verse 3He said to me, Mortal, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it. Then I ate it; and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey. Verse 4He said to me: Mortal, go to the house of Israel and speak my very words to them. Verse 5For you are not sent to a people of obscure speech and difficult language, but to the house of Israel- Verse 6not to many peoples of obscure speech and difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to them, they would listen to you. Verse 7But the house of Israel will not 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. Verse 8See, I have made your face hard against their faces, and your forehead hard against their foreheads. Verse 9Like the hardest stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not fear them or be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. Verse 10He said to me: Mortal, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart and hear with your ears; Verse 11then go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them. Say to them, "Thus says the Lord God"; whether they hear or refuse to hear.
Devotion
Matthew-Author of the first Gospel. Publican or tax collector stationed in Capernaum. When called by Jesus left his business and became a follower. Tradition states that he preached the Word among the Jews.
Ezekiel-“O Mortal” called to “open his mouth and eat what was given him” and was to speak the words to the house of Israel. Ezekiel ate and it tasted as honey so apparently he was pleased to be God’s spokesman, even though it was a message of woe. Whether he ate the scroll literally or in a vision we know not, but it would seem that he apparently totally digested the Word of the Lord before he spoke.
John-In Revelation 10:9, talks about eating the scroll, finding it bitter in the stomach and honey-sweet in the mouth.
O MORTAL-Me and thee. Would it not seem that we too are to fully digest the Word of the Lord, be it bitter or sweet, sharing that Word whenever given the opportunity to whomever?
Prayer
Holy Father, as Matthew, Ezekiel and John were given your Word to share; we pray that You would fill us also with that Word, giving us the courage of Your Spirit to likewise speak it. Amen.