Ezekiel 3:1-3

Ezekiel 3:1-3

[1] Moreover he said  unto me, Son  of man,  eat  that thou findest;  eat  this roll,  speak  unto the house  of Israel.  [2] So I opened  my mouth,  and he caused me to eat  that roll.  [3] 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. 

What does Ezekiel 3:1-3 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The Lord told Ezekiel to eat the scroll, a symbolic way of telling him to consume mentally and assimilate emotionally its contents. [1] After he did this he was to go and speak to the Israelites, to tell them what the Lord had revealed. So the prophet consumed the contents of the scroll as the Lord fed it to him. The words of the Lord were sweet to Ezekiel"s taste as he took them in (cf. Revelation 10:9-10). The word of God has an intrinsically pleasing and satisfying quality to those who, like Ezekiel , receive it gladly (cf. Psalm 19:10; Psalm 119:103; Proverbs 16:24; Proverbs 24:13-14; Jeremiah 15:16).
"No matter how painful the labor, there is satisfaction in finding and doing the will of God and in realizing service in fellowship with the living God." [2]